Page 24 - Green Builder Magazine Jan-Feb 2018 Issue

Building Flaws and Their Solutions

CREDIT: NATIONAL GUARD

5

A
Corrosion of ties or fasteners used
to attach siding to the wall structure
B
led to loss of wall cladding and
water intrusion.
C
HIS MAY BE one of the easiest resiliency improvements:
upgrading to a better-quality sheathing fastener. The
corrosion of fasteners has been heavily researched. We
know that galvanized fasteners hold up better than mild D
T steel, and the treated wood accelerates fastener corrosion.
But we have to be realistic: Most builders today use nailguns, not Metal matters. Research (http://bit.ly/2icPjti) has shown that traditional
hammers, to attach sheathing and roof decking. Fortunately, you can mild steel fasteners can corrode quite rapidly in wood. This test include a
find plenty of corrosion-resistant products, such as type 316 stainless one-year field exposure of nails in a) treated wood, b) untreated wood,
steel fasteners. Here’s one online source: http://bit.ly/2iHpvJO c) galvanized in treated wood and d) galvanized in untreated wood.
Incidentally, the increasingly popular Huber Zip System CREDIT: ELSEVIER/CORROSION SCIENCE
R-Sheathing can be used in coastal zones where basic wind speed is wood or some brands of fiber cement. FEMA’s analysis (http://bit.
100 mph, but must be designed by a professional as a shear wall. I ly/2icj9y9) of post-Katrina damage found that homes with the siding
would also recommend selecting a siding system with good impact through-nailed directly into wood studs performed best, and that
resistance, such as LP SmartSide engineered lumber, solid-sawn nailing should not exceed a 24-inch gap.

6

Unprotected glazing led to
interior damage from wind

and wind-driven rain.

RESSURIZATION OF HOMES can
literally blow the top off a structure.
Impact glass tends to meet building
code, but it’s expensive and not
P always optimal. My recommendation
would be to install impact glass even in high-risk
areas such as Florida—whether code mandated
or not—but use shutters in the coastal zone.
Sure, the glass can slow depressurization. But
multiple strikes by debris could compromise it,
leading to failure. FEMA can offer examples of
storm-shuttered houses that survived Category
4 destruction, located right next to unshuttered
ones that did not.

Impact imperfect. Storm shutters can save windows where impact glass may fail, such as
in coastal zones.

22 GREEN BUILDER January/February 2018 www.greenbuildermedia.com

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