Article #1493 - COMcheck Web-Based Training Questions - Walls

This article contains questions asked during the August 18, 2005 live broadcast of the COMcheck Web-Based Training session. The original language of the questions and answers has been modified to make them as generic as possible while retaining the applicable specific information.

Does the square footage of the wall include the window area?

Wall inputs should include the square footage of all windows and doors.

Is the only time we need to indicate interior walls is when they abut an unconditioned area?

This is correct.

Does EIFS system count as continuous insulation?

Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) are multi-layered exterior wall systems that are used on both commercial buildings and homes. COMcheck does not have an assembly option to choose from for these types of wall systems. If you are installing an EIFS system, the entire component should be entered as "other" from the drop down list of assembly types. You can edit the word "other" and input the name of the wall system and then enter the overall U-factor of the entire wall assembly.

How do you define exterior walls for pre-engineered metal buildings? They seem to always come up non-compliant.

COMcheck allows the user to define an "Other" wall assembly by specifying its overall effective U factor. This option permits the user to accurately describe the performance of any wall assembly not adequately covered by the predefined wall types.

How do you account for doors and windows in interior walls? Currently COMcheck does not allow doors and windows to be linked to an interior wall.

Doors and windows in interior walls need to be entered as 'Other' interior walls with their U-factors. In this case, net areas of interior opaque wall and door/window components should be specified separately. Alternatively, an area averaged U-factor can be calculated for the entire interior wall and can be entered as "Other".