Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture

Problems in Buildings
Hands-On Continuing Education For Facility Engineering, Operations,
Maintenance & Management Professionals

Mason-Grant Consulting
57 South St.
Portsmouth, NH
03801 USA
www.MasonGrant.com
LewHarriman@MasonGrant.com
(603) 4310-0635

Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture Problems in Buildings

Hands-On Training For Facility Maintenance & Management Professionals

Background
Troubleshooting humidity control and moisture-related problems in commercial and institutional buildings
requires a variety of technical skills, along with analytical expertise that is not widely available through
secondary or post-secondary education.

Hands-on Training
Mason-Grant Consulting and Camroden Associates offer a three-day course to meet the needs of busy
building professionals who have real-world problems which need prompt and economical solutions. The
course includes:
On-site measurement and diagnosis of a local building, which has a history of humidity
control concerns, selected by the client organization.
Post-investigation generation of course materials (on site) which explain the analytical
techniques and instrument measurements which are relevant to understanding and fixing
the humidity control problems of the local building in question.
Hands-on training for the specific instruments which local technicians will use to diagnose
not only the building in question, but also other local buildings with similar problems.
Post-instruction hands-on test which allows managers to assess the degree of instrument
familiarity achieved by the technicians who attend the training.

Intended Audience & Instructional Approach

The course is designed for primarily for facility operations and maintenance technicians who are asked to
fix that humidity problem before Friday. The instructional approach is optimized for those who have a
strong kinesthetic learning abilitiesthose who learn best by doing rather than by reading or listening to
lectures of abstract concepts.
Other building professionals such as engineers, architects and facility managers may also find this
instructional approach a refreshing change from the usual sit-and-listen style of technical education. But
this course is focused on direct observation of a building, along with direct, hands-on use of the
instruments which measure the critical aspects of HVAC system and building enclosure performance.

Course Description
The basic course is designed for three (3) full 8-hour days, with an optional 4th day for investigation and
diagnosis of a second building.
Our instructors arrive the day before the three-day course, to meet with the clients on-site course
manager and logistical coordinator to:
Collect and inspect the instruments and supplies previously shipped to the site.
Plan the details of access to the target building as well as its mechanical systems and the
key subassemblies of its building enclosure.
Arrange for and inspect the work/instructional space in a quiet area inor within short
walking distance ofthe target building. The space needs to be large enough to
comfortably seat the intended class size, and quite enough to allow clear communication
without electronic amplification.

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Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture Problems in Buildings

Hands-On Training For Facility Maintenance & Management Professionals

Day 1 - Inspect, investigate and understand the target building

On day one, the instructors will work with a small group of two or three supervisory and engineering
personnel to fully investigate and diagnose the humidity and moisture problems of the target building. The
goal of day one is to understand the buildings problems well enough that it can be used on day two to
instruct the much larger group of course attendees. Day one generally consists of five parts:
1. Tour the building, including all mechanical spaces, problematic locations and hidden
spaces of the building enclosure.
2. For the benefit of the supervisory and engineering group, describe the relevant analytical
techniques and instrument procedures which will be used to fully diagnose the problems
and their causes
3. Proceed to use the techniques and instruments selected by the instructors, so the group
can see the instruments and measurements in real time.
4. Collect and understand the results of measurements and discuss possible solutions to the
now-defined problems.
5. Plan the site visit and instructional sequence for the larger group which will be conducted
on day two.
Day two - Use the building as a real-time instructional case history
On day two, the larger group of attendees will assemble at the building to learn the techniques and
instrument procedures that have been determined to be useful for the building in question on day one.
The goal of day two is to transmit relevant knowledge to the larger group, based on the clear
understanding gained by the efforts of the 1st day.
By narrowing the focus to those techniques and instruments that are really relevant to the problematic
building, we avoid the boredom and frustration that comes from overly-broad, abstract theory with is not
relevant to technicians. Day two proceeds in four stages:
1. Walk through the building with the trainee group, pointing out relevant areas of concern
compared to areas and issues which are not relevant to the buildings humidity or moisture
problems.
2. Describe and show the techniques and instruments which will be used to diagnose the
problems.
3. Proceed to use and demonstrate the instruments and analytical techniques known to be
relevant to the buildings problems.
4. Discuss the results, and plan possible solutions in light of the days investigations,
including any alternate observations and solutions not uncovered by the smaller group on
day one. This is real-time, participatory diagnosis and solution planning which fully involves
the entire group of building technicians and professionals.

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Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture Problems in Buildings

Hands-On Training For Facility Maintenance & Management Professionals

Day three - Building hands-on skills - Understanding and using tools, instruments and techniques
On day three, the goal is to give all attendees hands-on, repetitive use of the instruments, tools and
techniques needed for diagnosing and quantifying humidity and moisture problems, and planning
solutions to those problems. Attendees will work in groups of two or three such that they all personally set
up and use these instruments and techniques:
1. Blower door and IR camera for building enclosure leak detection and quantification.
2. Flow hood for measuring air flow in the different parts of the buildings HVAC and exhaust
systems.
3. Duct blaster for measuring air leakage in HVAC systems and smaller building spaces.
4. T/rh instruments and dataloggers and associated software for measuring air conditions both as
spot measurements and trends over time.
5. Tools and supplies for sealing up air leaks in building enclosures and in HVAC systems.
Optional Day four - Additional buildings
If the client chooses to contract for a 4th day, our instructors will work with the newly-trained technicians
and supervisors to investigate problems and recommend solutions in other buildings owned or operated
by the client organization. The critical point to keep in ind is that to be effective, members of this team
must have easy access to all parts of the target buildings and their mechanical spaces. (Locked doors do
not permit useful investigations)
Optional anonymous web-based skill-retention test
No sooner than seven (7) calendar days after day three, attendees may take a quiz on the Mason-Grant
website which will test their retained knowledge of the information learned during the three days of
training. The quiz will include both general skill retention and also the specific information learned about
the target building. The goal of the test is not to embarrass the attendees (who may not all be adept at
test-taking), but rather to reinforce the information they learned during the hands-on training, providing
them with the self-confidence necessary to use these tools and techniques on other buildings in the
future.

Instructors
Lew Harriman
Lew Harriman is Director of Research at Mason-Grant Consulting in Portsmouth, NH.
Prior to his commercial and industrial experience, Lew served as a Captain in the USAF. He was
assigned as Housing Management Officer in the Engineering & Services Directorate of the Strategic Air
Command at both base and major command levels between 1971 and 1976. Since that time, he has
spent 35 years researching and solving problems related to humidity, moisture and energy in buildings
and industrial processes.
Over the last 35 years, he has developed and presented more than 15 courses for organizations such as
ASHRAE, NACE International, MFMA, AIA, RIA, GSA, USAF and corporate clients, instructing more than
10,000 engineers, architects, operating and maintenance technicians and property managers in various
aspects of building technology, energy optimization, humidity control and moisture management.

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Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture Problems in Buildings

Hands-On Training For Facility Maintenance & Management Professionals

In 2002, Lew was the lead author and project manager for the ASHRAE Humidity Control Design Guide,
the first book to deal specifically with the issue of humidity control in 100 years of the societys history.
That book has also been translated into Japanese and published by the Japan Society of Refrigerating
and Air Conditioning Engineers. In 2011 the book is being translated and published in Mandarin as well.
In 2006, Lew was the Chief Thermographer and lead author for the General Service Administrations
Protocol for the Exterior Inspection of Building Enclosures Using Thermal Cameras. He also serves as a
National Peer in GSAs Engineering Excellence program.
In 2009, Lew was the lead author and project manager for the ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot &
Humid Climates, a book which summarizes the experiences of building professionals in hot and humid
climates around the world, and also summarizes ASHRAE guidance on ventilation, energy efficiency,
thermal comfort and mold risk reduction with respect to hot and humid climates.
In 2010, Lew was elected a Fellow of ASHRAE. He is currently the Chair of ASHRAE Technical
Committee 1.12 - Moisture Management in Buildings, and is also the Chair of the ASHRAE Position
Document Committee on Indoor Mold.

Mike Clarkin
Mike Clarkin is the lead Building Envelope and Indoor Air Quality Specialist for Camroden Associates. He
has served in this capacity for over 20 years.
Mike provides building envelope air tightness design assistance to A&E firms, Design/Build firms and
others involved with designing and constructing large facilities which must meet a building envelope air
tightness specification. Work typically includes conducting:
On-site inspections of building envelope and air barrier installations during construction.
Building pressurization tests to determine building envelope leakage rates.
Infrared thermal inspections to identify thermal insulation irregularities and locate building envelope air
leakage sites.
Completed projects include facilities built for the United States Army Corps of Engineers on military bases
across the nation, public and private schools, universities and colleges, and facilities built for local and
state government agencies.
In addition. Mike is an Indoor Air Quality Specialist. Projects typically include conducting indoor air quality
investigations for diverse clients including private sector clients, school administrations and local and
state health departments.
Completed projects include national level research and development projects for the United States
Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
concerning indoor radon issues in residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Projects also often
include investigating the cause, extent of and remedial actions needed to solve mold growth in residential,
commercial and institutional buildings.
Mikes experience (1971-1980) has included assignment to Okinawa and Japan as United States Marine
Corps Avionics Work Center Supervisor/Staff Non-Commissioned Officer. While serving in the Corps,
Mike supervised and directed Avionics Work Center maintenance efforts on McDonald-Douglas A-4
Skyhawk attack aircraft. As a Designated Non-Crew Member, Mike flew back-seat in McDonald-Douglas
A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft to perform in-flight diagnostics and repair of aircraft at remote sites.

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Troubleshooting Humidity & Moisture Problems in Buildings

Hands-On Training For Facility Maintenance & Management Professionals

Basic Course Costs (Current as of September 15th, 2011)

The basic cost for the course as described above is $18,000. The basic course cost includes time and
expenses for auto travel, meals and lodging within four (4) highway drive-time hours of Portsmouth, NH.
(See below for costs at more distant locations.)

Standard Options (Current as of September 15th, 2011)

Site conditions, training location and client needs can vary. To adjust the training program costs to specific
on-site circumstances of facilities and local personnel training needs, the following standard options can
be added to the basic program.
1. Optional 4th day instructor fee - $2500
2. Optional equipment use fees (Add outbound and return shipping costs to the costs below)
a. Blower door with precision micromanometer - $200/day - (Quantity depends on target building)
b. Duct blaster and precision micromanometer - $180/day
c. Additional micromanometers - $100/day
d. Hand-held 2% RH Thermohygrometer - $75/day
e. Digital air flow hood with three (3) frame sets - $300/day
f. Digital data loggers for T/RH - $25/day each - (Quantity depends on target building)
3. Distant training site location cost adjustments
a. Locations beyond four hours drive time in the 48 contiguous U.S. States, or Carribbean Islands or
Eastern Provinces of Canada including Ontario, Quebec or the Atlantic Provinces - $500 plus
tourist class air fare billed at cost (Ask Mason-Grant for quote on exact air fare required for your
particular project before the project budget is final... air fares vary widely by time of year and
location.)
b. Locations in Alaska, Hawaii, Western Canadian Provinces, Western Europe, the Pacific, Australia/
New Zealand, the Middle East, India and Continental Asia - $1,000 plus tourist class air fare billed
at cost (Ask Mason-Grant for quote on exact air fare required for your particular project location
and time of year before your project budget is final... air fares vary widely by time of year and
location.)
4. Optional supplemental instructional materials
a. ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot & Humid Climates - $55.00 each
b. ASHRAE Humidity Control Design Guide - $75.00 each

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