When building an energy-efficient, airtight home it is important to consider ventilation-the exchange of indoor air with fresh outdoor air. Unless properly ventilated, an airtight home can seal in indoor air pollutants. Ventilation also helps control moisture levels- another important consideration for a healthy, energy-efficient home.

 

Homes need proper ventilation to reduce indoor pollutants, moisture, and odors. Contaminants such as pet dander, pollen, lead, mold spores, cleaning supplies, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and radon can accumulate in poorly ventilated homes, causing health problems. Excess moisture in a home can generate high humidity levels. High humidity levels can lead to mold growth and structural damage to a home. To ensure adequate ventilation, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) says that a home's living area should be ventilated at a rate of 0.35 air changes per hour or 15 cubic feet per person per minute, whichever is greater.

 

Ring's End supplies the highest quality building solutions, and ventilation is no exception. We offer a wide variety of venting products manufactured for specific parts of a building -- such as the roof, the attic, or the foundation -- in a range of styles and materials. We can also special order venting products for your specific project or application. Our stock of venting options includes:

• Attic Vents- Ring's End stocks the Lomanco's Add-A-Vent, a product that attaches to the inside of a louvered gable vent and adds the assistance of an electric fan to exhaust hot attic air. A thermostat turns the fan on automatically when the attic air temperature rises to a certain point, and shuts off when the air is cooled.

• Foundation Vents- Foundations not only need air ventilation to keep them from getting moldy and musty, but many also need an escape path for water if the basement or crawlspace is prone to flooding. Ring's End carries flood vents specifically made for this purpose. Visit their website for more information.
• SmartVENT: For both flood protection and ventilation
• FloodVENT: For flood protection only

• Louvers- Ring's End carries a variety of ventilating louvers. These products not only reduce heat and moisture in attics and garages, they add an attractive architectural detail to building exteriors. For customers who prefer polyurethane louvers because of their durability and low maintenance, Ring's End carries polyurethane louvers from Fypon, Cellwood, Webb, and AWSCO. For customers who prefer the traditional look of red cedar, Ring's End carries many in-stock sizes, ranging from 12" x 12" to 24" x 30". Custom sizes and shapes of louver gable vent units are also available by special order.

• Ridge & Soffit Vents- As roof venting is essential for successful roof performance, Ring's End carries many different roof vent systems.
• Ridge Vents: ShingleVent II and II-9 by Air Vent Inc. These vents go over the ridge and allow warm attic air to exit.
• Rapid Ridge: For fiberglass roofing or for wood roofing
• Soffit Vent: Aluminum by Alcoa
• Plastic Strip Vent: by Cor-A-Vent

 

 

This month we are offering unbeatable savings on Bostitch power tools. 

 

Model	Everyday Price	Our Sale Price	With Instant Rebate	With Trade-in Tool
Framer GF28WW   Angle Finish GFN1564K      Straight Finish GFN1664K        Brad Nailer GBT1850K	$349.99     $319.99     $269.99     $249.99	$299.99     $265.99     $225.99     $207.99	$224.99     $190.00     $150.99     $132.99	$174.99     $140.99     $100.99     $82.99

cordless guns. Factory representatives will be on hand to give demonstrations and provide a free fuel cell with every purchase. Here is your chance to try a Bostitch cordless gun and have your questions answered by qualified experts.

 

A properly installed housewrap system (which includes proper flashing and sealing around penetrations) will vastly improve the overall thermal efficiency and performance of a building's wall system. Ring's End offers industry leading housewrapping brands such as Dow and Benjamin Obdyke to protect your home.

 

Housewrap enhances performance of a wall system by reducing air leakage through the wall cavity, increasing the comfort level of a home or building. 

Housewrap is vapor permeable and assists in the overall drying potential of the wall should liquid moisture or condensation accumulate in the wall cavity. Correctly applied housewrap will help keep your home comfortable and prevent water damage problems down the line.

 

Housewrap effectively protects the wall system components from exposure to water. As the seasons change, the moisture content of the outdoor air changes. If moisture vapor becomes trapped in the wall cavity of a home or building, the resulting condensation can lead to growth of mold, mildew and rotting of some building materials. Housewrap allows potentially harmful moisture vapor to move into and out of a wall system so that it does not become trapped. 

Housewrap acts as a drainage plane by deflecting water and channeling it down the surface of the exterior wall. This allows the housewrap to act as a secondary barrier to water that has penetrated the exterior plane, thus reducing the likelihood of building rot/degradation. The housewrap must be properlly installed for water damage protection; incorrectly applied housewrap will not prevent rot or mold. Ring's End has the supplies you need to properly wrap any building.

 

 

Ring's End offers housewrap manufactured in a range of permeance levels, allowing for a wide range of selection to accommodate various wall designs.

 

Housewrap is a durable option over conventional building paper. It resists:

• Handling damage both on the job site and during installation
• Wind damage during construction (prior to installation of exterior cladding)
• UV degradation
• Failure due to incompatibilities with common construction materials
• Expansion/contraction effects caused by wetting, drying, heating & cooling. 

For helpful hints & do's/don'ts of installing housewrap be sure to check out this website.

 

Connecticut has a tentative plan to adapt the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)  into the State Building Code during the fall of 2011.  

 

The 2009 IECC contains several major improvements in energy efficiency over the current state code, the 2006 IECC. The most notable changes are improved duct sealing and efficient lighting requirements.

 

The scope of the IECC includes residential single-family housing and multi-family housing three stories or less above grade intended for permanent living. The code applies to new buildings, additions, alterations, renovations and repairs.

 

The primary zone 5 building envelope requirements for all Connecticut residential buildings in the 2009 IECC are:

• R-38 Ceilings
• U-0.35 Windows and Doors
• R-20 Walls
• R-30 Floors
• R-10 Foundations

 Notable requirements in the 2009 IECC:

• Building envelope must be caulked and sealed.
• Slab-on-grade insulation is R-10 to a depth of 2 feet.
• Supply ducts in attics must be insulated to R-8. Return ducts in attics and all ducts in crawlspaces, unheated basements, garages, or otherwise outside building envelope must be insulated to R-6.

• All ducts must be sealed and either:
• verified by pressure testing - the duct system has to be tested and the air leakage out of ducts must be kept to an acceptable maximum level.
• installed entirely within the building thermal envelope - testing is not required if all ducts are inside the building thermal envelope (for example in heated basements), though the ducts still have to be sealed.
• Piping for hydronic (boiler) heating systems must be insulated to R-3.
• Although vapor barriers are not required by the IECC, the I-codes do set wall vapor barriers requirements in Section R601.3 of the 2009 IRC, and vapor barriers are required in Zone 5.
• Less insulation is allowed for mass walls and more insulation is required for steel framing.
• 50% of the lighting "lamps" (bulbs, tubes, etc.) in a building must be highly efficient. Compact fluorescents qualify, standard incandescent bulbs do not.
• Standard I-code administrative requirements (inspections, documentation) apply.
• A certificate must be posted near the electrical panel listing insulation levels and other energy efficiency measures. 

Exemptions/Allowances from prescriptive measures:

• One door and 15 ft2of window area are exempt
• Skylight U-factors are allowed to be U-0.60
• 500 ft2or 20% of ceiling area of cathedral ceiling, whichever is less, is allowed to have R-30 insulation 

For more information visit the Connecticut Department of Construction Services website at http://www.ct.gov/dps or e-mail Tony Calistro at tony_calistro@ringsend.com 

  

Ring's End is Connecticut's premier

lumber, millwork and building specialties company, with a reputation for offering premium quality products at extremely competitive prices, excellent service and a knowledgeable, well-trained sales staff. 

 

 

 

Ring's End has one of the largest and most diverse inventories to satisfy the needs of the largest home builder, as well as remodeling contractors and do-it-yourself consumers.

 

Darien · Lewisboro· Wilton · Bethel

New Milford · Branford · Niantic · Norwalk

 Stamford Paint Center · New London Paint Center

 

800-390-1000 

 

"Not too Big, Not too Small; 

Just Right"