Interiors, Insulation & Ventilation Flashcards
7 cards from real ASHI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Interiors, Insulation & Ventilation flashcards as text
An ASHI inspector tests a bedroom window and finds it cannot be opened. From a life-safety perspective, what is the PRIMARY concern?
Answer: Loss of emergency egress in case of fire
Sleeping rooms must have at least one operable window or door for emergency egress; a window that cannot open eliminates this required escape route in a fire.
What does a home inspector look for when assessing the R-value adequacy of wall insulation without destructive testing?
Answer: Check for visible gaps, compression, or moisture damage around outlets and switches
Inspectors can remove outlet cover plates to observe insulation presence, thickness, and condition in wall cavities as a non-destructive indicator of insulation quality.
Which ventilation system is MOST effective at maintaining good indoor air quality in a very tight, well-sealed modern home?
Answer: Mechanical balanced ventilation such as an HRV or ERV
A Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) or Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) provides continuous controlled fresh air exchange while recovering energy, making it ideal for tight homes.
A home inspector notices that fiberglass batt insulation in the attic is compressed under heavy storage boxes. What is the effect on insulation performance?
Answer: Compression reduces the air pockets and significantly lowers R-value
Fiberglass batts rely on trapped air pockets for their thermal resistance; compression eliminates these air spaces and can reduce the effective R-value by 50% or more.
An inspector finds that bathroom exhaust fans duct into the attic space rather than to the exterior. What is the MAIN deficiency?
Answer: Moisture-laden air dumped into the attic promotes mold and rot
Bathroom exhaust fans must terminate outside the building; venting into the attic deposits warm, humid air that condenses on cold surfaces, promoting mold growth and wood decay.
During an interior inspection, an inspector finds that several interior walls have no insulation and separate the heated living space from an unheated sunroom. What is this classified as?
Answer: A thermal bypass allowing heat loss from the conditioned envelope
Walls separating conditioned from unconditioned space function as thermal boundaries and should be insulated; missing insulation creates a thermal bypass reducing energy efficiency.
What condition would cause an inspector to report that a crawl space has inadequate ventilation?
Answer: Net free vent area is less than 1/150 of the crawl space floor area
Traditional vented crawl spaces require a net free vent area of at least 1/150 of the crawl space floor area to provide adequate cross-ventilation and moisture control.