Zip R System Plus House Wrap

10 years ago

We are currently building a house in Indiana. We chose the Zip R System 1" total. The framing had used the product before, but
after inspecting their work they didn't do a great job with the seam tape and
many nails penetrated the outside layer of the zip system. My concern is that this will lead to leaks in
the future. I wanted to know if we
should house wrap with TyPar/Tyvek prior to installing the fiber cement
siding. Will the house wrap be worse
about trapping moisture in the zip system? Is it ok just as it is and the foam
inside the zip panels will prevent water intrusion? Any advice would be helpful.

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Comments (5)

scone911
10 years ago
Email Huber's rep, see what they say.
Justin McCullough thanked scone911
Justin McCullough
Original Author
10 years ago
If anyone else sees this, you can absolutely use a looser fitting, permeable house wrap over the zip system. It does not void the warranty. Direct from a Huber rep.
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Springtime Builders
10 years ago
I might upgrade to a drainable housewrap; tyvek stuccowrap, hydrogap or Tamlynwrap. Better yet, install siding on a true 3/8" ventilated rainscreen.

Good job on the exterior insulation but the 1" foam zipR version would have been a more appropriate choice for your climate. I think even that would be cutting it close for what current energy codes are suggesting for your climate zone.

Since water damage is a primary concern, educate yourself to ensure a better job on the window, door and roof flashing.
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
What do you mean by "many nails penetrated the outside layer of the zip system"? How else would it be installed? If the tape was rolled well it should be OK or it should be repaired. Please post a photo.

I agree about the drainage system but there are better ones than Tyvek offers. Whatever you add should be highly permeable which would rule out Typar IMO. Or the wall should be designed to dry to the inside.
Justin McCullough
Original Author
10 years ago
Springtime -
Thank you for the input. We ended up using a rain screen behind the fiber
cement siding. We framed with 2x6 exterior walls so we felt with the
blown in cellulose insulation we didn't need the 1" sheeting. 2” is better than 1” which is better than ½”
which is better than plain OSB. You can
keep increasing the amount of insulation, but at some point the ROI just isn’t
there.

JDS – The nail
guns used to nail into studs (not at the seams) sunk too far into the zip
panels. It seems really hard to not have
this happen. This punctures the WRB part
of the zip system. You could tape each
stud, but that seems much more labor intensive then just wrapping up the house
a second time.

I really like
the idea of the zip system, but after going through the installation I question
the WRB aspect of it. The taping has to
be perfect and I mean no wrinkles, no tears, no water, dust, dirt, mud, sawdust
underneath the tape, etc. Probably hand
nailed because the nail needs to sit flush and not sink in at all. No nail gun
can be adjusted enough to account for the differences in stud hardiness. Seemed simple enough to run some standard
house wrap around and not have any concerns or a simple rain shield in our
case.