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Building a Home

Zip R System Plus House Wrap

Justin McCullough

8 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
8 years ago
Email Huber's rep, see what they say.
Justin McCullough thanked scone911
Justin McCullough
Original Author
8 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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It is probably "Raindrop" housewrap by Greenguard. It has tiny vertical drainage channels which allow drainage behind the siding similar to DuPont's DrainWrap (StuccoWrap is the same product) which has wrinkles. Tyvek is probably a more water resistant material because it is non-woven but whether you need a drainage wrap depends mostly on the kind of siding and the amount of rain. For instance, it would serve no purpose behind vinyl siding or in Arizona. Design the wall as a total system and avoid getting caught up in individual material marketing rhetoric. Here is a link that might be useful: raindrop
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I decided against it and I am just using zip sheathing without the foam. In my research, it seemed like the foam was in the wrong spot related to the vapor and water barriers and would have a problem not drying out should condensation occur in the walls. I don't remember the specifics, but I think foam is usually applied outside of the rain shield, just underneath siding or brick. I am sure some others would be able to advise you more. On the other hand, hub makes great products in the zip line and advantech, so I am sure they have researched it and can justify the r sheathing as manufactured.
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I used it on my build. My thinking was that the Huber would not be subject to warping problems that wet osb has. Also as stated before the improper installation of wrap may create more problems than it helps. FWIW, I spoke to a guy that does mostly remodel work. He said that many of the houses he has worked on have wrap over osb. The osb apparently gives off enough dust to clog the bottom pores of the wrap causing an accumulation of moisture and rotten studs and plates. Not good. I also used the Huber roof panels, but I still used tar paper under my shingles. They say you don't have to but I wanted the extra layer of protection, plus I'm not sure the shingle warranty is valid without the tar paper. The only down side I see is when the framer misses the stud, he creates a hole that should probably be patched with tape. And the tape is expensive. Let us know what you found $$.
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Ditto Worthy and JDS, Best would be 3/8-3/4" strapping with coravent or crafted insect screen at top and bottom. Any flat non-woven housewrap like 15# felt, standard tyvek or typar would be fine in that application if not using a WRB integrated structural sheathing like Huber Zip. If installers aren't comfortable with a true rainscreen strapping, then homeslicker would be next best followed by drainable housewraps. We've used 3d mesh like homeslicker behind shingles but not lap siding as I've read it can become wavy. Good job researching best siding practices. I don't think any siding should be installed flat against structural sheathing with standard housewraps in any climates except very dry. Non-insulated vinyl being an exception as it creates it's own rainscreen. Check out Matt Risinger's video to see a performance experiment between regular tyvek and stuccowrap. Speaking of which, I hope you are including exterior foam or similar performing wall details.
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PRO
Springtime Builders
8 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
8 years ago
last modified: 8 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
8 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.

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