Water Penetration Testing (ASTM E1105)
CSI Division 08, Openings
A standardized test, defined by ASTM E1105, that sprays water at a window, curtain wall, or storefront mockup while applying a static air pressure difference across it, checking whether the assembly leaks water under conditions meant to simulate wind-driven rain.
Why it matters
A building's full glazing system can't be fully re-tested once it's installed across an entire facade, which is exactly why a mockup gets tested this way before the real installation begins. Passing this test on a mockup is often the condition that has to be met before a project is allowed to proceed with full-scale installation of that glazing system.
On a real project
Before a project proceeds with installing curtain wall across an entire building facade, a full-size mockup panel is built and subjected to ASTM E1105 testing, confirming the system doesn't leak under the test's simulated wind-driven rain conditions.
Who this matters most to
A Glazier builds the mockup panel that undergoes ASTM E1105 testing, and the result determines whether that exact glazing system and installation method is approved to proceed at full scale.
Where this goes wrong
A project skips formal mockup water testing to save time and schedule, assuming the manufacturer's standard product performance is good enough. Water intrusion shows up during the first heavy wind-driven rain after installation, a problem that a mockup test would likely have caught before it affected the entire building facade.