Water Penetration Test Calculator

Test pressure from building height and wind zone.

Building height (m)

Basic wind speed (m/s)

Exposure category (1-3)

Risk category (1-4)

Test area (m²)

Tab to move between fields

Design wind pressure (Pa)

1,830

Static test pressure (Pa)

439

C&C interior zone (Pa)2,196

C&C corner zone (Pa)3,293

Field spray pressure (Pa)439

Kz factor1.41

Spray flow rate (L/hr)510

Total water for test (L)128

Dynamic Test Pressure439.12

Spray Flow GPM2.25

Performance GradeLC (Light Commercial)

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the curtain wall area under test and the test pressure in psf (ASTM E1105 or AAMA 501.1).
Set the water application rate in gallons per hour per square foot.
Input test duration in minutes.
Review the total water volume applied and pass/fail criteria.
Document test results by unit location for the project submittal record.

How the result changes with Basic wind speed (m/s)

Building height (m): Height above grade to the test location on the curtain wall.
Basic wind speed (m/s): 3-second gust basic wind speed per ASCE 7 wind map. Typical: 40–65 m/s.
Exposure category (1-3): 1 = B (suburban/urban), 2 = C (open terrain), 3 = D (coastal/flat).
Risk category (1-4): ASCE 7 risk category. 1 = low hazard, 2 = standard, 3 = high occupancy, 4 = essential.
Test area (m²): Area of the curtain wall specimen or field test chamber.

Design wind pressure (Pa): Calculated velocity pressure at building height with importance factor.
C&C interior zone (Pa): Component & cladding pressure for interior wall zones (GCp = 1.2).
C&C corner zone (Pa): Component & cladding pressure for corner zones (GCp = 1.8).
Static test pressure (Pa): ASTM E331 static water test pressure (20% of C&C, min 137 Pa).
Field spray pressure (Pa): AAMA 501.1 field test pressure.
Kz factor: Velocity pressure exposure coefficient at test height.
Spray flow rate (L/hr): Required water spray flow rate per AAMA 501.2 (204 L/hr per m²).
Total water for test (L): Total water volume needed for a 15-minute ASTM E331 test.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Building height (m) = 50, Basic wind speed (m/s) = 50, Exposure category (1-3) = 2, Risk category (1-4) = 2 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Design wind pressure
Design wind pressure = qz * importanceFactor
1830 = 1830
Calculate Static test pressure
Static test pressure = max(137, ccPressureInterior * 0.20)
439 = 439
Calculate C&C interior zone
C&C interior zone = designWindPressure * gcpInterior
2196 = 2196
Calculate C&C corner zone
C&C corner zone = designWindPressure * gcpCorner
3293 = 3293