Blower Door and Air Duct Testing
Ensuring Energy Efficiency and Home Comfort
What is Blower Door Testing?
A blower door test involves temporarily sealing off all openings in a house except for one, where a powerful fan is installed to depressurize the interior. The fan’s speed is adjusted to create a standard pressure difference between the inside and outside of the house. Air leakage through the building envelope is then measured using sophisticated equipment. This information is used to calculate the air leakage rate, expressed in Air Changes per Hour (ACH). A lower ACH value indicates a tighter building envelope and reduced air leakage.
What is Air Duct Testing?
Air duct testing focuses specifically on measuring air leaks within the ductwork itself. This is typically done using a Duct Blaster, a device that pressurizes the duct system and measures the air leakage rate. The leakage rate is then compared to industry standards to determine the overall efficiency of the duct system.
Benefits of Blower Door and Air Duct Testing
Reduced energy costs: By identifying and sealing air leaks, you can improve the efficiency of your HVAC system, lower your energy bills, and save money on heating and cooling costs.
Enhanced home comfort: A tightly sealed duct system ensures that conditioned air is delivered evenly throughout your home, eliminating hot and cold spots and improving overall comfort levels.
Improved indoor air quality: Leaky ductwork can allow dust, pollen, and other contaminants to enter your home, affecting indoor air quality and potentially triggering respiratory issues. Sealing leaks helps prevent these contaminants from circulating through your HVAC system.
Extended HVAC system lifespan: By reducing the strain on your HVAC system, you can prolong its lifespan and minimize the risk of breakdowns.
Choosing a Qualified Contractor
For accurate and reliable blower door and air duct testing, it is crucial to choose a qualified and experienced contractor. Knockout Inspections employees are certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI). We have the necessary equipment and expertise to conduct thorough testing and provide you with detailed reports.
Why Pressure Testing Matters
PRESSURE TESTING FAQs
A Blower Door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings. It can also be used to measure the airflow between building zones to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope.
1. The 2015 IECC has several new requirements for verification of air sealing in new construction and additions. These new requirements apply to new construction, additions, and alterations where adopted by states and local jurisdictions. www.energycodes.gov/states/
2. This is also a tool to effectively assess the air leakage in existing homes that were built prior to these requirement. By doing so, you can identify where the air leakage/infiltration is occurring and be remedied to save energy in your home.
A duct leakage tester is a diagnostic tool designed to measure the airtightness of forced air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning ductwork. A duct leakage tester consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an air flow rate and a pressure sensing device to measure the pressure created by the fan flow.
1. In new construction, we test duct work to make sure it meets that area’s requirements for the Energy Code; this is measured in CFM (cubic feet per minute) per 100 sqft (square feet).
2. A duct system is an extremely important component of a home’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system meant to transfer conditioned (heated or cooled) air to various rooms. If it is leaking and not properly sealed, you are paying to heat and cool unconditioned parts of your home…and you may be sacrificing comfort at the same time. Stay comfortable and save money with duct pressure testing and a properly sealed duct system.
According to the 2015 IECC the air tightness of a newly constructed home in Zone 2 is required to have less than or equal to 5 ACH’s. (Air Changes per Hour). The duct leakage allowed is less than or equal to 4 CFM (cubic feet per minute) / 100 sqft.