Commercial Blower Door Testing
Blower door testing the washington state energy code requirements now require blower door testing for air leakage on new construction and many types of remodeling projects.
Commercial blower door testing. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope. The blower door test. During this test a calibrated fan is installed in an otherwise sealed door or window while all the other openings to the exterior are closed. We have years of experience as bpi building performance institute building analysts and can perform the testing that you need to meet code and inspection requirements.
We specialize in blower door test as well as duct work testing for new construction and existing dwellings. Vapor emitters such as the tiny s handheld fog machine can make air leakage visible in vulnerable leakage areas such as floor to wall connections around windows and doors ceiling penetrations or anywhere two dissimilar materials meet that create a gap or. How does it work. There are three primary components to a blower door.
A blower door test is used on buildings in order to quantify the amount of air leakage through its enclosure. Beginning with the 2012 iecc a maximum air leakage rate is defined and each new home must meet this tightness level verified with a blower door test. A blower door consists of a frame and flexible panel that fit into an. A blower door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings.
It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope. A blower door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings. Smoke testing with a blower door can also help locate leaks in the building envelope. Simply put a blower door is a diagnostic tool used to measure how much air infiltration air leakage occurs in a house.
Blower doors consist of a frame and flexible panel that fit in a doorway a variable speed fan a pressure gauge to measure the pressure differences inside and outside the home and an airflow manometer and hoses for measuring airflow. Last year we built an energy star home for a customer and we used a blower door test to evaluate the houses air infiltration performance. Commercial air leakage testing otherwise known as commercial blower door testing enables. Understanding blower door test results.
What is blower door testing. There are two types of blower doors.