What Is A Blower Door Test

A professional energy auditor will test the airtightness of your home using a special fan called a blower door.

What is a blower door test.

Whether it is a new construction or an existing home a blower door air leakage test is a very cost effective way to lower your ach air changes per hour save money on your utility bills and increase the energy efficiency of your home. A blower door test is performed to measure the exact air tightness of a home. Essentially a blower door is a very powerful fan that is fixed into the frame of an exterior door. A blower door test and an energy audit are going to provide you with an energy efficiency roadmap for your home.

A blower door test is a component of a whole home energy audit. A blower door test can tell you that a home should have mechanical ventilation but not how much. A blower door consists of a frame and flexible panel that fit into an exterior doorway. Most new homes at least here in michigan are testing out at below 3 50 ach50 air changes per hour with the blower door running.

A blower door test identifies air leakage in a home. Contact us for more info on our blower door testing services or call 604 562 0387. When turned on the fan pulls all the air out of the house and lowers the air pressure inside. It is designed to check for air leaks in walls attics and mechanical penetrations.

Even if you have recently upgraded your attic insulation with spray foam insulation or cellulose insulation small holes and cracks that add up to a window or door wide open year round could be negating much of the insulating benefits. You can find and fix those air leaks for a more airtight mold rot free and energy efficient sustainable green home. While a blower door test does not evaluate how well a structure is insulated it can reveal drafty walls and air bypass situations that could undermine otherwise well insulated wall assemblies. 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.

Blower door tests tell you exactly just how leaky or tight your home is and whether air sealing attics or other areas of your home can improve your house s energy savings. Blower doors consist of a frame flexible panel that fits in a doorway a variable speed fan a pressure gauge and an airflow manometer and hoses for measuring airflow according to the doe. 19 2019 12 58 p m. This results in the higher outside air pressure flowing into the house through any unsealed cracks and openings revealing the air infiltration rate of the home and showing where an air leak may be hiding.

What is blower door testing. 2 2019 2 17 p m.