A Glossary of Common Air Leakage Terms

Have you ever found yourself talking to professionals, perhaps during a consultation for residential or commercial air leakage testing, when they begin blurting out words that are unfamiliar to you? We understand what it’s like to feel out of place in such conversations. That’s why we’ve prepared this glossary of the most common industry terms for your reference.

Air barrier. An air barrier refers to a system of materials designed and constructed to control airflow between conditioned and unconditioned spaces. In other words, it’s the boundary of your home or building enclosure that separates the indoor and outdoor environments. These include the roof, walls and ground floors of your home or building.

Airtightness. This is a fundamental property of a building defined as the resistance to inward or outward air leakage through unintentional leakage points or areas within the building envelope. An airtight building, combined with natural or mechanical ventilation, helps ensure comfort, energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

Air sealing. This term generally refers to the step-by-step process of reducing the amount of air that leaks into and out of your home or building. Techniques used in air sealing include the application of caulk and weatherstripping, as well as the installation of insulation.

ACH50.  This is an abbreviation for air changes per hour at 50 pascals (PA). It’s one of the most important metrics used by industry professionals to determine the energy efficiency of a residential, commercial or industrial property.

CFM50. This is an abbreviation for cubic feet per minute at 50 pascals. It’s used to quantify the air leakage of the home or building being tested. The higher the result, the more leaks the structure has.

Fan pressurization. Also called the blower door test, this is a procedure that helps industry professionals measure how airtight homes or buildings are. This is where they apply ACH50 and CFM50 metrics to obtain results and provide recommendations for air leakage testing and sealing.

Entergis Testing & Sealing, LLC is a full-service contractor that specializes in air leakage testing and sealing for residential, commercial and industrial applications. We take a careful, individualized approach to each client and can customize a solution to meet any need you might have. Give us a call at (225) 445-2362 or fill out our contact form to request a free estimate.