Why Should You Schedule Early Blower Door Tests?

If you plan to build a high-performance house, consider having a mid-stage blower door test performed. This method measures the airtightness of homes to determine potentially vulnerable areas in the air barrier. It’s essential to note that this test must be scheduled at a point in the construction process where it’s time to fix specific air issues. In this post, we share the benefits of getting an early blower door test.

• If you consider a mid-construction blower door test, you can ensure a well-built, air-sealed home, as it will shrink the house’s environmental footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Waiting until construction has been completed to identify air leakage issues makes fixing the problems time-consuming, expensive and nearly impossible.
• Mid-construction testing saves money and time. It helps you avoid surprises and ensures that a property is ready to meet energy-efficiency targets early on in the process.
• This process can be a practical teaching tool for your crews. Make it an opportunity for them to identify and address air leakage issues. Many builders have called the mid-construction blower door test more educational than weekend-long workshops on airtightness.

What Do Mid-Construction Services Include

• Measurements required for volume and area calculations
• Determining preliminary blower door metrics using HOT2000 or other software
• Air changes per hour (ACH)
• Normalized leakage area (NLA) and normalized leakage rate (NLR)
• Executing the airtightness test using a blower door fan
• Locating and documenting any air leakage – while your home is depressurized or pressurized, you can walk around the house and feel the air being drawn into it through unintentional gaps in the building envelope
• Providing a formal mid-construction blower door test report

There are two different certifying authorities for blower door tests. If you’re looking for experts to check your house and run these tests, ensure that they’re certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or by RESNET as a HERS rater.

Contact Us Today to Get Started

We want to hear from you. Contact us to get one step closer to meeting your airtightness goals. Call Entergis Testing and Sealing, LLC at 83-ENTERGIS or (225) 577-6799, or submit our online contact form for more information.