Blower Door Test Requirements

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 test requirements.

However many testers architects builders and specifiers find that there is still much room for doubt. 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. So far it seems clear. Suggested minimum requirements cost from 100 to several hundred dollars de pending on the level of detail and the types of tests provided.

But since code credit is received for ach50 values less than 7 if a lower value is entered for compliance the blower door test must show that the house s leakage is at or below that lower value rather than 7. The blower door test simulates that following. A blower door test is performed to measure the exact air tightness of a home. Blower door energy assessment tests include a blower door test above to determine air leakage rates.

Testing shall be conducted with a blower door at a pressure of 0 2 inches w g. For the blower door test it is specified that the test must be undertaken to en13829 method a and that the blower door reference volume called vn50 in the phpp is the full internal air volume of the building under test. The building or dwelling unit shall be tested and verified as having an air leakage rate of not exceeding 5 7 air changes per hour in climate zones 1 and 2 and 3 air changes per hour in climate zones 3 through 8. The washington state energy code requirements now require blower door testing for air leakage on new construction and many types of remodeling projects.

Knowing how much and how quickly air is leaking through your home s envelope can. 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. Each home must be 7 air changes per hour 7 ach50 or less to pass. By providing fields to indicate the ach50 used for compliance test forms provide project specific air leakage verification guidance.

How does it work. 50 pascals the energy code chapter 11 also states that code officials require that testing shall be conducted by a certified third party pg. This entry was posted in all industries. These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building.