What are we testing for? Air leakage within a home is the most often missed opportunity to improve energy efficiency. Knowing how much air your home leaks is valuable because you want the air you are heating or cooling to stay in the home. A leaky home could also be allowing contaminates such as gases, mold or moisture into your home. Some air leaks are easy to find like drafty windows because you feel them. Other leaks may not be so obvious like around electrical outlets or through recessed light fixtures.
What is a blower door? A blower door is a powerful fan which mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all the cracks and openings. This test determines the air infiltration rate of a building.
How big of a project is this? A blower door test can be done in one hour but you should allow up to 3 hours in case of leaks. If there are leaks you want to be sure to find as many of them as possible with the assistance of the blower door. One thing to remember is you don't want your home to become too tight. If the home is too tight then there will not be enough fresh air exchanged for old air in the home. A home that is too tight will suffer from indoor air quality problems.
If you would like more information or have questions about your specific situation please e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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