Blower Door Test Requirements

Testing shall be conducted with a blower door at a pressure of 0 2 inches w g.

Blower door test requirements.

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. 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. So far it seems clear. If a home had wind blowing against it at 20 miles per hour for an entire house the total volume of air in the house would exchange with outside air 7 times.

These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building. Each home must be 7 air changes per hour 7 ach50 or less to pass. How does it work. 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.

A blower door test is performed to measure the exact air tightness of a home. The washington state energy code requirements now require blower door testing for air leakage on new construction and many types of remodeling projects. 50 pascals the energy code chapter 11 also states that code officials require that testing shall be conducted by a certified third party pg. Record five 10 second average minimum baseline readings to determine the level of accuracy perform blower door test using the baseline and cfm50 functions.

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. By providing fields to indicate the ach50 used for compliance test forms provide project specific air leakage verification guidance. Blower door energy assessment tests include a blower door test above to determine air leakage rates. This entry was posted in all industries.

A blower door consists of a frame and flexible panel that fit into an exterior doorway. 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 blower door test simulates that following. Suggested minimum requirements cost from 100 to several hundred dollars de pending on the level of detail and the types of tests provided.