Dive into Blower Door Test

When dealing with construction and repair on living or industrial premises, it’s important to prevent the interaction of external and internal climates. This requirement stands as a crucial point for arranging a cost-effective space since not only comfort but also the efficiency of resource usage depends on the quality of buildings.

Unfortunately, leaks and poor tightness are common failures in buildings. Premise enclosures tend to suffer from the penetration of outside air, moisture, wind, and other environmental aggressors. Blends of outdoor and indoor conditions lead to ineffective distribution of heat and overuse of natural resources that power utilities. In this regard, a blower door test comes as a mandatory tool to design the perfect climate in both living premises and workplaces.

Reasons to Apply Blower Door Test for Building Assessment

If you still doubt that your building needs the blower door test, just consider some statistical data. 85% of premises have imperfections related to the tightness of enclosures, meaning that more resources and funds will be spent on the maintenance of an indoor climate. Performing the blower door test helps tackle the following tasks:

1. Prevent contact with an outside environment, which helps develop a stable climate in premises. Consequently, it means that owners won’t have to spend time and effort on the regular adjustments of HVAC devices to ensure optimal living or working conditions in buildings.
2. Design an optimal heating plan to create a comfortable environment. Making premises tight and isolated means that you create a closed circuit, where no external factors will affect its performance, which helps raise efficiency.
3. Save money on utility bills and prevent excess energy consumption. Since no external factors affect the created climate, it means that all HVAC systems work properly and use natural resources effectively. For renters or building owners, it means a significant saving of money and avoiding expenses on utility bills.

Although the blower door test may seem to be a second-value procedure, it helps prevent significant problems with premises and saves a lot of money.

Blower Door Test: What Is It?

The blower door test (the second name is an air barrier test) is a complex procedure that helps identify all sorts of leakages in buildings. The procedure is effective in revealing the following failures:

• inadequate air sealing of conduit channels, plumbing pipes, and other utilities;
• improper installation of window and door units;
• insufficient insulation of floors, walls, ceilings, and other surfaces;
• incorrect air barrier hardware use;
• problems with correct building envelopes.

Any of these construction defects can cause poor energy efficiency and increased expenses on climate maintenance. Thus, it’s essential to eliminate them. This practical solution is carried out by a group of technicians who specialize in premise inspection. They use specialized devices and software to identify air leakages.

How Does It Work?

You’ve already realized the importance of air leakage identification. Now, let’s move on to delve into the process itself. Below, we describe how employees detect leakages:

1. The work starts with a premise assessment. Skilled employees visit a site, evaluate surfaces and materials, and make a test plan.
2. Based on premise assessment, specialists conclude how many fans are required and determine their placement.
3. The next stage implies preparing a building for testing. To do this, it’s necessary to turn off HVAC hardware and leave all interior doors open to let the air circulate freely.
4. We’ve already mentioned that specialized equipment is used. Industrial fans synced with special software and high-precision manometers are needed. Technicians install them in the exterior door frames.
5. Sensors are installed around the building to record indicators.
6. As the hardware is ready, the test begins. The premise is pressurized and depressurized.
7. Sensors record data at different points as pressure changes.
8. The obtained data is analyzed, based on which a testing report is provided to an authorized body.

If test results are not acute, and corrections or clarifications are needed, a diagnostic test is performed. For such cases, technicians usually apply smoke tests or thermal imaging methods.

When to Order Blower Door Test?

Do you have an operating office or a living apartment or just planning to make a repair in a new building? The answer is one: the sooner – the better. Delays only aggravate defects and increase expenses for tackling the problem. Thus, it’s advisable to do this test as soon as possible.

Note that it’s possible to do the procedure at any stage of building exploitation. If you have just completed a new building without any finish, it’s an excellent time to order the service. Yet, if you live in an apartment or work in an office and suspect air leakage, you can still turn to specialists for testing. Remember that it doesn’t matter how late you identify the problem, solving it now is a great contribution to your future and comfortable living or working.

To sum up, it’s also important to say a few words about contractor selection. Many companies offer their services in this domain. When choosing a suitable contractor, it’s important to pay attention to several criteria, namely, reputation, feedback, equipment certification, pricing, and guarantees. Do not hurry up to conclude an agreement with the first service provider. Evaluate price lists of several contractors, read feedback from real clients, communicate with managers, etc. The selection of a trusted contractor is always time-consuming, but it’s worth it since it directly affects the quality of the work done. 

To draw the line, note that the blower door test is your reliable contribution to future comfort and effective money allocation. Although its result is not obviously visible, it influences your self-perception and has a direct impact on your wallet. Thus, do not neglect the procedure to make an environmentally friendly and highly cost-effective space for work or life. Turn to reputable certified contractors to order services and get a high-quality result.