How much does a blower door cost?

How much does a blower door cost?

What does it cost? The blower door test costs about $450.00 for a typical house. This includes a report of the air leakage locations and recommendations for the sealing approach. The report lists the sealing measures in a cost efficient priority.

Should I do a blower door test?

The most common use of a blower door test is as a part of code compliance testing in new home construction. Because the air leakage is so important, this test is required by building code. Think of it this way: an air-tight home is a demonstration of a higher quality of construction.

What is a good blower door test result?

A good rule of thumb is that your home should have a blower door number less than or equal to its square footage. Here are some things to know: a. If your home is 2000 square feet, a blower door number of 2000 cfm50 is decent (but not especially good).

Why is it important to perform a blower door and duct test?

Professionals across the industry have long been aware of the need for better duct sealing, enclosure sealing, and improved indoor air quality. This test determines if it has happened on a project. A blower door test is used on buildings in order to quantify the amount of air leakage through its enclosure.

How long does it take to do a blower door test?

5-15 minutes
How long does a blower door test take? It takes approx. 5-15 minutes to run the actual blower door test itself. It’s the prepping that takes the longest, about 1.5 hours on a standard home.

How do I prepare for a blower door test?

Easy Steps to Seal: How to Prepare for a Blower Door Test

1. Step 1: Close all windows.
2. Step 2: Open all interior doors.
3. Step 3: Close all exterior doors.
4. Step 4: Turn off thermostats, air conditioners and fans.
5. Step 5: Prepare the fireplace.

What is a blower door used for?

A blower door is a powerful fan that a trained energy professional temporarily mounts into the frame of an exterior doorway in your home. After calibrating the device, the fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside.

What happens if you fail blower door test?

If you do happen to fail, you need to air seal until the home passes. If the entire home is finished off, the task will be difficult and expensive. You can also switch to the Simulated Performance Path to the code which, in some circumstances, will allow you to go over 4.00 ACH50 on the Blower Door Test.

Why is it important to perform a duct test?

A duct test is necessary to determine leaks, needed repairs, and/or renovations. Duct testing can be performed at any time, however, whether or not new energy efficiency equipment is being installed.

How can thermography and blower door testing help evaluate a house?

Thermographic scans are also commonly used with a blower door test running. The blower door helps exaggerate air leaking through defects in the building shell. Such air leaks appear as black streaks in the infrared camera’s viewfinder.

How can I test my home for air tightness?

The easiest way to measure building airtightness is with a diagnostic tool called a blower door. The blower door consists of a powerful, calibrated fan that is temporarily sealed into an exterior doorway. The fan blows air out of the house to create a slight pressure difference between inside and outside.

How does a blower door work?

A blower door is a powerful fan that a trained energy professional temporarily mounts into the frame of an exterior doorway in your home. After calibrating the device, the fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The analyst may also use a nontoxic smoke pencil to detect air leaks in your home.

What can a blower door be used for?

A blower door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones, to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope.

How is a blower door fan used to test a building?

Test procedure. The blower door fan is used to blow air into or out of the building, creating either a positive or negative pressure differential between inside and outside. This pressure difference forces air through all holes and penetrations in the building enclosure.

Can a single point test be done on a blower door?

Alternatively, a single-point test can be performed, where the blower door fan is ramped up to a reference indoor/outdoor pressure differential and the fan pressure is recorded. Often the blower door hardware converts fan pressure measurements directly to fan airflow values.

Which is better depressurization or pressurization of blower door?

The tighter the building (e.g. fewer holes), the less air is needed from the blower door fan to create a change in building pressure. Typically, only depressurization testing is performed, but both depressurization and pressurization are preferable.