The Blower Door
Air Tightness and Blowerdoor building pre testing
How They Work
A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the building, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. This will enhance any defects in the building to help the thermographer detect air leaks in the building enverlope. These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building if a
calibrated
test is being done.
There are two types of air tightness tests: calibrated and uncalibrated. It is important that auditors use a calibrated door. This type of blower door has several gauges that measure the amount of air pulled out of the house by the fan. Uncalibrated blower doors can only locate leaks in homes. They provide no method for determining the overall tightness of a building. The calibrated blower door's data allow the auditor to quantify the amount of air leakage and the effectiveness of any air-sealing job.
Preparing for a Air Tightness Blower Door Test for a
Thermal Imaging Survey
Take the following steps to prepare your building for an air tightness blower door test:
- Close window and outward doors and open interior doors
- Turn up the thermostats on heaters to gain a 12 degree temp differential from the exterior air temp
- Seal any extractor fans over cookers and in bathrooms
- Turn off HVAC system and seal any ducts.
Here at Infrared Thermal Imaging we are committed to proving a professional building air tightness
testing service. We have many years experience in the field of air tightness testing with buidlings
and homes, enabling us to offer our clients a professional service.
Please call us or use our contact form to email us.
Draughts
Draughts are probley the biggest cause of heat loss from a property, fixing air leaks or draughts could save you 35% on heating bills.
Problems Seen
- Draughts
- Thermal Bridging
- Damp / Water Damage
- Missing / Wet Insulation
- Construction Joists
Air Tightness
Using the blower door air tightness equipment along infrared thermal imaging will greatly improve a thermographer ability to see defects within the building construction and insulation envelope.
