A Few Simple Tests Can Make All
The Difference

Blower Door Test
During the course of our audit, we perform a blower door test to determine air tightness, or the amount of air leakage in your homes air barrier. The Blower Door consists of a powerful, calibrated fan that is temporarily sealed into an exterior doorway. The fan blows air into or out of the building to create a slight pressure difference between inside and outside. This pressure difference forces air through all holes and penetrations in the exterior envelope. By simultaneously measuring the airflow through the fan and its effect on the air pressure in the building, the Blower Door system measures the air tightness of the entire building envelope. The tighter the building (e.g. fewer holes), the less air you need from the Blower Door fan to create a change in building pressure.

Duct Blaster Testing
The duct blaster is a tool we use to quantify the amount of air leakage in your HVAC duct system. Air leakage in forced air duct systems is now recognized as a major source of energy waste in both new and existing houses and commercial buildings. Research conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Advanced Energy Corporation (AEC), Proctor Engineering, Ecotope and other nationally recognized research organizations has shown that testing and sealing leaky distribution systems is one of the most cost-effective energy improvements available in many houses and light commercial buildings The Minneapolis Duct Blaster® is a calibrated air flow measurement system designed to test and document the air tightness of forced air duct systems.



Pressure Pan Test
The pressure pan is a duct leakage diagnostic tool, which is used along with a Blower Door to identify exterior air leaks in forced air duct systems. A pressure pan is used to measure the pressure difference between the house and a duct run during a Blower Door test. This pressure reading can be used to estimate the degree to which a particular duct run is leaking to the outside. Pressure pan testing involves placing a gasketed pan over each register or grille, one at a time, with the air handler fan off and the Blower Door depressurizing (or pressurizing) the house to a standard reference pressure. The pattern of pressure pan readings often allows for quick identification of major leakage sites. Pressure pan readings can also be used as a quality control tool to tell technicians if they have done a good job of air sealing the duct system.



Infrared Camera Analysis
Infrared thermography is the easiest and quickest method to detect energy waste, moisture and electrical issues in buildings. An infrared camera analysis shows us exactly where the problems are and helps us to focus our attention allowing us to properly diagnose areas with energy loss. Much like digital cameras, thermal imagers capture pictures. Instead of seeing visible light like digital cameras, thermal imagers use a detector to measure infrared energy. These measurements are then used to create a thermal image by assigning colors to correspond with certain temperatures. In these pictures reds, yellows and orange represent heat. The shades of blue represent cold air intrusion. While the blower door is depressurizing the house, we can view different areas of the house through the infrared camera to find specific areas of air leakage.