If you just leaned back in your chair and asked, with a puzzled look, “what’s a blower door test?” then you’ve come to the right place! Not enough homeowners know exactly what a blower door test is, and how it can help them save money by locating air leaks within their home.
Imagine that you’ve got two homes, one with comprehensive insulation service done and the other without. On a 95 degree day, the home that’s got plenty of insulation will have no problem paying as little as possible in energy costs for their air conditioner to run. The poorly insulated house will be like trying to run an air conditioner outdoors, you’ll only be cool if you’re right next to the vent—and even that might not be good enough on an especially hot day.
When it comes to insulation services, a blower door test could be the key to keeping your house insulated and efficient. Let us explain!
How a Blower Door Test Works
A blower door test works exactly how it sounds. A large door shaped piece of equipment gets placed where the front door normally closes. The blower door also has a large, powerful fan embedded in it that drags much of the air out of your home, increasing the air pressure inside. All other windows and doors are closed to seal your home as tightly as possible while the air pressure increases. This allows a technician to detect exactly where the air is escaping from your home, so that they can mark those locations and provide insulation later on!
Preparing for a Blower Door Test
If you’ve got a blower door test coming up, there are some essential things you’ll need to do to prepare your home.
- Make sure wood-burning fires are out and the ashes are cleaned away. If there are any remaining ashes, they’ll get blown through your home!
- Point out areas ahead of time that are especially drafty. These will help technicians locate problematic insulation issues faster.
- A technician will have to see every inch of your home, even closed off closets and basements! So make sure you’re ready for that.
Why It Matters
We use a lot of energy to heat and cool our homes. (Emphasis on the cooling part for us!) That being said, we also waste a lot of energy when we push cool air into our homes and that air ends up escaping through the attic, cracks in our walls and windows, and other areas that we’re unaware of. A blower door test helps technicians locate problematic spots where air is escaping, and allows us to get to work on sealing the spots.
Hopefully, with the use of a blower door test, your home could be sealed tightly so that your air conditioner has an easier time filling your home with the cool air you need. Wasting energy is bad for the environment and worst of all—bad for your wallet! Keep your treated air for yourself and get some insulation services done today!
Give us a call at North Central Florida Air Conditioning. We’re improving lives by improving homes!
