One of the biggest complaints a person may have about a house is that it’s too drafty. This can be uncomfortable during both hot and cold weather. It means too much air is allowed to escape in and out of the house because of gaps and holes in the building’s envelope. A drafty house is not only uncomfortable, it creates extra strain on the HVAC system and drives up utility bills.
You can take steps to improve a drafty home. One of the starting points is to arrange for blower door testing with North Central Florida Air Conditioning. This test will quickly tell how big a problem your home has with air leaks, and you’ll be on your way to remedying the problem because you’ll know how airtight the house is. We improve lives by improving homes in Gainesville, FL and throughout the North Central Florida Area. Call us today to schedule blower door testing in Gainesville, FL and the surrounding area.
What Does a Blower Door Do?
You’ve probably already seen a blower door at some point, but not known what it was or what it was used for. A blower door is a plastic cover that creates a seal across the frame of an open exterior door. The plastic cover is equipped with a large calibrated, variable speed blower fan that can pressurize or depressurize a house, and a manometer to measure the pressure difference as a result of the fan’s airflow. When the blower door is activated, it either pushes air into a space (pressurization) or pulls air out of it (depressurization).
How Blower Door Testing Is Conducted
To perform a blower door test, professionals first close off the rest of the doors and windows in the house so the building is as effectively "sealed" as it can be, while opening all interior doors to allow for unimpeded airflow. All fireplace dampers and other dampers are closed as well. The blower door is then turned on to depressurize the air inside the house (although sometimes both depressurization and pressurization tests are made).
The loss of pressure inside the house causes air to enter the home through any available air leak in the envelope. This is an air replacement. The manometer measures ACH (air changes per hour), which is how frequently the air volume inside the house is replaced. According to a 2015 international code, a home must go through less than three air changes per hour. So if the blower door registers more than 3 ACH, the house is too drafty and will need improvements such as caulking and weather stripping.
Schedule Blower Door Testing in Gainesville, FL
Almost any home can benefit from a blower door test. It’s an excellent method to find out if your home is wasting energy without you even knowing it, or why you never seem to receive the comfort you need from your HVAC system and have trouble with hot and cold spots around your home. Blower door tests are especially helpful for older homes that may have insufficient air sealing on them.
If you have questions about blower door testing and want to know if you should arrange for it, call North Central Florida Air Conditioning in Gainesville, FL. We offer a variety of indoor air quality systems and ventilation improvements for homes.
