BLOWER DOOR TESTING
Blower Door Testing in Minnesota
What is a Blower Door Test?
A blower door is a fan that attaches to the front door of a home and pressurizes the living space within it. It reflects airtightness of the home by exposing bypasses. A bypass is any gap, hole, space, or opening that allows air to flow from heated space to unheated space; from the inside of the home to the outside of it (and vice versa). These bypasses, when left unaddressed, are where homeowners are losing heat (and money).
For a certificate of occupancy to be issued for a house, you’ll need to pass a blower door test.
Blower door tests can be conducted as part of an energy audit, in compliance with state building codes or independently, in an effort by homeowners to find ways to save money and stay more comfortable.
Stay Warmer with a Blower Door Test
Save Money with a Blower Door Test
Breathe Better with a Blower Door Test
It’s said that the average home leaks enough heat to equal a medium-sized window left open year-round. This means that homeowners are paying for heat that escapes directly through lights and other openings in their ceilings, around doors and windows, and through miscellaneous gaps around the home. But when air leaks are revealed, they can be sealed. And money is saved.
The average energy cost savings for homeowners who address these issues is 15% in heating and cooling costs per year.
A blower door test can help you spend less money heating your home and more time being comfortable inside of it.
By finding air leaks and drafty spots in a home (which is done with blower door tests, duct blasting, and infrared imaging), homeowners can fix problem areas and keep the integrity of their thermal boundary. This can be done by hiring a certified energy-rated insulation contractor who will seal all bypasses before installing any insulation.
After their work is completed, the changes to the home may not be visible, but they will be felt…In both the temperature in your home and the burden on your finances.
When a blower door test has been done on a home, it becomes possible to know where potential air quality issues may be present.
If the home is tight, air quality becomes paramount.
Room to room pressurization checks determine how much individual rooms in a house are accessing fresh air. CAZ (Combustion Appliance Zone) tests determine whether a home is backdrafting. Backdrafting is when gaseous air is flowing backwards, down the chimney and into the living space. These, and other air quality tests, can be done when a blower door test has been done on a home.