If you have been doing any online digging on how to improve the breathing air in your home, you may have come across the term “blower door test”. Home blower door testing allows a home performance professional like Assured Insulation to properly and accurately address the air leakage in your home, but if you are going to schedule an energy audit that includes a blower door test, you may want to know what is involved and how it works!
How a Blower Door Test Works
Let’s get right into what you can expect when the Assured Insulation experts arrive to perform your test. In short, a blower door test includes attaching a large fan to an open ground level door, and depressurizing your indoor living space to 50 pascals. This blower door fan comes with sensors that detect how much air is infiltrating your now depressurized living space, providing a reading of the total air leakage present in a home.
In order to get an accurate reading, all windows must be closed and locked (if possible), and any interior doors should be left open. This is to ensure any air movement is coming from inefficiencies in your home.
What a Blower Door Test Measures
Once your blower door test is complete, the sensor will provide a reading to be interpreted by you and your energy auditor. Your results will include:
Whether or not your home was tight enough to reach 50 pascals
The total air leakage present throughout your home in Air Changes per Hour (ACH)
Total air leakage in Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM)
The estimated air infiltration at natural pressure levels (referred to as ACHnat)
So, why is this information important, and is a blower door test worth it?
Why It’s Important To Perform a Blower Door Test
This industry-standard diagnostic test is important because it informs how we go about separating the indoor environment of your home from the unpredictable temperatures and contaminants of the air outside. With the results of your test, we can extrapolate the total leaks present in your home, in square inches. Armed with that information, we can utilize infrared camera technology, combined with our extensive experience and keen home performance eye, to locate and seal up as much of that leakage as possible using an expanding spray foam material, in a process called air sealing.
This can also help determine if your home would benefit from spray foam insulation installation, which would seal up many of the leaks in the attic or crawl space in addition to providing a high R-value (resistance to heat transfer—learn more about how insulation works here).
With a properly air sealed and insulated home, you can experience a number of benefits all year long, including:
Improved home comfort
Reduced contaminants in your air
Lower heating and cooling costs
Fewer indoor drafts
Stable and even indoor temperatures
Schedule an Energy Audit Near You!
If you are hoping to breathe a little easier and stay nice and cozy as we all look towards spending more time inside this winter, Assured Insulation can help you improve your indoor air quality. Schedule an energy audit with our team today and we can get started on your plan for future home comfort, health, and energy savings.