Blower Door Test
6/13/2008

The LEED for Homes Raters from EarthCraft Virginia came up yesterday and conducted the blower door test. Using a fan mounted in a plastic sheet taped to the casing of the front door and closing all the windows, they pressurized the house and found zero leakage to the outdoors. This means that all the hot and cold air produced by the heat pump is staying in the house, where it belongs! When they tested how well the ducts were sealed, we did find leakage at the point where the ducts terminate at the registers in each room. This will be corrected by installing a bead of mastic between the rough sides of the duct transition boots and the gypsum board ceilings. According to the Energy Star website, a typical home looses up to 20% of the conditioned air meant for living spaces through gaps and leaks in the duct work. Here’s a link to a .pdf on the Energy Star website to help you better seal your home: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/home_improvement/home_sealing/DIY_COLOR_100_dpi.pdf

Go find those leaks!

-Jeff Sties, Principal / AIA / LEED ap