Air Tightness Testing

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What it is...

An Air Permeability Test or Blower-Door Test as its more commonly known is carried out to determine how Airtight or Leaky your home or building is. The Blower-Door Test is usually carried out when the home or building is at the completed stage but prior to handover of the completed home or building to the client.

The test can also be carried out early in the construction or renovation project when the home or building has been made Airtight, this is to determine whether the Airtight Layer has been installed successfully and to locate and make good any gaps that may exist in the Airtight Layer. This test serves only to determine whether the Airtight Layer has been successfully installed and not as the official test, another test will need to be carried out prior to handover to give the official test results.

In order for the Blower-Door Test to be deemed valid, the test must be carried out by specially trained and certified testers  to Test Standard IS EN:13829:2000 the person carrying out the test must also be registered with the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

Training

At Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd staff are expertly trained and certified by the Passive House Academy of Ireland to carry out the Blower-Door Test to the Passive Standard which lays down the strictest guidelines insuring that you get a test that is carried out accurately and professionally and to the highest standard possible. For standard buildings built to current Irish Building Regulations that are not aiming to achieve the Passive House Standard, the Air Permeability test must be carried out to the test standard IS EN:13829:2000. 

Equipment

Blower-Door Test Equipment

At Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd we only use the latest technology on the market today. RETROTEC, the suppliers of the Blower-Door Testing equipment are a global company renowned for its innovation and is synonymous with Blower-Door Test equipment. The cutting edge testing equipment that we use coupled with highly trained and professional Tecnicians means that you get accurate test results every time. 


The RETROTEC testing equipment is lightweight and portable which means that we can get in and out of your site with ease. The RETROTEC system also allows for a fully automated test to be conducted meaning that we can carry out the test quickly and efficiently with the test usually been completed in about two hours causing minimal disruption to other works being carried out onsite.

Infrared Camera Equipment

We also use the latest, state-of-the-art Infrared technology on the market to accurately detect the weak-points of your Airtight Layer. Employing the Infrared camera really comes into its own when conducting a Blower-Door Test as we can quickly and accurately pin-point the areas of the building envelope where the infiltration of air is occurring which allows us to be able to communicate and explain the situation to you clearly with the aid of images in real-time. 

After a successful Blower-Door Test has been carried out and the Infrared Camera has been used to identify the weak-points in your buildings Airtight Layer we can then move on to the next stage of formulating a number of measures to mend, as much as possible, your compromised Airtight Layer. Our highly trained and professional staff at Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd will be able to advise you on what actions and steps you can take in order to make good the gaps in your Airtight Layer. 

What to expect when a Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd Certified Tester arrives on your site.

Appearance

All staff at Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd are supplied with company specific work-wear that is branded with our company name and logo so when a Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd Tecnician arrives on your site you can expect him to be friendly, polite, courteous and have a clean and professional appearance. 

Safety

At Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd safety is our number one priority so for your peace of mind all staff undergo routine health and safety training and are required to carry a current safe pass and manual handling certificate enabling them to go about their work in a safe manner while adhering to strict health and safety guidelines at all times. All staff are also supplied with company identification badges that can be presented upon request. 

What does the Blower-Door Test consist of?

Site Preparation 

Before the test can be conducted the Blower-Door Tester must first prepare the site to be tested. The site preparation is as follows:

  • Any intentional opening in the building envelope shall be closed or sealed, these include intentional ventilation such as hole-in-the-wall vents, extractor fans, fireplace openings and open boilers and flues.
  • All internal interconnecting doors shall be opened so as that a uniform pressure is maintained while the test is being conducted. This means all internal doors will be wedged in the open position and remain open for the duration of the test.
  • Heating systems with indoor air intake shall be turned off. Open fireplaces should be cleared of all ashes and Mechanical ventilation systems turned off.
  • All sink and toilet traps are filled with water.

Setting up the Blower-Door Test Equipment.

On completion of the site preparation the tester will then proceed to take a number of pret-est measurements including Wind Speed, Internal Temperature, External Temperature and the Barometric Pressure to insure that an accurate and valid test can be conducted. The Tester will then proceed to set up the Blower-Door Test equipment. 

Conducting the Test

The Technician can now commence the Blower-Door test. At Passive Sustainable Solutions Ltd we carry out two types of test, a Pressurization Test and a Depressurization test. Carrying out these two tests will allow us to get an overall average score which lets us provide you with a more true and accurate test result.

The entire test from site preparation to the Blower-Door test itself usually takes no more than two hours to complete, minimizing disruption to any other works being carried out onsite during the testing process.