How Does a Blower Door Work?
A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. At this point, the worst leaks can be seen or felt without the aid of instrumentation. For smaller leaks methods such as smoke sticks or smoldering incense are used to find subtle air flows. Using a combination of these methods and air flow meters an auditor can calculate the air infiltration rate of a building. Blower doors consist of a frame and flexible panel that you can place in a doorway, a variable-speed fan, a pressure gauge to measure the pressure differences inside and outside the home, and an airflow manometer and hoses for measuring airflow. There are two types of blower doors: calibrated and uncalibrated. It is important that auditors use a calibrated door. This type of blower door has several gauges that measure the amount of air pulled o
Related Questions
- How do I enter a building with several units on one line of the spreadsheet if there were separate heating bills, separate blower door tests, etc?
- With HESP Certification, may I perform diagnostic testing (blower door, IR camera, etc.) as part of my survey?
- Is the blower door test included in the home assessment/audit?
