 |
Energy Resource Group BUILDING ENERGY RATING SPECIALISTS |
|
Air Tightness Test
Do you find that your home is cold, draughty, uncomfortable, but you don't know where the problem lies ? Well, an Air Tightness Test is just the solution. All new houses built today are very well insulated but still the occupants complain of cold and draughts. Why does this happen? Even though a house may be well insulated, it also needs to be 'Airtight'. Airtight means that all construction joints in the outer envelope of the house have been properly sealed and the only ventilation that occurs is that which was designed into the house, either mechanically or though wall or window vents. If a house is not airtight, then moist heated air escapes into cooler areas such as insulated walls and ceilings. There, the vapour condenses causing dampness, mildew and in the case of Timber Framed homes, Dry Rot . If left untreated, Mould will develop and this can lead to respiratory or other health problems of the occupants of the house. In the past it was not always possible to find air leaks in a house, but this has been greatly simplified with the introduction of the Blower Door Fan. The Air Tightness Test is carried out by placing a sealed blower door fan in an exterior door of the house to be tested. With all windows and exterior doors closed, all vents and chimneys in the house are sealed for the test. The fan is then used to suck air from the house until the difference in air pressure between the inside and outside of the house reaches a pre-determined level. At this point, The operator carrying out the test can calculate the total leakage area in the house i.e. they can say that if all leaks in the house were combined into one, the resulting opening would be the sum of all these smaller leaks. Once the extent of the problem has been determined, the next job is to identify the leaks. This can be done in a number of ways:
|
Services
|
