Are Blower Door Tests Required?

If you’re building a new home, you might be thinking about a blower door test. Do you have to get blower door testing for your house? Or are blower door tests just a recommendation?

South Central Services is certified to perform blower door testing. We offer this service in and around Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Martinsburg, West Virginia. When building a new home, blower door tests are required. Find out why in this article.

What’s A Blower Door Test For, Anyway?

A blower door test helps to quantify air leakage in a home.

It is nearly impossible to create a completely airtight structure. However, as technology advances, contractors and builders become more concerned with air-sealing buildings.

All homes will have some amount of air leakage. The point of a blower door test is to ensure that the amount of air leaks is small enough to not significantly affect energy efficiency.

Blower Door Tests Are Required By The IECC.

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) outlines energy efficiency requirements for construction. The IECC does require blower door testing for new construction homes.

Blower door tests must meet the following requirements:

• Performed by a certified professional
• Conducted with calibrated and specialized equipment
• Results falling within acceptable ranges for the building’s climate zone

A blower door test is not something you can set up and complete on your own. Only certified professionals can complete blower door testing. These professionals invest in specialized equipment that must be carefully calibrated and maintained.

The acceptable results of a blower door test depend on your climate zone. A score of 4 air changes per hour (ACH) would be sufficient in Climate Zone 2 but not in Climate Zone 3. If your home fails its blower door test, you’ll need to take measures to air-seal the home and test again.

Blower Door Tests Are Helpful For Any Homeowner.

While these tests are not required for existing homes, you may still want to invest in a blower door test.

Your home may experience high energy costs or extreme discomfort during summer and winter. Making energy efficiency upgrades is a great idea, but a blower door test will help you prioritize your upgrades.

For example, a blower door test may pinpoint that the majority of air leakage in your home is in your attic. This information tells you that air-sealing your attic will significantly affect your energy costs and comfort.

Or, the blower door test may identify your crawl space as the problem area in the home. Without the test, you may have started with attic insulation when crawl space encapsulation would make the biggest impact.

The Bottom Line About Why Blower Door Tests Are Required

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requires blower door testing for new construction homes. New homes are expected to be more energy efficient than older homes. A blower door test can verify the airtightness of a newly built house.

If you’re not building a new home, you don’t need to invest in a blower door test. However, you may benefit from this testing if you are struggling with high energy costs or discomfort in extreme seasons.

Now that you understand why blower door tests are required, your next step is to:

• Estimate the cost of a blower door test
• Discover how blower door tests are performed
• Request a blower door test from South Central Services