Find Out Where the Drafts Are in Your Home

Homes have small gaps and holes that allow the passage of air in and out of the building, as well as an open door to bugs and pests. These areas are most often found in attics, basements, and crawl spaces around things like electrical and plumbing penetrations. If these leaks are left unattended, your home will continue to waste valuable energy, increasing your energy bills and lowering your indoor air quality. These gaps can often be hard to find because they are hidden under insulation or in a hard-to-reach place. One valuable way to help you determine where your home is leaking air is with a blower door test. Metro Insulation can conduct this test for you when you call (815) 986-7736 today.

What is a Blower Door Test?

A blower door test is a test conducted by certified energy auditors to determine how airtight your home is. This diagnostic tool shows how much air is entering or escaping from your home, identifying areas in need of air sealing.

How Does a Blower Door Test Work?

A “blower door,” comprised of a powerful fan and frame with a flexible panel, is temporarily mounted into the exterior doorway of your home by a trained energy professional. Once the fan is calibrated, it is turned on and sucks the air out of your house to the outside, lowering the air pressure inside. As a result, the air from outside flows in through any unsealed gaps, cracks, or wiring penetrations. During the test, an auditor will walk through your home and feel around doors, windows, and vents for drafts. They may also use a small fog generator to pinpoint weak drafts. The fog will hover in the air if there is not a draft or quickly blow away if a draft is present. The process usually takes about an hour to complete.

What Do the Results Mean?

Two devices are used to evaluate your home during the test: a digital pressure gauge to measure the pressure difference between inside and outside your home and a manometer to measure airflow. Auditors use these numbers to determine how airtight your home is.

You will receive a test report showing all the areas where drafts were found and need air sealing. One important result to note is your home’s air changes per hour (ACH). This result indicates how many times the volume of air in your home would be completely replaced in one hour’s time if the blower fan continued to run. A reasonably airtight home would have an ACH of 4. An ACH reading over 9 would indicate an extremely leaky home.

The Importance of Maintaining an Airtight Home

After having a blower door test done on your home it is important to air seal the problem areas discovered during the test to maximize your home’s airtightness.

Maintaining the air tightness of your home is important to:

• Reduce energy consumption from excess air leakage
• Avoid moisture condensation problems
• Eliminate uncomfortable drafts from cold or warm air leaking in from outside
• Keep outdoor pollutants, pests, and odors from entering your home
• Lower your energy bills
• Improve your indoor air quality

You Can Trust Our Team of BPI Certified Energy Experts

At Metro Insulation, we have been working hard to increase the energy efficiency of Rockford area homes and buildings since 2003. Our BPI certified energy experts provide top quality customer service and are here to discuss your home energy usage concerns. Our goal is to address your energy consumption issues and help you create an energy efficient home you and your family will enjoy for many years. Contact us today to learn more about our blower door testing and how it can help you create a more airtight home.