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3398 Washington Road
Atlanta, GA 30344
USA
773.398.5288
corbett@buildingperformanceworkshop.com
Advanced residential construction and home improvement consulting and owner's advocacy in Atlanta, using the latest building performance diagnostic and modeling techniques and tools. Airtightness, insulation, HVAC, ventilation, moisture, and air quality and EMF consulting for homeowners and building professionals alike.
Home performance articles and stories from the field with internationally respected building forensics guru Corbett Lunsford at the Building Performance Workshop. Hear new episodes of the Building Performance Podcast, see new videos from the Home Performance YouTube channel, and learn all about how diagnostic testing (more than an 'Energy Audit') can make home improvement and new home construction a proven process!
Filtering by Category: Testing Tools
See how Corbett teaches home performance to the uninitiated after having given this presentation 214 times across the U.S. on the Proof Is Possible Tour. Special thanks to the tool companies and all other sponsors of the upcoming TV series 'Home Diagnosis' who have invested in making home performance a mainstream topic:
Corbett performs a blower door test on LG Squared Architecture's #OffGridHomestead. Will Chris's toolshed beat the record set by the #DryVault? Will Passive House standards be outperformed? Will Corbett remember to plug in all his hoses?
Good day Corbett,
I wanted to let you know, that I really enjoy your approach to the whole building science and your building performance workshop website. I am relatively new as a Resnet Rater and the county where I live is Collier County in Florida.
They recently adopted the new code standard set by the state. My question relates to multifamily condo units. I have a client that did renovations to a 2,500 sq. ft. penthouse condo and the front door to the unit is I a common area. The county wants them to perform a blower door test in order to obtain their certificate of occupancy.
I realize this would be a compartmentalize test, since I can only have access to the unit they renovated for their client. Knowing that I will encounter not only leakage to outside but also internal leakage between units. I was wondering what the best approach would be to ensure a successful test. Collier County requires between 3 ach and 7 ach for a test to pass code.
Any information would be appreciated. Thanking you in advance.
Best Regards,
Norm Giguere
www.blowerdoorenergyexperts.com
Dear Norm-
Thanks for your question, it's a good one! First off, you should be fine if they did a good job with the renovations- 7 ACH50 is not terribly hard to achieve.
When you set up your blower door at the front door of the condo, you'll blow air out into the common hallway, so you want to make sure all possible windows/doors in that hallway are open to the outdoors. Use the emergency exits if necessary (make sure maintenance knows what you're up to).
You'll be testing the condo's leakage to everything outside of it, including the downstairs unit, but that's intended. They really will have air leaking between the two condos, if there are leakage pathways, and you want to be testing for that and including it in your blower door test result.
Ask your code official if they want the result to pass the residential code or commercial code, because you have to test at 75 Pa in commercial. I always advise doing a multipoint test (get the flows on at least two pressures, like 25 Pa and 50 Pa) so you can extrapolate the 75 Pa if anyone ever wants it in the future. Saves you a trip.
AS AN ADDED BONUS, consider doing a Zonal Pressure Test on the unit downstairs, to see how much the blower door is affecting it. Always nice to have more data than you need.
Happy Testing,
Corbett
Grace and Corbett built the world's highest performance tiny house on wheels in 2016. It was perfect. Then they toured it 13,000 miles across America and let 7,000 people come inside to feel, hear, and smell what perfectly tuned home performance is like.
What's the house performing like now, after all that torture? And under 2 inches of snow in Atlanta, Georgia? See for yourself in this 20-minute tour, complete with testing, demonstrations, and metrics that show Proof Is Possible, even for people who have never built a house before. The #TinyLab is still the undisputed most scientifically superior home performance demonstration in the world, and we sincerely hope others start challenging our work!
I'd love to show you this, but my client has asked that I take this video down while they try to reconcile with the installer. Fingers crossed everybody, and sorry to be a tease.
Corbett likes tools that are sexy and scary at the same time. This flow hood is both. Measure CFM, Drybulb, Wetbulb, Dewpoint, Velocity, and more with this very affordable tool that will help revolutionize the HVAC industry.
Corbett breaks down the pros, cons, and best uses for six infrared thermal cameras: Flir ONE, C2, and MR160, ThermApp, Fluke TiR110, and Flir T660. All of these can be seen at https://TruTechTools.com
Corbett traveled from Atlanta to Orlando to help Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage get all the spec's on his 4000 sq. ft. house. See the blower door setup, 3D modeling, kitchen exhaust hood pressure testing, and inspection of the home's exterior and attic in preparation for the Vitals Checkup package:
Next, we run the blower door depressurization and pressurization tests, and the beginnings of infrared thermography and zonal pressure testing across the house:
We continue going beyond the traditional 'energy audit' performance testing to create a prioritized map of home improvements to control comfort, moisture, air quality, energy efficiency and durability:
Time for home improvement conclusions and recommendations for Matt's family, including air sealing, duct sealing, and equalization of heat flow in rooms of the house:
As Matt plans for his future headquarters for Obsessed Garage, Corbett starts the energy consulting process for controlling all the invisible dynamics of the building: heat bleed, airflow and pressure, moisture, and air quality:
Now that Corbett's finished building the #DryVault, a super-sophisticated, dessicant-dehumidified tool shed, it's time to whip out the Retrotec 5000 and FLIR T660 to see exactly how well he did. For more about any of the building or testing products used, visit:
http://foursevenfive.com
http://roxul.com
http://retrotec.com
http://flir.com
Corbett Lunsford demonstrates 8 methods for airflow testing in single family and multifamily homes heating, cooling, and ventilation, including:
1. Exhaust Flow Pan (Energy Conservatory's Flow Meter)
2. Cardboard Box Flow Pan (handmade by Corbett)
3. Pressure Matching (FlowFinder from Retrotec)
4. Pressure Matching (Duc Tester from Retrotec)
5. Velocity Pressure (24" Pitot Tube from Dwyer)
6. Small Vane Anemometer (Testo 416)
7. Large Vane Anemometer (Testo 417)
8. Plastic Bag (30 gallon lightweight garbage bag)
For more on these diagnostics:
http://HomePerformanceBook.com
Watch home performance testing guru Corbett Lunsford test the pressure, airflow, and velocity performance of some beautiful custom carved wooden return grilles, using just a blower door kit, a homemade box, and an anemometer. Grilles made by Stellar Engraving by Vencor Inc. (http://vencorinc.com). Test performed out of the back of Corbett's pickup truck in Atlanta GA! Yeehaw!
Home performance diagnostics guru Corbett Lunsford demonstrates the simple test for kitchen exhausts of all types with a smoke pen. See how downdraft exhaust fans work (or don't work) and make a more informed decision on what to do in your own kitchen!