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3398 Washington Road
Atlanta, GA 30344
USA

773.398.5288

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.

Videos/Podcasts/Articles

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

DEAR CORBETT: Multifamily Blower Door Testing Nuances

Corbett Lunsford

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

2 Years Later: is #TinyLab Still the Highest Performance Tiny House on Wheels?

Corbett Lunsford

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!

Testing the World's Worst Duct System

Corbett Lunsford

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.

Review: EasyHood HVAC Diagnostic Tool $400

Corbett Lunsford

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.

Performance Testing with Obsessed Garage, Ep1-5

Corbett Lunsford

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:

Testing Atlanta's #DryVault with Blower Door & Infrared Camera

Corbett Lunsford

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

#TBT: 8 Ways to Test Airflow in Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation

Corbett Lunsford

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

Testing Custom HVAC Grilles with a Blower Door

Corbett Lunsford

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!

Testing a Downdraft Kitchen Exhaust Fan

Corbett Lunsford

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!

Building Pro Review of the Proof Is Possible Tour

Corbett Lunsford

Hear from BPI Certified Pros Ryan Weitzel of FLC Energy and Neil Comparetto of Matrix Mechanical about the pro workshop portion of the Proof Is Possible Tour. Come study advanced techniques and tools for home performance diagnostics with Corbett Lunsford, the guy who wrote the book on it!

Do Tankless Water Heating Systems Perform Better?

Corbett Lunsford

Watch home performance diagnostics guru Corbett Lunsford test the performance of demand tankless water heaters, in the #TinyLab and in a big house.  You may be surprised to see that it doesn't work exactly as advertised.