A blower door test is conducted to depressurize your house to determine air leakage.  States are currently in the process of establishing statewide requirements to comply with federal guidelines.  In the State of Washington, new construction or additions of over 750 square feet need to have no more than five air exchanges per hour to comply.  This compliance will be checked as part of a final inspection.

 The blower door is a device that seals one door and depressurizes the building when all vents are closed to determine the air leakage through ceilings, walls, light fixtures, plumbing, windows and doors.  Standards vary from state to state, but 5 is an average requirement.  In Alaska, the standard is 2.  Part of Texas has a standard of 3, and part has a standard of 5. Each county in each state establishes their own standard, based on average annual heating and cooling degrees for that area. The value of each building is achieved by first determining the volume of the entire building and applying a formula to determine air exchange rate using a sophisticated guage.  

Call us to determine tightness of your home.  If you have air leaks, we can help identify them.  Start with a reading of overall air loss.  Test required prior to final inspection on new construction and additions.

Serving King, Snohomish, and Skagit Counties in Washington State.