Blower Door Test in Gladwyne, PA

Evaluate your home’s air leakage and achieve energy compliance with precise blower door test in Gladwyne, PA. Our licensed professionals help homeowners, builders, and contractors identify air leaks, enhance comfort, and achieve PA energy compliance.

What Is A Blower Door Test?

A blower door test quantifies how often indoor air is renewed through air changes per hour, helping maintain optimal ventilation. Frequent air replacement can harm energy performance, as each exchange requires reheating or recooling the air. Too much ventilation can create drafts, discomfort, and unwanted effects like condensation, moisture accumulation, and mold inside your home. A blower door test in Gladwyne, PA allows early detection of air leaks, helping homeowners and builders boost efficiency and maintain a comfortable, durable living environment.

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How Is A Blower Door Test Conducted?

When blower door test in Gladwyne, PA is conducted, every exterior door and window is closed, and interior doors are left open to achieve uniform air movement inside. One chosen exterior door is equipped with an adjustable aluminum frame and fabric panel for test installation. A calibrated fan is connected to the frame, lowering the home’s internal pressure to 50 Pascals, roughly matching a 20 mph wind force.

As the fan exhausts indoor air, outside air starts seeping into the home through small leaks and gaps. Using a sensitive instrument known as a nanometer, we measure the fan’s pressure against the home’s internal pressure. These readings produce the air changes per hour (ACH) value, indicating both the home’s airtightness and efficiency within the PA climate.

What Is A Passing Blower Door Test Score?

In Gladwyne, PA, homes are designed to meet or exceed the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or the latest locally adopted standards. In many locations, a result of 3 air changes per hour or less is required to verify the home’s energy efficiency level. When your blower door test in Gladwyne, PAmeets this requirement, you benefit from reduced energy bills and code compliance.

Why Do I Need A Blower Door Test?

PA state regulations and many municipalities abide by the IECC, enforcing blower door tests for newly constructed or renovated homes. We routinely help home builders, contractors, and homeowners requiring blower door test in Gladwyne, PA for energy code compliance and permit closure. If any part of the HVAC system or ductwork sits beyond the building’s thermal envelope, a duct leakage test may be required. Learn more about energy code compliance.

Homeowners benefit from blower door test in Gladwyne, PA because depressurization exposes airflow through cracks, helping identify leaks and boost efficiency. It only takes a few hours to perform a blower door test, but the long-lasting impact on comfort and efficiency is felt through PA’ hot summers and cool winters.

How To Pass A Blower Door Test:

  • Anticipate potential air leaks before testing begins.
  • Use a trusted air barrier like Tyvek or Zip Sheathing, ensuring all joints and seams are properly taped and sealed.
  • Install insulation with the appropriate R-value and ensure it is correctly fitted across the entire building envelope.
  • Seal all penetrations in exterior walls using caulk or spray foam.
  • Ensure doors and windows are properly installed, caulked, and weather-sealed.
  • Seal all joints and gaps that connect conditioned and unconditioned areas such as basements, attics, and crawl spaces.
  • Many cities provide compliance checklists through their building departments — see the Philadelphia version here.
  • Local Energy Audits provides on-site leak detection and sealing using advanced thermal imaging tools, caulk, and spray foam./li>
  • In most situations—over 90% of the time—we get a passing score within two hours and finalize all required paperwork.

Preparing for a Blower Door Test in Gladwyne, PA

To properly prepare for blower door test in Gladwyne, PA, the HVAC system and all bathroom and kitchen fans are turned off. After that, we check the entire home to confirm all exterior doors and windows are tightly secured — even those leading to garages, unfinished basements, or other spaces outside the thermal envelope. With the home sealed, we select a main exterior door, install the blower door setup, and use the fan to depressurize to 50 Pascals, enabling accurate airflow measurement. After the home is depressurized, outdoor air pushes in more strongly, allowing leaks to become more noticeable. Using a thermal imager, we locate inefficient areas by tracking temperature changes in walls, ceilings, and surfaces bordering unconditioned spaces. We’re fully equipped with chalk, spray foam, and weatherstripping to collaborate with homeowners or contractors in correcting visible air leakage issues immediately. After sealing the identified leaks, we retest right away to confirm that the desired blower door score meets local energy performance standards in Gladwyne, PA.

Blower Door Test for Contractors in Gladwyne, PA

For contractors booking blower door test in Gladwyne, PA, homes with quality insulation usually require only quick, on-site fixes during testing. With materials such as chalk and spray foam on hand, minor leaks or gaps can usually be sealed immediately. In over 90% of cases, we are able to reach a passing blower door test score in under two hours and supply all necessary paperwork to finalize the building permit right away.

Schedule Your blower door test in Gladwyne, PA

Get accurate, efficient, and certified blower door test in Gladwyne, PA performed by our knowledgeable experts. Whether you’re a homeowner seeking greater comfort or a contractor finalizing a permit, we ensure every test meets energy code requirements with precision and professionalism.