Blower Door Test in Lionville, PA

Confirm your home’s energy performance and identify leaks through accurate blower door test in Lionville, PA. Our trained team assists homeowners, builders, and contractors by detecting hidden air leaks, boosting comfort, and meeting PA energy regulations.

What Is A Blower Door Test?

A blower door test is conducted to assess air changes per hour inside a home or structure, ensuring the right balance between air leakage and fresh airflow. An excessive rate of air changes can be inefficient because each time the air is replaced, it must be reheated or recooled, raising energy costs. Excessive air leakage can cause drafts, reduce comfort, and contribute to issues like condensation, moisture, and mold inside the home. A blower door test in Lionville, PA detects early-stage air leaks, enabling effective energy use and a more durable, comfortable living environment.

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How Is A Blower Door Test Conducted?

To complete blower door test in Lionville, PA, all exterior openings are sealed, and interior doors are kept open to ensure equal airflow throughout the property. A single main exterior door is fitted with an adjustable aluminum frame and attached fabric panel to begin the setup. A calibrated fan is installed onto the frame, creating a pressure difference of 50 Pascals, comparable to a continuous 20 mph wind blowing on the home.

As the fan creates negative pressure, outside air infiltrates the home through gaps and small openings. A precise tool called a nanometer is used to compare the pressure generated by the fan with that inside the home. The test results are converted into air changes per hour (ACH), which determines the airtightness and performance level of the home in PA weather.

What Is A Passing Blower Door Test Score?

In Lionville, PA, all new homes must comply with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) or more current codes enforced by local jurisdictions. For most regions, achieving 3 air changes per hour or less on a blower door test ensures that the home is properly energy efficient. Achieving compliance in your blower door test in Lionville, PA helps improve energy efficiency and meet all local code mandates.

Why Do I Need A Blower Door Test?

Both PA and local jurisdictions adopt the IECC energy code, making blower door test mandatory for new and renovated residential structures. We regularly provide blower door test in Lionville, PA for home builders, contractors, and homeowners working to meet local code requirements and close permits. A duct leakage test requirement applies if ducts or HVAC units are positioned outside the structure’s thermal envelope. Learn more about energy code compliance.

Performing blower door test in Lionville, PA allows homeowners to identify and fix leaks. The test makes air infiltration visible, uncovering opportunities to reduce energy loss. A blower door test requires minimal time but makes a long-lasting impact on home comfort and energy performance during PA’ extreme temperatures.

How To Pass A Blower Door Test:

  • Anticipate potential air leaks before testing begins.
  • Install a quality air barrier like Tyvek or Zip Sheathing and confirm that all joints and seams are completely taped.
  • Install correctly rated insulation with the proper R-value and confirm it’s well positioned in every part of the building envelope.
  • Seal all penetrations in exterior walls using caulk or spray foam.
  • Ensure doors and windows are properly installed, caulked, and weather-sealed.
  • Ensure all penetrations between conditioned and unconditioned areas—like attics, basements, and crawl spaces—are tightly sealed.
  • Building departments in many areas share checklists for verifying compliance — download the Philadelphia version here as a sample.
  • At Local Energy Audits, we utilize thermal imaging equipment, caulk, and spray foam to identify and fix air leaks during testing./li>
  • Typically, over 90% of the time we record a passing score in two hours and handle all permit-related documentation.

Preparing for a Blower Door Test in Lionville, PA

Before starting blower door test in Lionville, PA, we turn off all heating, air conditioning, and exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens. We then perform a brief inspection throughout the home to make sure all exterior doors and windows are tightly shut — even those opening to garages, basements, or spaces outside the thermal envelope. After ensuring the home is fully sealed, we mount the blower door fan and frame on a central exterior door and depressurize the interior to 50 Pascals for accurate testing. When depressurization is complete, outside air flows in swiftly, allowing easy detection of leakage spots. By using a thermal imager, we can spot temperature variations in walls, ceilings, and other surfaces that indicate leaks into unconditioned areas. Our team provides on-site repair using chalk, spray foam, and weatherstripping, working with homeowners or contractors to fix visible air leakage problems. Once sealing work is done, we immediately retest to verify that the desired blower door score has been achieved for compliance with local standards in Lionville, PA.

Blower Door Test for Contractors in Lionville, PA

For contractors scheduling blower door test in Lionville, PA, most professionally insulated homes can quickly fix minor issues on-site during the testing process. Using materials like chalk and spray foam during the inspection, small leaks or gaps can be sealed right away. In over 90% of cases, we complete a passing blower door test score within two hours and provide the required paperwork to close out the building permit promptly.

Schedule Your blower door test in Lionville, PA

Choose our professional team for quick, accurate, and certified blower door test in Lionville, PA. Whether you’re a homeowner or a contractor, we guarantee each blower door test is executed with accuracy and meets all local energy code requirements.