How Blower Door Testing Can Help You

If you are a resident of Fairfield County, Connecticut, then you are probably concerned about the rising costs of electricity.  Believe it or not, your iPods, web servers and laptop systems are not to blame.  The primary expense comes from heat and air.  However, what you might not realize is that most Fairfield County residents are paying too much money because of bad insulation.When you have poor quality insulation, you are paying extra just to maintain the same temperature throughout your house.  Houses that have quality insulation can absorb the extreme temperatures outside and ensure your home stays at the right temperature.  This is made possible by insulating materials like polystyrene, rock wool, wood fiber, plant straw, soil, and various other choices.However, insulation involves more than simply installing insulation materials.  It also involves analyzing a home's setup and determining where the drafts and air leaks are coming from.  Once this is determined, these leakages can be sealed or caulked.  

How Blower Door Testing Helps Fairfield County CT

Blower door testing is a technique that can measure the airtight quality of a building, and is ideal for locating air leaks and drafts.  The blower door test involves a calibrated fan (which is used to measure the airflow rate) as well as a device that senses air pressure (generated by the fan).   Determining the price measurements of fan flow and air pressure will let you know how airtight the door is; this will come in handy when it's time to upgrade your insulation or install an HVAC system in your new house.

The fan actually mounts into the frame of an exterior door and will then pull air outside of the building, all the while lowering pressure inside.  The exterior air pressure now flows in through unsealed cracks and small openings.  The fan must be of variable speeds.  The pressure gauge will tell you the precise difference between interior and exterior air.  Other parts involved in the installation might include hoses and a manometer.  There is also a major difference between calibrated and un-calibrated blower doors; un-calibrated blower doors are used only to measure leaks, whereas calibrated doors can measure other factors, like the amount of air pulled out. 

Getting Ready for a Blower Door Test

If you are receiving a free or cheap blower door test courtesy of a local company then you will want to prepare your home.  First, seal off all major exits, including doors and windows.  Turn down the thermostat on heaters and water heaters and shut all fireplace doors or wood stove intakes.  It might also be prudent to cover ashes inside your wooden stove and cover your fireplaces with newspapers that have been slightly wet.

If you have been having problems with electricity rates as of late, and the house never seems to be warm enough or cold enough then it's very likely you have a major insulation problem stemming from poor installation, air leakage or perhaps even HVAC leakage.  Contact Tricity Appliance in Milford CT, serving all of Fairfield,County for help before the winter season arrives!