Title: Impacts of Test Prep on Air Leakage Test Results

Presenter: Brad Carmichael, PE, BEMP, CPHC & Adam Neugebauer, MS, Building Science Thermographer

Description:  All measurement tests inherently have error associated with the testing procedures, and whole building airtightness is no exception.  Whole building airtightness testing is typically performed on construction sites, for buildings of various size and shape, sometimes still in various stages of construction. Different techniques are often used to prepare buildings for the test. This includes methods for temporary sealing of intentional openings. Currently, the degree of error associated with different techniques is unknown. This presentation will review different techniques for preparing and testing large scale buildings, review the results of over 200 large scale whole building airtightness tests, and look at the comparative results from different methods of building preparation to assess the potential error associated with different building preparation techniques.

 Learning Objectives:

• Understand the different methods of temporary sealing and building preparations required before testing
• Describe the relative effectiveness of different building preparation methods
• Understand the function of a whole building air barrier test
• Predict what methods of preparation will lead to tighter test results