Title: Impacts of Test Prep on Air Leakage Test Results

Presenter: 

Brad Carmichael, PE, BEMP, CPHC®
Principal
Brad has been consulting on building enclosures throughout North America for over a decade. Brad is passionate about good design and the role it can play in social and environmental stewardship. He believes that durable and efficient building enclosures are critical for a built environment that is low consumption and long lasting. Brad has consulted on a wide array of different project types and sectors, including high rises, healthcare facilities, cultural institutions, workspaces, affordable housing, and historic landmarks.

Adam Neugebauer, MS, Building Science Thermographer
Building Science Specialist
Adam has been working in the building science industry since 2007. In the late 2000s, he was involved in rulemaking for the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) and promoting the adoption of emerging technologies in the single-family new construction market. While earning his master’s in Building Technology at MIT, he conducted materials research into a cutting-edge granulated aerogel thermal insulation system. At 4EA, Adam focuses his attention on affordable housing construction projects and the development of the Washington State and Seattle Energy Codes. Adam also manages all air barrier testing at 4EA.

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