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BLOWER DOOR TEST, or

Uncle Bob

Registered User
Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
1,409
Location
Texas
Conditioning Human Beings to live in Sealed Containers!

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11190

Most living things adapt to their enviornment. Those Humans, that do manage to adapt to living in sealed containers; will lose their ability to live and function in the Earth's atmosphere.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/912_liftoff_atm.html

What is the goal of containing humans in an artificial atmosphere?

Are we having fun yet?

Uncle Bob
 
But BOB! There is a need to make sure the air quality is not contaminated! So Blower door tests a needed going forward. It will also create JOBS!

It will make better homes and more energy efficient buildings. We should all embrace this concept! Now I am sure the concept will stimulate some debate.
 
I want to see the "tightness" of the building tested via blower door, while still maintaining the ventilation of either open windows equal to 4% of floor area or 15 cfm per occupant of outside air! After all, if the tightness is for energy conservation and the outside air is for habitability, are they saying you only have to conserve energy when nobody's home? (even if the lights are on!)
 
RJJ,

"There is a need to make sure the air quality is not contaminated!" Thanks, ;)

Don't you mean so contaminants can't escape? (radon, formaldihyde, and other toxins allowed within the built environment)

Paul,

"I want to see the "tightness" of the building tested via blower door, while still maintaining the ventilation of either open windows equal to 4% of floor area or 15 cfm per occupant of outside air! After all, if the tightness is for energy conservation and the outside air is for habitability, are they saying you only have to conserve energy when nobody's home? (even if the lights are on!)"

Openable windows are on the list to be eliminated. We will be informed that with all the "Fire Safety" measures; they are no longer necessary (like in commercial buildings); and waste energy when opened.

"are they saying you only have to conserve energy when nobody's home? (even if the lights are on!) "

The lights will not be on when nobody is home in the near future. The new "Smart Meters" will turn of "unnecessary" power (determined by the utility) to the dwelling automatically.

Now, I'm having fun,

Uncle Bob
 
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They are ineresting to watch. The last one I saw was on a "Student Built House" by the local collage. It was ICF exterior wall construction and it came in at 1.78 ACH which is pretty tight. The really interest part was the infared camera which picked up a couple of cold spots.
 
Build buildings built with OSB and seal them up and you get something like this:

I have an OSB out-gassing problem. I want to either block the gas or remove the OSB.As a retirement gift to ourselves, my wife and I just had an 800 square foot garage/workshop built. The contractor gave me the choice of OSB or sheetrock on the ceilings and walls. We discussed the advantages of either. The OSB would only require nailing up (no finishing) and allow hanging heavy items. We did not discuss out-gassing. The outside walls are studs-insulation-OSB-Hardyplant. Inside the walls and ceiling are covered with OSB. The contractor finished the building and is gone. He did good work even if we did go over budget a bit. However, within 30 seconds of entering the building my head, neck, and arms start to itch. After 5 or 10 minutes I have to open all doors (3) for ventilation. My daughter-in-law gets a headache after a few minutes in the building. I am searching the internet for ideas. From comments there I have the impression that paint will not provide enough isolation. I also find some really bad health issues discussed.I can't spend a lot more on the building but I must make it useful (or not use it), by a method/solution I can do myself. Maybe I can rip all the inside wall covering out (OSB) and replace with paneling; maybe with sheetrock but that is a little heavy for me to work with alone (I would maybe buy a sheetrock hoist of some kind). Removing the ceiling OSB would be more difficult unless I just let it fall. Putting sheetrock on the ceiling by myself would be impossible unless maybe with the sheetrock hoist (whatever that is called). I am mechanically inclined and once built a 12x 24 workshop by myself; well, my young teenage sons helpping. Any comments/advice is welcome but, specifically, would 6 mil plastic under the OSB on the ceiling and then wall paneling beneath the plastic, block most/all the bad gas? OR any alternatives to ripping the wall and ceiling OSB?Gary¹
California's new energy Code requires fans running 24/7 or on a time clock to provide the necessary ventilation to exhaust these toxic gasses, but people are disabling them because they cost a fortune to run, but not to worry, out new Green Code requires a 14 day "air-flushing" period to take the gasses away, of course OSB off-gasses forever, or at least until it rots out and goes away. Meanwhile we'll kill a lot of people, of course since overpopulation is at the heart of global warming it goes right along with Obama's Science and Technology czar's program.
Overpopulation was an early concern and interest. In a 1969 article, Holdren and co-author Paul R. Ehrlich argued that, "if the population control measures are not initiated immediately, and effectively, all the technology man can bring to bear will not fend off the misery to come." In 1973 Holdren encouraged a decline in fertility to well below replacement in the United States, because "210 million now is too many and 280 million in 2040 is likely to be much too many." In 1977, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Holdren co-authored the textbook Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment; they discussed the possible role of a wide variety of solutions to overpopulation, from voluntary family planning to enforced population controls, including forced sterilization for women after they gave birth to a designated number of children, and recommended "the use of milder methods of influencing family size preferences" such as access to birth control and abortion.²
Just think, you guys get to enforces this, you will be the new gestapo, I can't wait to see Unc;le Bob driving around on his Segway. ¹ http://www.greenbuildingtalk.com/Forums/tabid/53/aff/22/aft/56898/afv/topic/Default.aspx² http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holdren

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Where were the cold spots at?
Knee wall, recessed lights and recepticles and switches on INTERIOR walls. The gentleman who conducted the test stated the interior leakage was between the top/bottom plates and the drywall and that was why the drywall should be sealed at those areas .

BTW 2009 IECC Section 402.4.2.1 the blower door test is an OPTION to complying with Section 402.4.1 which most jurisdictions do not have the manpower to look at and do not want to go the third party route for an SFR.
 
too tight construction gives moisture no place to go..

Don't kid yourself that moisture doesn't get into the walls.. whenever there is a differential pressure (like when the air handler is running.. either heating or cooling).. the moisture is going to get in.

it condenses.. it settles (darn gravity).. and starts mold growth and decay..

yes, it does.. leaky walls are healthier than tight construction.
 
peach said:
too tight construction gives moisture no place to go..Don't kid yourself that moisture doesn't get into the walls.. whenever there is a differential pressure (like when the air handler is running.. either heating or cooling).. the moisture is going to get in.

it condenses.. it settles (darn gravity).. and starts mold growth and decay..

yes, it does.. leaky walls are healthier than tight construction.
Peach, I agree. Especially when you are heating with wood or direct vent heaters, which are the two main forms of heating here, things never seem to dry out completely.

Sue, living on the frontier.........central heat, what's that?
 
Oh Sue,

Place: Grandma's home in Herrin Illinois.

Thank you for the memories you have brought forth. A Ben Franklin pot belly in the parlor, and cookstove (both coal burning) in the kitchen. First one up, stoked the coals and added a bucket of coal to the stoves. No hallways; the bedrooms opened to the parlor. The outhouse was in back past the clothes lines. Didn't have to push anybody to get dressed in the winter. Was fully clothed when my feet hit the floor; after crawling out from under those big plush homemade quilts. A ringer washing machine was on the back porch; and my mother's pedal powered Singer sewing machine sat in the dining room against the wall.

Sitting on the big front porch at night; listening to ghost stories; told by my cousin Racheal. And, then a game of kick the can before bedtime. Aunt Ella would line us up at the side of the house; and, scrub a couple of layers of skin off us in the washtub; and we'd rinse off with a hose during warm weather; and in the kitchen in the winter.

I remember one winter when Aunt Rosalie made us home made ice cream out of snow. Running trotlines with my Uncle Hollis; my cousin Allen and I would seine crawddads in a pond for bait. I also remember helping Aunt Ella dig up potatoes in the lot between her home and Grandma's; and picking berries in the back of that lot and eating them till we couldn't hold anymore.

That's Energy conservation!

Thanks for the memories,

Uncle Bob
 
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our house in Michigan. No insulation.. we replaced the windows.. what a difference that made! Sealed around the sole plate.. when we did some finishing in the attic (habitable attic), the framing members looked like new oak (which is what they were).

When we start talking about sustainable construction, we need to let it leak.. someplace.
 
One of the first things I learned when doing direct weatherization is, leaks are necessary! Blower door will let you get it down to a ridiculous level if you don't use the technology properly. Then we have sick homes and sick people.

Sue, operable windows for me please :mrgreen:
 
When we are talking about sealing a home, I don't think anyone is considering anything close to 'hermetically sealed' as in some European new construction, where it's so tight they don't need a furnace because they capture all the heat they need via solar gain, and other sources within the home. The most recent article I read talked about non-openable windows, and controlled ventilation. The gist of it: if you want fresh aire, go outside. Which is what everyone should do more of! However, the requirement for .35 ACH would give you eight complete air changes in a home over 24 hours. The home owners are the ones who disable the ventilation, which leads to sick buildings and sick people. If the heating equipment is correctly sized [not way over what is required] the furnace should run almost constantly under some conditions, and that is where the efficiency of the equipment kicks in. Short cycling of equipment is one of the chief culprits in high energy bills. But the general public is spoiled: I want it warm, now; I want it cool, now. In the old days, I had to stoke the wood stove first thing in the morning, and it took a little while for the house to warm up. What's wrong with that? Nothing. Why would we expect anything different with an automated furnace. It takes time for the exchange of heat and cooling. OK... ranting done. Sorry.
 
UB -

Memories.....you are welcome! I remember the huge, 6 burner Great Majestic wood cookstove that was in the house on a ranch where I lived. It was huge, took up a whole corner of the kitchen and had 2 warming ovens and a trivet over the back burner to keep the coffee warm. I could turn out a mean batch of brownies using that oven! *sigh* Sure wish I had that stove now. The house would be nice too, a four room with unfinished attic adobe that stayed toasty in winter and cool in summer. Can't build one of those here, won't meet CA siesmic codes. Oh well......

Sue, in sunny CA
 
One thing that may be overlooked is the location of the leaks. Insulation works best with zero air movement passed it. That is the purpose of a blower door. Not to show the home is perfectly sealed but that there aren't bypasses robbing the insulation of its value. C518 R value only comes about in a sealed chamber. Seal the insulation components but let air in (and out) for moisture and IAQ control. Two separate issues.
 
What's better.. letting a house leak a little and keeping the framing members healthy.. or tightening it up and requiring 2 gaping openings (for fresh air, combustion or whatever) in the basement (where cold air.. or hot and humid air) is just going to pour into the structure?
 
I'm all for leaks until replacement air is required, and automatically, for all that is necessary which I have never seen a list of. All the combustion air (frankly, most mechanicals I see going in now have the option of combustion air directly from outside), replacement air for the bathroom fans, the kitchen hood, the fireplace (including gas fireplace if the replacement air is not supplied directly from outside) AND the .35 ACH.

AND the windows should open.

Any others?
 
When it's 5 degrees outside, no one is going to open windows. Makeup air with barometic dampers work... necessary if you have installed a suck-master 5000 range hood.
 
Alright, I apoligize for the rant, I've been just a little frustrated lately, and yes I do appreciate the responses I did get and the board is still a great place to learn and swap ideas, thanks again. Bill
 
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The blower door test is becoming more common in Philadelphia. We conduct them at the post construction phase but I do think it would be beneficial to conduct it while the walls are exposed so that problems can be found and corrected ahead of time. The blower door is an incredibly useful tool for keeping the building air tight.

Ori Rosenkrantz
LocalEnergyAudits.com/blower-door-testing
BlowerDoorTester.com
 
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