[Strawbale] [Greenbuilding] Blower Door test set-up

[Mark Bigland-Pritchard]

Shawna -
Do you know which EnerGuide evaluators are defunct?
(The 2 here in SK are continuing intact with the provincial programme)


Chris -
The other way to address air exchange rate (for a small building, 
anyway) would be to measure the decay in concentration of a tracer gas.  
If the timing of occupation of the building works, the tracer gas could 
be metabolic carbon dioxide (certainly the only tracer gas I would be 
prepared to use).
This has the benefit of giving you an actual air exchange rate reading - 
but only for the particular wind conditions at the time of testing.  The 
blower door method gives you - by extrapolation of results - a standard 
figure, usually at 50Pa pressure difference, but relating that standard 
figure to what the actual air exchange rate would be under real 
conditions is problematic.

Mark


Shawna Henderson wrote:

>Chris,
>
>I would suggest calling around to defunct EnerGuide for Houses  
>evaluators. There's probably a few units out there that could be  
>bought for a reasonable price.
>
>The portability of these units is always a challenge, and I would  
>look for one that has an adjustable lightweight metal frame and a  
>door 'skin', sets up kinda like a tent wall. The older models, which  
>were made of sliding panels of plywood are killer on the back.
>
>If you could find a set of magnahelic gauges, you could possibly make  
>a frame system, but sheesh, to make it airtight is a challenge.
>
>Also, if you are intending to use this for any validation work (ie,  
>for EnerGuide for Houses type programs), they are going to want to  
>see a recognized, standard blower door kit. Indeed, if you're using  
>it for any research programs, they are all going to want to see a  
>standard apparatus.
>
>The most common on is from the Minneapolis Blower Door Company. They  
>run $3 to 5k US new.
>
>Using them is relatively easy, once you've got the door set up. If  
>you like I can run you through the process. I've done it about a  
>bazillion times...
>
>shawna
>
>On 6-Apr-07, at 2:11 AM, Chris Green wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Does anyone have a link to something which could tell me how to build
>>and use a blower door testing rig?
>>
>>Thanks in advance,
>>
>>Cheers,
>>
>>Chris Green.
>>
>>
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