Provider of 3rd party independent Blower Door Tests in Eastern Washington
509-638-7198
Blower Door Testing Equipment
If you want your final Certificate Of Occupancy, this test is mandatory.
A blower door test is conducted to depressurize your house to determine air leakage. Washington has established statewide requirements to comply with federal guidelines.
In the State of Washington, new construction or additions of over 500 square feet are allowed no more than THREE air exchanges per hour to comply. This compliance will be checked as part of a final inspection. This 3 ACH standard is required for all permits issued after February 1, 2021.
The blower door is a device that seals one door and depressurizes the building when all vents are closed to determine the air leakage through ceilings, walls, light fixtures, plumbing, windows and doors. Each county establishes their own standard, based on average annual heating and cooling degrees for that area.
The value for each building is achieved by first determining the volume of the entire building and applying a formula to determine air exchange rate using a sophisticated gauge called a Manometer.
Call us to determine tightness of your home. If you have air leaks, we can help identify them. Start with a reading of overall air loss. We can also provide thermal imagery of likely air leak areas.
Serving Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, and Yakima counties in Washington State.
What does a Blower Door Air Leakage Test Cost?
We understand that building or remodeling a home is a costly endeavor, and have made our pricing as competitive as possible.
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Single-family home or single unit in the greater Spokane area: $350
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Contractor pricing for 3 to 5 homes/units in the greater Spokane area: $275 each
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Additional travel fees outside of 30 minutes driving distance from Spokane: $50 per hour including fuel surcharge.
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Fees are payable upon completion of test.
What is included in Air Leakage Testing:
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Review plans to calculate square footage and/or building volume
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Set-up blower door and measure air leakage
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Calculate ACH50 (air changes per hour at 50 pascals)
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Record results and leave form on-site
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Provide written documentation of testing for project manager
What do you need to prepare for a Blower Door Test:
To get started, we will need the following information:
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Address (cross street if GPS cannot find the address)
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Builder
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Superintendent contact
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Lock box code
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Total square footage as shown on the Building permit
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Building Volume (cubic feet in the building)
Building Readiness Checklist
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Plans on site?
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All windows and trim installed?
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All exterior doors and door hardware and trim installed?
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All crawlspace and attic hatches finished with appropriate hardware?
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All combustion equipment installed with complete venting?
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All exhaust fans installed with complete venting?
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Wood burning stoves and pellet stoves off, cold and cleaned.
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The inspection is a 3 step process. First, I calculate the building volume and the goal CFM, then I install the blower door. Finally, all people and pets must exit the building. The test itself actually only takes about 20 to 30 minutes. However, overall, you need to budget at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the inspection, calculations, setup, test and report writing.
WHO WE ARE
I have been a licensed contractor for many years, working in many areas including custom cabinets and general construction. I am a Level I thermographer and certified to perform thermography for building envelopes and roofs. In addition to blower door testing, I perform aerial thermal inspections of residential and commercial buildings. Check out my other website:
CONTACT US 24/7
CALL US
509-638-7198
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AREAS SERVED
Spokane
Lincoln
Ferry
Stevens
Pend Orielle
Adams
Grant
Douglas
Whitman
Franklin
Walla Walla
Others by request
