Ohio River Air Barrier Test (Using ASTM E779 and ASTM E1827)

Last week we performed an Air Barrier Test and Thermal Envelope Scan of a federal building at a lock on the Ohio River.

Simple is better when it comes to building a tightly constructed building as we witnessed in this building.  The simple design eliminates many hidden chases, bypasses, etc. found in other buildings and the construction company did a great job of air sealing this building.

The required air leakage rate for this project was 0.25cfm@75pa/sf of conditioned building envelope.  Our air leakage test was performed to ASTM E1827 and ASTM E779 standards for air barrier testing.  This building passed the .25cfm requirement easily and the infrared scan of the building (per ASTM C1060) proved that the building was constructed exceptionally well from an energy efficiency perspective.

For more information on air barrier testing, please visit our web site, http://www.thermo-scan.com/.  You may contact Thermo-Scan Inspections directly for Air Barrier Testing and Infrared Scan Inspections at 800-481-5748 or tdunn@thermo-scan.com

Air Barrier / Air Leakage Testing (ASTM E1827 & ASTM E779)

We have been testing homes for air leakage for almost 30 years.  Utilizing a blower door, we can depressurize (or pull a vacuum) on the home to measure the total air leakage.   While the blower door is running, our technicians can walk around a home to identify the individual air leakage sites.

Over the years, we have been involved in several commercial projects where we utilize the same equipment to identify air leakage sites in much larger buildings.  Recently, though, the Army Corps of Engineers began requiring Air Barrier Testing and Building Envelope Scans of ALL new projects so we have seen a significant increase in demand for this service.

The Army Corps of Engineers spec usually requires that the inspection follow either ASTM E1827 or ASTM E779 for air leakage testing.    Larger buildings obviously require more fan capacity so a 3-fan blower door system may need to be used.

3-Fan Blower Door System

In some cases, multiple 3-fan systems may be needed.   The ACOE requirement usually sets the maximum allowable air leakage rate at 0.25cfm@75pa per sf of conditioned building envelope area so by calculating the envelope area, we can determine how many fans will be needed.

The ACOE spec sometimes requires a Building Envelope Scan, following ASTM C1060 for infrared testing. 

Infrared Image of Building

During an infrared scan, insulation, moisture and air leakage problems can be identified.  It's important to have a knowedgeable, certified infrared thermographer perform the inspection.....someone who can interpret the images properly.

We can perform an air barrier / air leakage test (following ASTM E1827 and ASTM E779) and a Building Envelope Scan (following ASTM 1060) for you if you ever run into these requirements.  Please e-mail tdunn@thermo-scan.com or call 1-800-481-5748 for a price quote. 
Additional information can be found at the Thermo-Scan Inspections web site:  http://thermo-scan.com/air_leak_testing.html