3-31-17
It’s been a busy few weeks at Newton… we’ll get to the pretty pictures of the tile install and the hardwood flooring next week. This week, we are talking about SCIENCE! (Wait… where are you going? It will be interesting, I promise!)
We performed a Blower Door Test on the house last week.
A what?
Okay, okay. Let’s make this less technical: The gaps, cracks, and holes in the house, the more cold air can get in during the winter, right? Well, how do we find these small gaps and cracks to seal them?
We use a Blower Door Test. Basically, we close all the windows and doors in the entire house except one. In that one opening, we install the big red frame you see in the picture. Then, we will insert a powerful fan that blows air out of the house. Because all the windows and doors are closed, air gets sucked into the house through all the gaps and cracks.
We walk around the house with a “smoke pencil” (think: a very small, uncool fog machine) to test where the air is coming in… when we hold up the vapor/smoke to an area, the movement or stillness of the vapor shows us where air is rushing into the house. We can then use caulk or foam to seal up the cracks, making the house much tighter and more energy efficient.
Ideally, we would do this process before insulation and drywall go up (and we will on future projects). We can still make a big difference, even this late in construction.
Stay tuned next week for the pretty pictures… your science lesson is done… for now!
Andre Couvillion – Project Coordinator