Duct leakage is not only detrimental to energy efficiency, but also to indoor air quality (in terms of lower air change rates and ventilation efficiency in rooms), comfort, fire protection, noise, dust accumulation, moisture damage or even contamination issues. When … Continue reading →
To our knowledge, in Europe there is only the French qualification Qualibat 8721 for ductwork airtightness testers. In Sweden, there is a requirement for a mandatory inspection of the ventilation system (OVK) to be carried out by a certified expert … Continue reading →
A calibration should be carried out by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab. Sometimes in some specific context it is allowed to have the calibration done by: a lab that has standards traceable to ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibrations the manufacturer the … Continue reading →
The ductwork airtightness test is made by attaching a measured airflow to the system and measure the static pressure inside. The idea is that the flow going in is the same as the leakage when the pressure is stable. The … Continue reading →
To improve the air tightness of existing air ducts, a method of sealing the ducts by applying a sealant using a spray atomizer was developed in the USA in the early 2000s and is now (since 2015) being used in … Continue reading →
Duct tester systems designed to conduct air tightness tests on duct systems can sometimes be used to test building air tightness. The fans used in these systems have a much lower flow capacity than a standard blower door system, which means … Continue reading →
Inside a ductwork a flow rate undergoes pressure drop due to friction and dynamic losses. Numerical models [1] were set and experiments were conducted [2] to determine the impact of those pressure losses on the result of a ductwork airtightness test. It … Continue reading →
An important point for improving the air tightness of air ducting systems is the use of ducts with factory-fitted air-tight connections with flat gaskets [1]. Furthermore, to install tight air ducts, not only the installation itself is crucial, but also … Continue reading →
When a ductwork is leaky, part of the flowrate generated by the fan comes from (for extract ductwork) or goes through (for supply ductwork) leakages instead of air terminal devices (ATDs). If the fan compensates at least partially for leakage … Continue reading →
There are two ductwork airtightness databases that are often discussed in literature [1]: the French database from CEREMA: this database was created in 2016, it includes all the tests performed in France by a qualified tester in a regulatory or … Continue reading →
