Overall most of products are tested according to EN12114 (air permeability of building components) or EN 1026 (airtightness of windows) either internally or externally. The most known way of certifying products is through Passive House Institute in Germany [1], the … Continue reading →
Poor building airtightness results in excessive air infiltration and resultant uncontrolled energy loss. The energy use increase is dependent on the infiltration flow rate and the amount of conditioning of the air that is necessary to achieve thermal comfort. The infiltration … 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 →
Wind creates a heterogeneous pressure distribution around the building and induces a pressure difference between indoor and outdoor even when the fan is turned off. The impact of wind can be partly compensated by measuring and subtracting this zero-flow pressure and … 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 →
TightVent Europe has published a list of applicable standards for building and ductwork airtightness. The detailed list can be found here.
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 →
