Duct Leakage Test Method

Method used to estimate duct leakage

Data Type: 
Constrained List
Category: 
Unit of Measure: 
None
Sector: 
Commercial, Residential, Multifamily
List Options Option Definition Unit of Measure
Blower door subtract A technique involving conducting two whole house Blower Door air tightness tests with and without the supply and return registers and grills sealed off from the house. A subtraction of the sealed register test from the unsealed register test provides an estimate of duct leakage to the outside. None
Duct leakage tester Diagnostic tool designed to measure the airtightness of forced air heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) ductwork. A duct leakage tester consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an air flow rate and a pressure sensing device to measure the pressure created by the fan flow. The combination of pressure and fan flow measurements are used to determine the ductwork airtightness. None
None None None
Not applicable Not applicable None
Other Other None
Pressure pan A technique involving a register cover with a pressure tap for a hose connection. With the house pressurized (or depressurized) to 50 Pa (-50 Pa) using a blower door, a pressure gauge is attached to the pressure pan by means of a hose. If the pressure difference is near zero, this indicates that the ductwork associated with that particular register is not connected to the outside. A pressure 5 Pa or above indicates that the ductwork is connected to or leaking to the outside. A smaller pressure difference indicates greater leakage. This method does not quantify duct leakage, but serves to identify locations of ductwork runs that are leaking to the outside. It is more of a qualitative measure, used for fault isolation. None
Unknown Unknown None
Visual inspection None
Term ID: b48470c5-d5d5-4e26-8e92-df2d0392ba1d
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