Hello everyone,
I’m a bit “surprised” by the result of our blower door test:
We achieved a value of 1.5 1/h (n50) (the maximum allowed is exactly 1.5 1/h).
Yes, the requirements for a KfW55 house are met, but it still makes me somewhat uneasy.
What values have you achieved, and can anyone guess what might be causing this?
Our detached house:
- with a usable basement
- with an air-to-water heat pump + central controlled residential ventilation
- solid construction with filled 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) bricks
I’m a bit “surprised” by the result of our blower door test:
We achieved a value of 1.5 1/h (n50) (the maximum allowed is exactly 1.5 1/h).
Yes, the requirements for a KfW55 house are met, but it still makes me somewhat uneasy.
What values have you achieved, and can anyone guess what might be causing this?
Our detached house:
- with a usable basement
- with an air-to-water heat pump + central controlled residential ventilation
- solid construction with filled 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) bricks
i_b_n_a_n schrieb:
0.45 in my passive house ground floor unit with about 65m² (700ft²)
However, the sealing of the pipes to the technical room was only temporarily sealed with snow.
Still, I’m surprised by the 0.3 reported by @Basti2709.
The larger the house or apartment, the easier it is to achieve low values because the air change rate is calculated based on the total volume. How big was the house, @Basti2709? That was the measurement result... I have removed all personal data.
Malle Zwabber28 Oct 2022 09:26Hello,
I did my blower door test yesterday.
Result: 0.67
The interior walls are plastered, and the screed is installed.
Window sills, drywall, and exterior plaster are still missing.
I was a bit confused because the energy consultant criticized that the ventilation system was not fully connected yet. In other words, the branches from the distributors to the rooms were not connected. However, these are completely installed within the thermal envelope. The penetrations of the distributors to the outside were already made and properly sealed.
According to the energy consultant, the entire system must be installed but switched off in order to carry out the test.
From my understanding, that doesn’t make sense since the purpose of the test is to determine the airtightness.
Maybe someone here can clarify where my thinking is wrong.
I did my blower door test yesterday.
Result: 0.67
The interior walls are plastered, and the screed is installed.
Window sills, drywall, and exterior plaster are still missing.
I was a bit confused because the energy consultant criticized that the ventilation system was not fully connected yet. In other words, the branches from the distributors to the rooms were not connected. However, these are completely installed within the thermal envelope. The penetrations of the distributors to the outside were already made and properly sealed.
According to the energy consultant, the entire system must be installed but switched off in order to carry out the test.
From my understanding, that doesn’t make sense since the purpose of the test is to determine the airtightness.
Maybe someone here can clarify where my thinking is wrong.
Some craftsmen, inspectors, or consultants prefer to strictly follow certain technical guidelines.
This rule that everything must be completed likely comes from the general practice of identifying potential defects related to waterproofing issues. It is possible that the temporary waterproofing you currently have installed covers any gaps.
In your specific case, however, it should practically not matter, at least if your assumptions are correct. When in doubt, the inspector will usually follow all regulations to avoid any problems.
The openings for ventilation to the outside will, of course, be temporarily sealed during the measurement. It’s better if you do this yourself under supervision to ensure it is done thoroughly. 😉
This rule that everything must be completed likely comes from the general practice of identifying potential defects related to waterproofing issues. It is possible that the temporary waterproofing you currently have installed covers any gaps.
In your specific case, however, it should practically not matter, at least if your assumptions are correct. When in doubt, the inspector will usually follow all regulations to avoid any problems.
The openings for ventilation to the outside will, of course, be temporarily sealed during the measurement. It’s better if you do this yourself under supervision to ensure it is done thoroughly. 😉
The absence of the window sills could possibly have an impact. At that time, we had minor air drafts around the kitchen window sill openings. We intended to extend the countertop there, which is why the window sills were not yet installed. The engineer who performed the test applied this strong adhesive tape over that area, after which the draft disappeared and the result improved slightly. 🙂
Malle Zwabber28 Oct 2022 10:55Well, the worker didn’t bother to do the job properly or do any masking either 😀.
Maybe it’s also my fault. Perhaps I should have arranged a leak detection first.
But whatever. The required value has been met, and I can submit everything to the KFW for the subsidy.
Maybe it’s also my fault. Perhaps I should have arranged a leak detection first.
But whatever. The required value has been met, and I can submit everything to the KFW for the subsidy.
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