Why Should I Care about a Blower Door Test?

A blower door test is a gold-standard diagnostic tool that experts use to measure the amount of air that leaks out of your home. Think of it as testing your home’s “air tightness.” During the test, the examiner applies a measurable and consistent pressure to your home to obtain accurate results about the home’s energy efficiency.

The blower test is one of the hottest topics in the construction world right now, partially because a test must be performed now to close out any residential building permit in Illinois. And unlike some other forms of checks and balances in construction, the test results can’t be faked or skewed.

Unfortunately, I frequently receive calls from homeowners whose projects have been completed, but their homes are not passing the blower door test. Many of them want a quick fix. It’s not uncommon for them to say they’ll point out the “problem areas” if we can just apply the spray foam.

You Wouldn’t Cast a Limb Without an X-Ray

However, it’s not that easy. There are a number of challenges that come with diagnosing a home once the drywall is up, and there are no shortcuts to figuring out why the home won’t pass a blower door test.

For us to go in and apply spray foam without a professional evaluation would be similar to asking a doctor to put a cast on a broken arm or leg without taking an X-ray. No doctor would agree to that, and similarly, we can’t try to correct issues in someone’s home without doing a thorough investigation.

Spray Foam Can’t Do It Alone

Spray foam is an outstanding way to seal a home. However, even spray foam cannot overcome the failure of poor construction framing. What does that mean to you?

We recommend reducing your risk of failure at inspection time by involving Chicago Green Insulation as early as possible in your project. We can help whether you’re adding a new addition, remodeling or building a new home. When you work with us, we’ll be involved throughout the entire process to ensure that things are done right the first time.

The difference between our company and other spray foam installers is that we guide you through the entire process of construction to ensure that you get top notch framing, where every stud should receive a bead of caulk before it is hammered into place, and sometimes double, or triple, or more. We also make sure that every bottom plate and every top plate is caulked and constructed perfectly so that there aren’t any gaps that can lead to failing the blower test.

Not only does that ensure that your project doesn’t run longer than it has to; you also won’t be left paying to redo someone’s mistake.

What If It’s Too Late for That?

If your home project is already complete, and it’s not passing inspection, we can help. We work with highly qualified, third-party experts to diagnose the issues and identify where the problems lie. From there, we can tell you what course of action is needed.

Not sure that’s the best route? Call others if you want to roll the dice.  Call Chicago Green Insulation for the right approach, every time!

As I always say: Comfort is only a FOAM call away!