Air Tightness TestUnder revised building regulations which came into force in Dec 2011, air tightness testing is mandatory for all new dwellings.
The aim of the testing is to reduce energy losses from the dwelling in the form of air leakage. An initial air tightness test as soon as the airtight layer is fully installed allows builders to locate possible air leakage points.  Air tightness tests help comply with Part L compliance.
These tests are sometimes called Blow Door tests ( although we do consider this somewhat dramatic) or Blower door testing.

Air tests are critical in identifying the air pressure rate and so are imperative in Air compliance to the regulations.

With guidance and direction from the air tightness tester, these areas of unwanted leakage can be reduced or eliminated completely. A final test is then carried out once the dwelling is fully complete. As a result, building owners and occupiers should experience substantial savings in heating costs.​

An air tight test must be carried out by an NSAI Registered Tester. The BERcerts.ie team are all NSAI Registered Testers. We can provide expert advice to both builders and homeowners on how to reduce and eliminate unwanted air leakage. So call now to arrange a consultation and avail of our proficient air tightness testing service.
Under revised building regulations which came into force in Dec 2011, air tightness testing is mandatory for all new dwellings.  I am going to talk about ‘Air Tightness Testing’. (Sometimes referred to as Blower door tests.) They measure the rate at which air enters or escapes through a buildings envelope. In basic terms it is the rate at which a cubic meter of air passes through a square meter of the external envelope of the building at 50 pascals of pressure.  
The Air pressure tests must be carried out by an NSAI registered tester. We, the team at BER certs are all NSAI registered testers. We can provide expert advice to both builders and homeowners on how to reduce air leakage or infiltration during construction.
The aim of the testing is to reduce energy losses in the building. A lot of energy can be lost through poor detailing at junctions and where services pass through the envelope.  Our advice is that an initial air tightness test is to be carried out once the building is sealed initially and the airtight layer is fully installed. This allows builders to locate possible air leakage points before final finishes are installed. This prevents the situation where air leakage is detected behind one, or more areas where finishes which may need to be removed to fix the problem and then re be done, costing time and money for all involved.
We can assist builders and developers in identifying areas of unwanted leakage and provide solutions to reduce this. A final test is carried out once the dwelling is fully complete. Because we have prepared for this final test with a preliminary test we should achieve a similar result and, as a result building owners and occupiers should experience substantial savings in heating costs.
When performing an air pressure test we place a large fan at the door of the building and seal it using a special frame which houses the fan. The fan is connected to a manometer which feeds information from the fan to a software programme on a laptop.
Details of the building are taken and inputted into the software including; floor area, envelope area etc, internal and external pressures and temperatures, wind speeds etc.
Before carrying out the test we must seal the vents + flues as this is controllable air flow. We also make sure all the internal doors are open and all gullies, traps, toilets, and sinks have water in.

We carry out a depressurised test and also a pressurised test. Readings for each direction are taken at a series regular intervals at multiple pressures to ensure conformity and ensures accurate results. The average of both directions are then taken as the final result.


BERcerts.ie specialises in Energy ratings for both Domestic and Commercial Properties, Energy Audits, Land registry maps, Compliance to Part L (Energy) and part F (ventilation) building regulations, new regulation sound tests and also, Air pressure tests.