DIY blower door testing
Blower door testing (google it!) is a great way to find out how leaky your house is, and now is a good time to do it - before it gets cold.
A few years ago I made a cheap diy version of this, which fits over a window. It's pretty simple to do, well in the diy category I think. It's a car radiator fan - I picked one from a crashed sports car on ebay, and a fixed 15V 16A supply. It works best to fit the fan blowing out of the house, so that any leakages pull air inwards, which is easiest to detect with the back of your hand. I used it to help make our house airtight, ready for mvhr some time back. Pulled it out again to check how things were!
If all of this goes well, you can also measure the leakyness - this involves measuring the pressure and the air flowrate. TBH this is less useful than finding and fixing the faults in the first place. You can make a manometer, and buy a cheap airspeed meter.
Attached is a pic of the fan in place!
I found a few places that I will fix:
Around the lofthatch handle
A few sockets still leak
The back of our bath leaks
Toilet overflow!
- 22 Forums
- 2,025 Topics
- 44.1 K Posts
- 11 Online
- 3,225 Members
Join Us!
Trusted Installers
Struggling to find a reliable heat pump installer? A poor installation can lead to inefficiencies and high running costs. We now connect homeowners with top-rated installers who deliver quality work and excellent service.
✅ Verified, trusted & experienced installers
✅ Nationwide coverage expanding
✅ Special offers available
Latest Posts
-
So James I’m sure you might realis that my first 2 poi...
By SUNandAIR , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Help me keep the faith with my air source heat pump installation
20miles away is not too far for a good install. Our ins...
By Judith , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Performance of Heat Pumps in Mild Weather
@jamespa These COP curves might explain something else ...
By Heatgeek , 6 hours ago
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
This will be a record month if it goes like this. Alrea...
By Andris , 6 hours ago
-
RE: How hard and expensive would it be to change panel and add battery?
That’s just a guess, and your usage patterns may vary. ...
By Judith , 8 hours ago
-
Is this normal? Click of the DHW returning to space heating
This has been bugging me for a while and I just wanted ...
By Grantmethestrength , 14 hours ago
-
@sandman1600 you need to measure whats going on real...
By davidnolan22 , 1 day ago
-
@brandon-r is this a project that you could assist with...
By Mars , 1 day ago
-
Has anyone installed these on their ASHP fed radiator s...
By Grantmethestrength , 2 days ago
-
RE: Who's your electricity provider and what's your tariff?
Here is my update on the move to Eon Next drive. Custo...
By Andris , 2 days ago
-
Just an update on the responses received by Smart Heati...
By Eliuccio , 3 days ago
-
RE: Is your gut better than Math
By SUNandAIR , 3 days ago
-
RE: Would You Find Value in a Premium Installer-Supported Forum?
We are very pleased to announce that Brendon Uys (@heac...
By Mars , 3 days ago
-
RE: Ecodan 11.2kw Wireless thermostat drop outs
@skyecraig I've had our FTC7 wireless thermostat lose...
By RobS , 3 days ago
-
RE: Signenergy AI Mode - How long does it take to learn a usage pattern?
I am definitely interested in this as I am considering ...
By Grantmethestrength , 3 days ago
-
RE: Air source heat pump roll call – what heat pump brand and model do you have?
Hitachi Yutaki SCombi Heat Pump(Indoor Unit ) RWD-3.0RW...
By trebor12345 , 3 days ago
-
RE: Jokes and fun posts about heat pumps and renewables
ми не граємо в карти
By Transparent , 3 days ago
-
RE: Pressure Drop in primary circuit
Nick from Samsung has called me back . He has sa...
By ohdearism , 4 days ago
-
RE: Vaillant water pressure gauge vs Analogue gauge
@adamk not sure I want to mess with the lockshields I a...
By jeegnesh , 4 days ago
-
RE: Hitachi Yutaki SCombi Heat Pump - Thermal Off's
Thanks for your help.
By trebor12345 , 4 days ago
Most Active This Week
# | Name | kWhs |
---|---|---|
1 | JamesPa | 293 |
2 | Mars | 274 |
3 | AdamK | 126 |
4 | trebor12345 | 123 |
5 | Gary | 116 |
6 | SUNandAIR | 115 |
7 | Toodles | 103 |
8 | bontwoody | 95 |
9 | RobS | 95 |
10 | ohdearism | 88 |