Defining Air Sealing in the Delmarva Area
Sometimes talking with experts about home upgrades can be pretty unsettling and confusing. It's like speaking another language. Since being at Dr. Energy Saver, I have learned so much about what goes into making a home more comfortable and efficient, things I wasn't too confident of before! That made me think, could our customers have the same questions I had? Could some of the terms that are second nature to our experts be confusing to a homeowner? They are not always terms we use every day. In order to keep you all informed, I thought it would be best to define some very important terms. So why not start at the beginning of the alphabet with air sealing?
Understanding Air Sealing Basics
Air seal (according to Merriam-Webster): A seal to prevent passage of air or vapor.
This seems like a pretty simple term to understand, but does everyone know how to test for proper air seals or the proper level of seals? At first, these items didn't come so easily, but I am confident I finally got the hang of the definition. Let’s start with testing.
Air Sealing Testing: Blower Door & Smoke Pencil
The testing process to evaluate a room's air sealing levels starts with a blower door test. This is a fan that is put into a doorway and seals off any air or vapor from moving through the door. The fan pulls the air out of the rooms of the home and through the door. This allows our inspectors to find any large areas of air movement throughout the house because they will be able to feel or hear the air moving into the room.
Another test our inspectors will complete to see the level of seals is a smoke pencil test. The smoke pencil is a special tool that's great for finding small areas of air movement that our inspectors cannot see or hear on their own.
The two tests combined show the homeowner and inspector where all the air seals are needed. It also shows where air seals should not be made. Now let's look at the level of air sealing, whether a home is too tight or not tight enough.
Air Sealing Levels
A home can be too tight if it has absolutely no air coming from the outside. Most would think this is a great thing, but could be the source for concern. A house that is too tight has no fresh air entering and the stale air isn't leaving. On the flip side, a home that is not tight enough will not only let a large amount of outdoor air in, but will also allow all the air you're heating or cooling to escape from your home.
Our inspectors will be able to help you find the correct level of tightness for your home during your free home energy and comfort checkup. They will explain why that is the correct level for you and offer the most cost effective solution to you to get there. Contact us today if you live in Delaware or the Eastern Shore, MD. We service the entire Delmarva area.
