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Blower Door TrainingLearning to operate and know how to use a blower door is a process. Anyone can take a house leakage number and measure duct leakage, but it takes more time to start pressure mapping a house, crawling around attics and some retrofit experience to really become an expert. Becoming a pro at this is really a process of lifelong learning and tr
On a side note, my energy auditors get the highest pay scale when they go a step further into HVAC/ airflow and diagnosing static pressure issues, air balancing and duct redesigns. Currently my company does these calculations by hand using a ductulator, anemometer and room dimensions but you can certainly use Wrightsoft software for Manual D duct designs. Here are some useful guides I created to get you started using a blower door. Blower Door TheoryA blower door is just a big fan than sucks air out (depressurizes) or blows (pressurizes) air into a home at a set pressure. The most common way to set the blower door is for depressurization and is what we will assume for this section. The idea is that all the air that goes out through the blower door is being replaced by air coming into the home through holes and connections to the outside. These holes can be anything from drywall gaps around registers, air leakage from electrical penetrations never being sealed at the top plates in the attic or basement, cracks around windows and doors or entire wall cavities open to the outside from a balloon framed house. The BPI Standard is to depressurize a home to -50 Pascals, then measure the flow rate through the fan. All homes get depressurized to -50 Pa, (why -50 Pa? It's just a arbitrary number used but it has become commonplace) and the flow rate is the number you are after to tell you if the house is too tight or too leaky.
How do you know if a home is considered leaky? There is a formula for that! How Leaky is Leaky?The Minimum Ventilation Requirements (MVR) tells us if the house is too tight and if not tight, how much we can air seal to make the house as tight as possible without creating potentially hazardous conditions for the homeowners.
IMPORTANT - as of January 1, 2013, BPI has stopped using ASHRAE 62-1989 MVR requirements and gone solely to ASHRAE 62.2-2007. What If I Get A Home That Is Too Tight?If you find a home is under the MVR, you will need to only recommend and propose to that fresh air ventilation be added to the home. There are several ways this can be accomplished in order of simplest and cheapest to the more complex and costly.
1. Add an exhaust fan timer be installed at any bathroom or laundry room exhaust fan. The good side is that it is a low cost solution that is easy to install. The down side is that it only works when the homeowner sets it, so you need to train the homeowner to use it. If they forget to turn it on, nothing is accomplished. 2. Add a 4 or 6-inch flex line with a dampener to the return plenum and run the line to the outside. Every time the heating and cooling system turns on, it will open the dampener and bring fresh outside air into the system. The advantage is that the homeowner does not need to do anything to bring fresh air into the home. The disadvantage is that it will slightly increase heating and cooling costs because you will be conditioning outside air. 3. Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV or ERV depending on the climate and humidity). These babies make the temperature of the outside air more like the inside, reducing heating and cooling costs associated with directly heating cold winter air or cooling hot summer air. They suck the stale indoor air out and have the line transfer it's conditioned air across an outside fresh air line to help "precool" or "preheat" the air to save money. They only add another $100 in mechanical and heating and cooling total costs running 24-7. It is a good idea to document and have the homeowner sign off that you recommending a ventilation system to them if they decline to have the work done. This also goes for any carbon monoxide, asbestos or any other H&S issue you find to cover your butt if there is ever a fire, mold damage, death or lawsuit due to those issues. When to Pressurize or Depressurize?Pressurize when you:
Depressurize when you:
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BPI WRITTEN EXAM
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Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals
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1a. Basic Terms & Definitions
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- 1. Airflow in Buildings
- 2. Equipment Efficiencies
- 3. Power and Energy
- 4. Effective Leakage Area
- 5. Area Weighted R-Value
- 6. Baseload / Seasonal Energy Use
- 7. Driving Forces (Including Natural and Mechanical)
- 8. Behavior of Radiation
- 9. Thermal Resistance / Transmittance: R and U Values
- 10. Latent / Sensible Heat
- 11. Total Equivalent Length
- 12. Dehumidification / Humidification
- 13. Convert Pressure Units
- 14. Thermal Bridges
- 15. Pressure Boundary
- 16. Stack Effect
- 17. Exfiltration and Infiltration
- 18. Natural / Mechanical Ventilation
- 19. Net Free Area
- 20. Input & Output Capacity
- 21. Peak Electrical Demand
- 22. Permeability and Perm Rating
- 23. Standby Loss
- 24. IAQ (indoor air quality): Moisture, CO, Dust
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1b. Principals of Energy, Air & Moisture Thermodynamics
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- 1. Thermodynamics: Conduction, Convection, Radiation, ΔT
- 2. Factors That Affect Insulation Performance
- 3. BPI certification online with BPI practice exams and study guides.
- 4. Heat Gain / Loss
- 5. Power and Energy
- 6. Moisture Transport Mechanisms
- 7. Identify Areas of Highest Relative Humidity
- 8. Principles of Combustion
- 1c. Combustion Safety >
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1a. Basic Terms & Definitions
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Section 2 Buildings and Their Systems
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2a. Building Components
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- 1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
- 2. Identify Basic Hydronic Distribution Configurations and Components
- 3. Identify Basic Structural Components of Residential Construction
- 4. Thermal Boundaries and Insulation Applications
- 5. Basic Electrical Components and Safety Considerations
- 6. Basic Fuel Delivery Systems and Safety Considerations
- 7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc)
- 8. Vapor barriers/retarders
- 9. Radiant Barrier Principles and Installations
- 10. Understand Fenestration Types and Efficiencies
- 11. Understand Issues Involved With Basements, Crawlspaces, Slabs, Attics, Attached Garages, Interstitial Cavities, and Bypasses
- 12. Understand Issues Involved With Ventilation Equipment
- 13. Understand Basic Heating / Cooling Equipment Components Controls and Operation
- 14. Understand Basic DHW Equipment Components Controls and Operation
- 15. Identify Common Mechanical Safety Controls
- 16. Identify Insulation Types and R-Values
- 17. Understand Various Mechanical Ventilation Equipment and Strategies: Spot, ERV, HRV
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2b. Conservation Strategies
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- 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications and Installation Based On Existing Conditions
- 2. Opportunity for ENERGY STAR Lighting and Appliances
- 3. Identify Duct Sealing Opportunities and Applications
- 4. Understand Importance of Air Leakage Control and Remediation Procedures
- 5. Blower Door-Guided Air Sealing Techniques
- 6. Water Conservation Devices and Strategies
- 7. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Conservation Strategies
- 8. Heating & Cooling Efficiency Applications
- 9. Proper Use of Modeling to Determine Heating and Cooling Equipment Sizing and Appropriate Energy
- 10. Understand the Use of Utility History Analysis in Conservation Strategies
- 11. Appropriate Applications For Sealed Crawlspaces Basements and Attics
- 12. Identify / Understand High Density Cellulose
- 13. Appropriate Applications for Fenestration Upgrades Including Modification or Replacement
- 2c. Comprehensive Building Assessment Process >
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2d. Design Considerations
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- 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications Based On Existing Conditions
- 2. Understand Fire Codes as Necessary to Apply Home Performance in a Code-Approved Manner
- 3. Understand / Recognize Building Locations Where Opportunities for Retrofit Materials
- 4. Understand Climate Specific Concerns
- 5. Understand Indoor Environment Considerations for the Environmentally Sensitive
- 6. Understand Impact of Building Orientation, Landscape Drainage, and Grading
- 7. Opportunity Potential Renewable Energy Applications: Geothermal, Photovoltaic, Wind
- 8. Understand Impact of Shading on Heating / Cooling Loads
- 9. Awareness for Solar Gain Reduction / Solar Gain Opportunities
- 10. Understand Need for Modeling Various Options For Efficiency Upgrades
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2a. Building Components
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Section 3 Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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Section 3a Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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- 1. Air Leakage Test Results
- 2. Understand Building Shell / Envelope Leakage
- 3. Apply Fundamental Construction Mathematics and Unit Conversions
- 4. Calculate Building Tightness Levels (Minimum Ventilation Requirements)
- 5. Calculate Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days
- 6. Identify Proper Appliance and Combustion Appliance Venting
- 7. Ventilation calculations and strategies
- 8. Proper methods for identifying / testing fuel leaks
- 9. Blower door setup, accurate measurement and interpretation of results
- 10. Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ): depressurization, spillage, draft, Carbon Monoxide (ambient and flue)
- 11. Carbon Monoxide (CO) evaluation: ambient
- 12. Proper applications and use of temperature measuring devices
- 13. Pressure pan and room to room pressure diagnostics
- 14. Recognize contributing factors to comfort problems
- 15. Inspect for areas containing moisture or bulk water in undesirable locations
- 16. Understand and inspect for basic electric safety (e.g. frayed wires, open boxes, etc)
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Section 3a Measurement & Verification of Building Performance
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Section 4 BPI National Standards & Project Specifications
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- 1. Understand applicability content and intent of BPI National Standards – Do no harm, make buildings more healthy, comfortable, durable and energy efficient
- 2. Recognize need for a professional local/state/national codes evaluation
- 3. Be able to specify appropriate materials and processes needed for building performance projects
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Section 5 Analyzing Buildings Systems
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- 1. Recognize need for air sealing measures and their impact on other building systems
- 2. Recognize need for mechanical equipment improvements
- 3. Understand blower door use for identifying critical air sealing areas
- 4. Apply blower door test results and Building Tightness Limit (minimum ventilation requirements) in development of improvement strategies
- 5. Using combustion analysis and safety testing results to develop appropriate recommendations
- 6. Determine appropriate method for assessing wall insulation levels
- 7. Equipment control strategies for maximizing occupant comfort and minimizing energy consumption
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Section 6 Conduct and Communications
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- 6a. Conservation strategies
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6b. Personal Safety & Work Practices
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- 1. Locations in which to identify indoor air quality issues
- 2. Material Safety Data Sheets
- 3. Isolation procedures for household pollutants
- 4. Practice building science within your limits of professional competency
- 5. Precautions when working around chemical biological and other potential hazards
- 6. Understand role and responsibilities of the building analyst professional
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Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals
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- BPI FIELD EXAM >
- BLOWER DOOR TEST >
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BPI WRITTEN EXAM
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