As homeowners in the Okanagan, if you are feeling a draft in your home, it's a logical thought to assume your doors and windows aren't sealed correctly. While this is a great first thought and area to check, doors and windows aren’t the only parts of your house that can contribute to a drafty home. Light switches, light fixtures and many other unsuspecting areas of your home can be culprits. Although each leak may not be significant, added together, all these drafts can add up to a hole the size of a pizza box! So, how do you find and fix these seemingly small air leaks in your home? With a blower door test.
You may be wondering, “what is a blower door test”? A blower door test will be performed by your local Kelowna home inspector to find how many air leaks there are in your home. The blower door will measure how airtight your home is and the exact location the air is leaking from.
Your Kelowna home inspector will hook up a blower door (pictured above) and use it to increase or decrease the pressure in your home. Since the inside of your home will be a different pressure than outside, air will start to flow in or out (depending on if they pressurized or unpressurized your home). Your Kelowna home inspector will then use smoke sticks (also known as incense sticks) to determine where the air in your home is flowing in or out from. Additionally, your home inspector may use an infrared camera to detect air leaks in your home.
Once identified, the holes can be remediated and dealt with to make sure your home is as tight as necessary while still leaving adequate ventilation. It’s important to note that your home shouldn’t be completely airtight as this can lead to condensation and moisture problems. Simply make sure the ventilation is intentional and positioned appropriately in your Kelowna home.
Any environmentally friendly builder will probably tell you that a properly insulated home will save homeowners from unnecessary heating and cooling expenses. This means your home will be more likely to stay at room temperature more naturally. Which in turn means less heating and cooling costs for you.
Blower door tests are a great way to see how environmentally friendly your home is. It’s also a great way to start saving money on heating and cooling expenses! If your Okanagan home is feeling drafty, contact us at C4U Home Inspections. We specialize in doing blower door tests and would be happy to help you make your home as environmentally green and efficient as possible.
Serving the Okanagan Since 2005
