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Wrong – Air sealing and fastening of this duct take-off has been damaged during construction, causing a large gap in the right-hand side of the connection that will reduce air delivered to living spaces and make it difficult to balance the system

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Wrong – This duct boot is not sealed to the wall board

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Wrong – The plastic seal of the open end of this duct is ripped; the test measurement will overestimate the duct leakage if the temporary seals are not very carefully completed

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Right – These duct take-offs are well sealed to the branch duct

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Wrong – This ductwork is not sealed where the round duct is attached to the square duct riser

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Right – This register is sealed for a final test and the duct test pressure is being monitored at the register

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This constant airflow regulator (CAR) has been fouled by deposition of aerosolized sealant because it was not protected during duct sealing

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Wrong – This duct boot is sealed inside the boot for a duct leakage test; this fails to account for the ductwork leakage between the duct boot and the wall board

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This constant airflow regulator (CAR) has been fouled by aerosolized sealant because it was not covered while the ducts were being sealed with the aerosolized acrylic sealant.

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ANSI/RESNET/ICC 380: Standard for Testing Airtightness of Building, Dwelling Unit, and Sleeping Unit Enclosures; Airtightness of Heating and Cooling Air Distribution Systems; and Airflow of Mechanical Ventilation Systems

Reference

This ANSI/RESNET/ICC standard provides a consistent, uniform methodology for evaluating the airtightness of building, dwelling unit, and sleeping unit enclosures and heating and cooling air distribution systems, and the air flows of mechanical ventilation systems.

Home Performance Assessment

Information Guide

Information guide describing how to apply a whole-house approach to home improvement with energy efficiency upgrades, improved indoor air quality, and increased comfort.

Mechanical Ventilation for Attached Garage

Guide

Guide describing how to install an exhaust fan in an attached garage to pull fumes out of the garage and to depressurize the garage with reference to the home.

Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Building

Reference

Technical report describing the evaluation of four different ventilation strategies for providing make-up air in high-performance, new construction multifamily buildings in the Northeast, emphasizing the challenges posed by increasing airtightness standards and the variability of system performance...

Designing and Installing Mechanical Ventilation Systems to Enable Airflow Testing

Guide

Guide describing a method for taking accurate measurements of airflow in mechanical ventilation ducts.

Duct Leakage Testing for Central Exhaust and Ventilation Systems in Multifamily Buildings

Guide

Guide describing the testing of duct leakage in central ventilation systems for multi-story, multi-family buildings.