Blower Door Test Equipment

[jrmallory]

Anyone have experience with a blower door other than the model manufactured by the Energy Conservatory? I'm very happy with their unit, but they seem quite behind in production.

[Energy Expert]

I don't have personal experience using another brand, however i am aware of one competitor. Retrotec is another manufacturer of blower door and duct blast equipment. What i do know is that their system is set up better than the Minneapolis Blower Door for testing large buildings that require multiple fans. I have also found that Retrotec sells their equipment through sub distributors and that their prices are higher than the Energy Conservatory.

[Seattledan]

Are these Retrotec units compatible with the same manometers?

[greenbiz]

Anyone know the going price for a Retrotec blower door assembly?

[Energy Expert]

Yes and No. Any manometer can be used to determine pressure differences, so you can measure the house pressure with reference to the outside and you can measure fan pressure. Retrotec should have a chart that associates fan pressure with CFM. Once you have this information you can determine the leakage rate of the building.

If you want to make it easier on yourself, i would recommend using the Energy Conservatory manometer (DG700) with the Minneapolis Blower Door and Duct Blaster, and using the Retrotec Manometer with the Retrotec Blower Door and Duct Blaster.

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They range from $2800-$15,000 depending on which model(s) you are interested in. The basic residential model costs around $2800 and the large multifan commercial systems can cost as high as $15000.

[justinadward]

The Automated Performance Testing System fully automates the Blower Door test from your laptop computer giving you the best in accuracy and convenience. The Retrotec blower door system consists of a powerful fan that is mounted into an exterior door frame. The drawing air out of the structure, the fan creates a negative air pressure inside the building. DG-700 Pressure and Flow Gauge contains 2 precision pressure sensors which provides simultaneous display of both building pressure and Blower Door fan flow readings.

[daryematera]

A blower door is a diagnostic tool designed to measure the tightness of buildings. and to help locate air leakage sites. A blower door consists of a calibrated fan to measure airflow, and a pressure sensing device for measuring the air pressure created by the fan flow.This tightness of a building is useful knowledge when trying to increase savings or reduce indoor air pollution, or building pressure control.