Standard Test Method for Measuring the Air Leakage Rate of the Building Envelope of an Individual Test Zone within a Multizone Building

Importancia y uso:

5.1 The ability to accurately measure the airtightness of a portion of a building envelope is significant to diagnostic testing, compliance testing, ventilation and space conditioning load calculations, and energy modelling of discrete portions of a building.

5.2 Zonal testing is particularly useful when one or more portions of a whole building may be ready for testing, but other portions may not be fully ready, or they may not be completely available for a test due to restricted access, partial demolition, or other use of the building, or the other zones may not even require compliance testing as in the partial renovation of a large building. It may also be useful to establish that certain portions of a building are passing compliance requirements, while other portions of a building are not.

5.3 This test method is used to determine the airtightness of a portion of a building envelope by measuring the air leakage rate of the constructed envelope through a single zone of a multizone building at a specified reference pressure. Compared to a multizone building test, such as described in Test Method E3158 which accurately measures whole building airtightness, accurate measurement of the air leakage rate through an individual test zone requires closer tolerances with respect to the creation and maintenance of a balanced zone condition during air leakage rate measurements.

5.4 The building preparations prior to testing (fenestration positions and preparation of intentional openings such as HVAC penetrations equipment) are critically important and can have a strong influence on the final results. This test method will refer to Test Method E3158 for guidance for testing of the building envelope both including and excluding the HVAC-related openings.

5.5 Compliance with a specified air leakage rate does not imply that all potentially problematic leaks have been sealed.

5.6 While this test determines the air leakage rate of a constructed envelope, it does not identify the exact location of leakage sites.

Subcomité:

E06.41

Volúmen:

04.12

Palabras clave:

airtightness; envelope; fan pressure test; guarded air leakage test; zonal building air leakage;