CHP provides a full array of integrated building diagnostic, forensics and performance verification testing services. Our expertise will support your goals for a building that has maximum comfort, health, safety and energy efficiency. With more stringent energy efficiency codes building diagnostic and verification testing is an essential component in residential and commercial construction. One of the most valuable uses is for building forensics to determine exact locations and causes of building envelope failures: air leakage pathways, flawed insulation, and water damage.
Services:
- Infrared Thermography (IR Scanning): Used to verify performance of insulation and air barrier controls through out building envelope; determine thermal by-passes and trace water damage.
- Building Air-tightness /Blower Door Test: Determine integrity of air barrier controls, air changes per hour (ACH), air leakage pathways.
- Duct Air-tighness Testing (duct blaster): Determine how well air sealed ducting is.
- Building Ventilation: How tight is too tight? After air sealing a building the need for mechanical ventilation must be assessed to ensure proper air changes per hour for the health and safety of the occupants.
- Combustion Safety Testing
It is imperative that home depressurization limits are tested to ensure that atmospherically vented combustion appliances do not back draft combustion gases into living space. This is very important for the health and safety of building occupants. - Mock-up Assembly Testing: pressurized fogging of window assemblies and envelope air barriers.
- HERS Rating Support: Diagnostic testing and verification of thermal envelope.
Diagnostic Equipment
Used for inspection of building thermal envelope control layers. Primary control layers to inspect for operational integrity are:
- air barrier
- insulation barrier
- moisture/vapor barriers.
Lathe and plaster wall with no insulation.
Each control barrier must be continuous and contiguous to each other throughout the building envelope that separates conditioned indoor air from ambient outdoor conditions. Other critical applications are:
- targeted inspection of flat roof leakage pathways.
- targeted inspection of hydronic pipe leaks in radiant floors.
- Quality control and verification of effective installation of insulation throughout job sequencing: pre – intermittent – post completion.
- Stretch Code compliance and HERS rating verification and inspection of the thermal envelope air barrier by-passes.
We use Flir IR cameras
Smith College Alumnae House
Envelope airtightness testing with a blower door accurately measures building air leakage (infiltration/exfilatration) rates. It is an invaluable tool for monitoring:
- Mid-point and final inspection of air barrier performance as specced for new construction.
- Stretch Code compliance and verification of airtightness standards for HERS Rating
- Pre/post leakage reductions for renovations.
- verify zonal air-pressure boundaries between adjoining building sections.
We use: Minneapolis Blower Doors and Manometers
Used in conjuction with a blower door to inspect integrity of air barrier controls for existing and new construction. Often utilized when retrofitting historic windows on institutional buildings. See video of fogging a newly installed window assembly at Smith College.
Used to test HVAC duct leakage in order to insure effective performance of the heat, ventilation, or air conditioning delivery system. It is crucial to ensure ducts are airtight prior sheet rock installation!