Performance Testing

Have you ever been in a bathroom and taken a shower and the mirror was fogged up immediately and took hours to clear?  Or looked around and wondered why you were seeing mold in corners of walls?  Ever been frustrated by a kitchen fan that vented all the smoke and smells right back at you, not to the outside? 

One of the most important parts of a LEED certified home is the third party testing that is performed on ventilation system components. 

It is extremely common for vents to get crushed, torn, punctured, vented to attic spaces, or not even installed during construction. This means more humidity and more smells and unwanted particles (like pet dander, for example) or harmful fumes remain in a home, decreasing its air quality.

LEED requires a number of tests that verify the venting system is working in a home. 

Bath fan testing:

•  Bath fans must be inspected to exhaust to the outdoors, not inside the building envelope.

•  Post installation, all bath fans are tested to verify they draw at a minimum 50 cfm.

Kitchen exhaust testing:

•  Bath fans must be inspected to exhaust to the outdoors, not inside the building envelope.

•  Post installation, kitchen exhaust tested to verify it draws a minimum of 100 cfm.

This picture shows Jim Conlon from Elysian Energy testing our kitchen exhaust from our last project.  The hood tester measures the flow rate of exhausted air and is used for kitchen and bath exhausts.  This is a crucial test to demonstrate that the home is ventilated to the recommended rate.  Great job Jim!

Energy recovery ventilator testing:

•  Post installation, ERV exhaust tested to verify it draws the required amount of fresh air.   This varies based on home size. 

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