Parker, Bay County
Blower Door Testing in Parker, Florida
Air leakage testing for new houses in Parker, booked well ahead of your deadline.
Blower door tests on new Parker houses
The Florida energy code requires new houses to be tested for air leakage, and Big Bend Services, Inc. runs that blower door test in Parker, ZIP code 32404. Parker tests are booked through our office at 511 S Highway 71 in Wewahitchka.
Call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or use the form.
The test
What happens when the fan runs
The test gives one number for the whole house: how leaky the shell is compared with the size of the house.
A fan in the doorway
The fan is fitted into an exterior doorway, with the rest of the opening closed off around it, so it is the only planned path for air to move in or out.
The house held at pressure
The fan runs until the difference in pressure between inside and outside reaches 50 pascals, and keeps it there.
Fan airflow equals leak airflow
To keep that pressure steady, the fan has to move as much air as the leaks let through, so measuring the fan measures the leaks.
The number
That airflow is set against the volume of the house to give air changes per hour. Section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, 8th Edition (2023), sets the limit for new houses at 7, and Bay County is in Climate Zone 2, where it applies.
Why the house is set up a certain way
Because the fan measures every path air can take, the house has to be set so only the leaks in the shell are counted. Interior doors are open so every room reaches the same pressure. The heating and cooling equipment is off and the registers are fully open, so the duct system neither moves air of its own nor holds a closed-off pocket.
Windows and exterior doors are shut but not taped, and exhaust, intake and flue dampers and fireplace doors are closed, so the house is measured the way it is built to be used.
Before the fan goes in
Openings to finish before a Parker test
The fan measures every gap in the shell, finished or not, so these need to be in place and closed around before the date.
Hose bibs and outdoor outlets
Each one passes through an outside wall, and the gap around it counts.
The line set
The copper lines and drain running out to the air conditioning unit go through the wall.
Vent hoods
Bath fans and the range hood vent out through the wall or roof, so their ducts need to be run.
The attic opening
A hatch or folding stair that closes snugly against a seal.
Ceiling lights and fans
Can lights and fan housings in the ceiling below the attic, with the edges closed to the drywall.
Less obvious paths
Framing that can carry air out of a Parker house
Not every leak is at a pipe or a wire. Some paths are part of the framing and are hidden once the drywall is hung.
Air handler closet
A closet framed around the air handler, with a return built into it, can open into the attic or the wall cavities around it.
Soffits and chases
A framed soffit above the kitchen cabinets, or a chase for ducts or a flue, can open straight into the attic.
Fireplace chase
The framed box around a fireplace flue can connect the living space to the attic.
Between floors
On a two-story house, the band of framing between floors at the outside walls is a path for air unless it is sealed.
Attics and garages on a Parker plan
The fan only measures the heated and cooled part of the house. A vented attic is outside that, and the ceiling below it is the boundary. When the attic is sealed and insulated at the roof deck, it is opened to the house and measured along with the rooms. An attached garage that is not heated or cooled stays outside, and its shared wall and door with the house are measured.
Booking ahead
Set the Parker test date ahead of your deadline
The test can run as soon as the last opening through the shell is made. Booking for that point, rather than the last week before you need the result, is what leaves room for a second try.
Room to correct
If the first reading is over 7, the leaks are corrected before a retest, and that work is easier before the finish trades are through.
Finishes carry on
Paint, flooring, trim and cabinets do not change the reading, so they can go in after the test and testing early does not hold up the rest of the build.
A date that slips
If the shell will not be done on the date you gave, call the office and a new date is set.
The retest date
Once the corrections are finished, a retest is booked the same way as the first test.
Booking one Parker house or several
When a builder has more than one Parker house due at about the same time, book each one as its own shell closes rather than holding them all for one date at the end. Each house is tested separately, so a house that is ready early can be tested early. For every house, send the address, the permit number, the date the shell will be done and who to call on site.
Crews inside during the test
Anyone working inside the house should stay put or step out before the fan starts, rather than coming and going while it runs, since an opened door changes the reading. Work that needs a door held open, like carrying in flooring or cabinets, can pick up again as soon as the test is over.
Owner-builders in Parker
An owner building under their own permit books the test the same way a builder does. The date to aim for is the day your plumber, electrician and air conditioning installer have all made their last openings through the walls and ceiling, so ask each of them for that day before you book.
Additions in Parker
For an addition or alteration that makes up less than 85 percent of the building shell, the code does not require the test. A project at or above that share is tested the same way as a new house, with the same limit and the same setup, and it is booked through the same office with the same details.
Same county
Blower door tests in other Bay County towns
What to expect
What happens after you book in Parker
- 1
Send the build details
Address, permit number and when the house will be ready.
- 2
Test booked
We give you a date for the test.
- 3
Test run
The house is tested once it is ready.
- 4
After a failed test
Corrections are made and the house is tested again.
Does the doorway for the fan need its door hung?
Is a house on a slab tested any differently?
Can a temporary construction door stand in for the real one?
Why 50 pascals?
Is the reading affected by furniture?
Is a house over a crawl space tested differently?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Parker
Send the Parker address and the date the shell will be complete.
