Springfield, Bay County
Blower Door Testing in Springfield, Florida
Air leakage tests for new Springfield houses, with the setup the Florida code requires on test day.
Getting a Springfield house ready for its blower door test
Big Bend Services, Inc. runs blower door tests on newly built houses in Springfield, in ZIP codes 32401 and 32404, booked through our office at 511 S Highway 71 in Wewahitchka. The Florida energy code sets how the house has to be left while the test runs.
To book, call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or send the form with the address, permit number, ready date and site contact.
Test-day setup
How a Springfield house should be left for the test
The conditions come from section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, 8th Edition (2023).
Windows and exterior doors shut, not sealed
Nothing is taped over, so the reading includes the leaks around every sash and door frame.
Fireplace and stove doors shut
An open firebox is a direct path up the chimney.
Dampers closed
Exhaust, intake and flue dampers are built to close, and the test measures the house with them closed.
Interior doors open
Where doors are hung, they stand open, closet doors included, so a closed bedroom does not hold back part of the house.
Heating and cooling off
A running air handler moves air of its own and upsets the pressure the fan is holding.
Registers open
Supply and return registers are fully open wherever they are installed, with any construction covers removed.
Finishes
What can wait until after the test
A Springfield house does not need to look finished to be tested.
Paint
Paint on walls and ceilings has no effect on the reading.
Flooring
Tile, wood and carpet go over a floor that is already part of the shell.
Trim
Baseboard, door casing and crown molding can go in after the test.
Cabinets and countertops
Kitchen and bath cabinets, and the tops that go on them, can be set later.
Why finishes and openings are treated differently
The layer that stops air in a house can include the drywall on outside walls and ceilings, the exterior sheathing, the windows and doors, and the sealant at joints. Anything that cuts through that layer changes the reading.
An outdoor light over the back door, a new vent or a line run outside after the test all count, and the code ties the test to the point when all of them exist.
The day before
A walk-through the site contact can do
The person who sets the house up on the day is well placed to check it the day before.
Every exterior door hung and latching
A door still waiting on its hardware leaves a gap the test will measure.
Pull-down attic stair shut tight
The stair panel sits in the ceiling and needs to close fully and latch.
Boxes on outside walls
Outlets and switches on exterior walls have their devices and cover plates on.
Temporary openings closed
A hose run through a window or a cord through a door left ajar keeps the house open.
Dryer vent
The vent runs through the wall with its outside hood and flap in place.
Plumbing under the sinks
Where supply and drain lines come through the floor or an outside wall inside a cabinet, the gaps around them are filled.
Less obvious paths
Framing that can let air out of a Springfield house
Some paths are built into the framing rather than cut by a trade, and they are hidden once the drywall is up.
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.
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.
Crews on site while the test runs
Painters or flooring crews working inside 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 propped open, such as carrying in materials, can pick up again once the test is over.
Timing
Booking a Springfield test
Ahead of your deadline
Booking early leaves slack before the date you need the result.
If the date slips
Call the office and a new test date is set.
What the test measures, and what it leaves out
A fan fitted in an exterior doorway holds the house at the test pressure, and the air it moves to hold that pressure is the air leaking through the shell. That flow, set against the volume of the house, is the reading.
A vented attic sits outside the test, and the ceiling below it is the boundary. An attic sealed and insulated at the roof deck is opened to the house and measured with it. An attached garage that is not heated or cooled is outside the test too, and the wall and door between it and the living area are part of the measured boundary.
Additions in Springfield
The code makes an exception for additions and alterations that make up less than 85 percent of the building shell, so those are not required to be tested. A project at or above that share is tested like a new Springfield house, with the same conditions on the day and the same limit.
The limit and what follows a high reading
New houses in Springfield, as in the rest of Bay County, are held to 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals, and the county is in Climate Zone 2. A house that reads over the limit has its leaks corrected and is tested again with the same setup as the first test. Call when the corrections are finished and a retest date is set.
Same county
Blower door testing in nearby Bay County towns
What to expect
How a Springfield test is set up
- 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.
Do the light fixtures need to be hung?
Does the attic insulation need to be in?
Can the air conditioner be installed but not started?
Does a skylight change anything?
Does a pet door count?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Springfield
Send the Springfield address and the date the house can be set up for the test.
