Port St. Joe, Gulf County
Blower Door Testing in Port St. Joe, Florida
Air leakage testing and retests for new houses in Port St. Joe.
Blower door tests and retests in Port St. Joe
Big Bend Services, Inc. runs the Florida energy code blower door test on new houses in Port St. Joe, ZIP code 32456, including the retest a house needs if its first reading is over the limit. Our office is at 511 S Highway 71 in Wewahitchka.
Book by calling (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or by sending the form.
Over the limit
When a Port St. Joe house reads over 7
The limit for new houses is 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals, from section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, 8th Edition (2023), and Gulf County is in Climate Zone 2, where it applies. A reading above 7 means the leaks are corrected and the house is tested again.
The reading covers the whole house
It shows how much air gets through the shell in total, not where.
Every correction first
Book the retest once all the corrections are finished, so a single retest measures their full effect. Call the office then and a retest date is set.
Same conditions
Windows, doors, dampers, registers and equipment are set exactly as they were for the first test.
The rest of the build
Finish work can carry on while corrections are made, since paint, floors, trim and cabinets do not change the reading.
Where air gets through
Openings the corrections go to
Air leaks through gaps where the shell has been cut, or where two parts of it meet.
Attic access
Weatherstripping around the hatch or stair, and a latch that pulls it tight.
Top of the walls
Openings for wires and pipes where they pass up into the attic.
Ceiling penetrations
Gaps around recessed lights, fans, duct boots and the flue.
Outside walls
Gaps around the electric service, hose bibs, the dryer vent and the air conditioning lines.
Tub drains
The opening in the floor under each tub drain, which is hard to see once the tub is set.
Window and door frames
The space between each frame and the framing around it, before casing covers it.
Less obvious paths
Framing paths that can keep a reading high
Some paths are part of the framing rather than openings cut by a trade, and they are out of sight once the house is closed in.
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.
What is measured
Attics, garages and the measured boundary
The test measures the shell around the heated and cooled rooms, and whether an attic or a garage is inside that shell depends on how it is built.
Vented attic
Outside the test. The ceiling below it is the boundary.
Sealed attic
When the attic is sealed and insulated at the roof deck, it is opened to the house and measured with it. The roof deck and gable walls become part of the boundary.
Attached garage
An unheated, uncooled garage stays outside the test. The wall and door between it and the living area are part of the boundary, including the openings for pipes and wires through that wall.
Room over the garage
A heated and cooled room above the garage is inside the shell, and its floor over the garage is part of the boundary.
Attic storage doors
A small door from a bonus room into attic space is a door in the boundary, so it needs to close against a seal and latch like an exterior door.
The first test
Booking the first Port St. Joe test
A retest is simplest to fit in when the first test was booked early.
When
Once the last pipe, wire, vent and duct through the shell is in, and every window and exterior door is set.
What to send
The address, the permit number, the ready date and who to call on site.
If the date slips
Call the office and a new test date is set.
Who books
The builder, a contractor or the owner of the new house can book the test and the retest.
How the house is set for the test
Exterior windows and doors are closed but not sealed, fireplace and stove doors are shut, and exhaust, intake and flue dampers are closed. Interior doors stand open where they are hung, the heating and cooling equipment is off, and supply and return registers are fully open. A fan fitted in an exterior doorway then holds the house at the test pressure while the leakage is measured.
Additions in Port St. Joe
Additions and alterations that make up less than 85 percent of the building shell are an exception in the code and are not required to be tested. A project at or above that share is tested like a new house, with the same limit, the same setup and the same retest if it reads high.
Crews inside on test day
Anyone 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 flooring or cabinets, can pick up again once the test is over.
Several Port St. Joe houses
A builder with several Port St. Joe houses can book them together, with the details for each house and either one site contact for all of them or one for each. Every house is tested on its own, and a house that reads high goes through its corrections and retest by itself without changing the readings on the others.
Same county
Blower door testing in other Gulf County towns
What to expect
How a Port St. Joe test and retest are booked
- 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 retest measure the whole house again?
Are knee walls part of the shell?
Does an attic stair in the garage ceiling count?
With a sealed attic, do roof vents and pipes matter?
Is a carport part of the test?
Is a covered patio part of the test?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Port St. Joe
Send the Port St. Joe address and permit number, and say whether this is a first test or a retest.
