Jacob City, Jackson County
Blower Door Testing in Jacob City, Florida
For a new house going up in Jacob City: the point in the build to book the air leakage test, and what the test does.
Air leakage tests for Jacob City houses
Big Bend Services, Inc. tests newly built houses in Jacob City for air leakage under the Florida energy code. Jacob City addresses share ZIP 32431 with Cottondale, so give the full street address when you book.
The limit for Climate Zone 2, which covers all of Jackson County, is 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals. Call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or use the form.
When to book
The point in a Jacob City build to book the test
The code allows the test at any time after all penetrations of the building thermal envelope have been created. A penetration is any opening made through the outside walls, the ceiling below a vented attic, or the floor, for a pipe, wire, vent, duct or fixture.
Plumbing
Drain, vent and supply lines through the walls, floor and ceiling, including the hose bibs and the vent stacks up through the ceiling.
Electrical
Boxes in outside walls and in the ceiling under the attic, exterior lights and outlets, and the service entry.
Heating and cooling
Duct boots at the ceiling or floor, plus the refrigerant lines and condensate drain to the outside.
Vents
Bath fans, a ducted range hood and the dryer vent, each with its run to the outside.
Low-voltage and gas
Cable, internet, doorbell and alarm wiring that enters the house, and any gas line through an outside wall.
Drywall and the attic access
The outside walls and the ceiling below the attic closed up, with the hatch or pull-down stair framed and hung.
Before you call
A last look before giving us the ready date
The hatch
It closes flat on its stop and does not rock.
The garage wall
With an attached garage, the door into the house is hung and the shared wall is closed up.
Windows and outside doors
All hung, with weatherstripping on the doors.
Plumbing traps
Water in every trap, so no drain is an open pipe to the vent stack.
The boundary
Spaces inside and outside the test
The fan measures the thermal envelope around the heated and cooled rooms.
A vented attic
Outside. The ceiling below it is the boundary.
An attic sealed at the roof deck
Inside. It is opened to the house for the test and measured with it.
An unheated, uncooled attached garage
Outside. The wall and door between it and the living area are counted.
Porches and carports
Outside. The wall and doors between them and the house are the boundary on that side.
Detached buildings
Not part of the test. The fan measures only the house it is set up in.
A room over the garage
Inside once it is heated and cooled, with its floor over the garage on the boundary.
What the fan does
A fan set in an exterior doorway holds the house at 50 pascals against the outdoors while the leakage is measured. However much air the fan must move to keep that pressure steady is the same amount getting through the shell.
That airflow, compared with the volume of air in the house, gives the air changes per hour. The whole house is read at once, which is why interior doors stand open and the result comes out as one number.
Paint, flooring, trim and cabinets have no part in it.
Test day
How the house is left for the fan
The code sets out the condition of the house during the test. Where a condition does not apply, such as a house with no fireplace, it is skipped.
Windows and outside doors
Closed, but not sealed or taped.
Fireplace and stove
Doors closed.
Exhaust, intake and flue dampers
Closed.
Interior doors
Open, where they have been hung.
Heating and cooling
Off.
Supply and return registers
Fully open, where installed.
After the test
If the reading is over 7
A reading over 7 means the leaks are corrected and the house is tested again under the same conditions.
Dates that slip
If the ready date for either test slips, call the office and a new date is set.
Booking
Booking a test for a Jacob City house
Tests are booked through our office in Wewahitchka, by phone or the form, with the address, the permit number, the ready date and who to call on site.
More than one house
Several houses can be booked together, including houses in nearby towns. Each is tested on its own and gets its own result.
Other services
Gutters, a garage door and wire shelving for the same house can be raised on the same call.
Same county
The test for houses in other towns
What to expect
How the test is 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.
Do recessed lights count as openings?
Does a wood stove need its pipe in before the test?
Does the dryer vent need its outside hood?
Does the house need its gutters before the test?
How much leakage does the limit allow on a small house?
Are there houses the test does not apply to?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Jacob City
Send the full Jacob City street address, the permit number and the ready date.
