Paxton, Walton County
Blower Door Testing in Paxton, Florida
Air leakage tests for new houses in Paxton, in Walton County.
Blower door tests on new Paxton houses
Big Bend Services, Inc. runs blower door tests on newly built houses in Paxton. The test measures how much air passes through the shell of a new house, and the Florida energy code requires it before the house is done.
To book, call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or send the form. Requests are handled from our office in Wewahitchka.
Finish work
Finish work and the reading
The reading measures the shell: the outside walls, the ceiling or roof deck, the floor, and every opening through them. Work that stays inside that shell leaves it as it was, so the test can come before the finish trades or after them.
Paint
Wall and ceiling paint goes on surfaces that are already in place.
Flooring
Tile, wood, vinyl or carpet sits on top of the slab or subfloor.
Trim and inside doors
Baseboard, casing and interior doors are all inside the house.
Cabinets and countertops
As far as the test is concerned, they are furniture.
Shelving and hardware
Shelves, rods, towel bars and blinds fasten inside the rooms.
Outside work
Driveways, landscaping and gutters are outside the shell.
Finish work that counts
Finish-stage parts that pass through the shell
The house is ready for its test once the last opening through the shell is made, and a few parts set during finish work are among those openings. So is any late wiring through an outside wall for a mounted TV or a doorbell camera.
Range hood ducted outside
The duct and its outside cap make an opening in a wall or the roof.
Dryer vent
The vent pipe and its outside hood pass through an outside wall.
Bath and laundry fans
Each fan housing sits in the ceiling with a duct to the outside.
Sinks, tubs and toilets
Each drain connects to a vent pipe through the roof. A drain left open with no fixture or cap on it is a path to the outside.
Exterior door hardware
Thresholds, door sweeps and weatherstripping decide how each door seals when shut.
Attic hatch trim
The hatch cover, its stop and any weatherstrip set at trim stage decide how tight that opening closes.
Test day
How to leave a Paxton house on test day
The code sets these conditions for the time the fan is running.
Outside
Windows and exterior doors shut, with nothing taped or covered over them. An open window adds a gap the house will not have, and tape hides one it will.
Fireplace or wood stove
Its doors closed.
Dampers
Exhaust, intake and flue dampers closed.
Inside doors
Open, where they have been hung, so every room reaches the same pressure.
Heating and cooling
Switched off, since a running air handler pushes its own air against the fan.
Registers
Supply and return registers fully open, with any covers from drywall dust taken off.
Booking
What to send when you book a Paxton test
Four details set the test date, by phone or through the form.
The address
The street address of the house.
The permit number
The building permit for the house.
The ready date
The date the house will be ready for the test.
The site contact
The person who opens the house on the day, with any gate code or lockbox needed to get in.
Several houses
A line with these details for each, since each house is tested on its own.
If the date slips
Call with the new ready date, and a new test date is set.
The boundary
The attic and garage in a Paxton test
Where the measured shell runs depends on how the attic is built and whether the garage is attached.
Vented attic
Outside the test, with the ceiling below it as the boundary.
Attic sealed at the roof deck
Opened to the house and measured with it.
Attached garage
Outside the test when it is not heated or cooled. The wall and the door into the living area are part of the boundary, so that door is hung and shut.
A room over the garage
When that room is heated and cooled and the garage is not, the floor between them is measured as boundary.
A sunroom
Inside the shell if it shares the heating and cooling of the house.
Testing at the drywall stage
A Paxton house can be tested before the walls are closed or after. A test before drywall reads the shell as it stands that day, which means sheathing, house wrap or sealed top plates have to be finished by then. A test after drywall reads the finished shell, and the booking is the same either way.
Scope
What a Paxton reading does not rate
The blower door reading covers air leakage alone.
Insulation
Insulation levels are a separate part of the energy code.
Windows
Window energy ratings are not part of the reading.
Equipment
The heating and cooling system is not rated by the fan.
Finish trades and the test date
Tell the finish trades the test date when you set it. Painters, tile setters and trim carpenters can keep working while the fan runs, as long as the house stays in its test-day set-up and nobody uses the doorway the fan is fitted in. Work at other houses nearby has no effect on the reading.
What the fan in the doorway does
A fan is fitted in an exterior doorway, in a frame and panel that close off the rest of the opening. It moves air until the house sits at the test pressure and keeps it there, and the air it has to move to do that is the leakage. The result is one number for the whole shell, which shows how much air gets through but not where.
The limit for a new Paxton house
The Florida energy code, in section R402.4.1.2 of the 2023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, sets the limit for a new house at 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals in Climate Zones 1 and 2, and Walton County is in Climate Zone 2. If the reading comes back over 7, the leaks are corrected and the house is tested again under the same conditions.
Moving in
Other work before a new Paxton house is lived in
Our other services can be booked for the same house through the same office.
Gutters and downspouts
Seamless gutters formed on site, with downspouts placed where the water should land.
Garage door
A new door measured to the opening, or repair of the door already there.
Wire shelving
Closets, pantry and laundry room, supplied and installed.
Same county
Blower door tests around Walton County
What to expect
How a Paxton 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.
Does a detached garage or shed count?
Do the light fixtures need to be hung first?
Does the house need to be cleaned before the test?
Does a house with an unfinished bonus room have to wait?
What does 50 pascals equal?
Does sealant put in during finish work change the reading?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Paxton
Use the form to book a test on a new Paxton house, and the office will follow up.
