Chipley, Washington County
Blower Door Testing in Chipley, Florida
Air leakage tests for newly built Chipley houses, and a second test when the first reading comes in over the limit.
Blower door tests and retests for new Chipley houses
Big Bend Services, Inc. runs the air leakage test that the Florida energy code requires on newly built houses, and we test new homes in Chipley, the Washington County seat, in ZIP code 32428. When a house reads over the code limit, its leaks are corrected and it is tested again.
Call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or send the form on this page.
The limit
What a Chipley reading over 7 means
Section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, 8th Edition (2023), caps air leakage at 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals. Table R301.1 puts Washington County in Climate Zone 2, where that cap applies, so a reading above 7 means more air passed through the shell than the code allows.
One house, one number
The reading describes the shell that was tested. It says nothing about the next house on the street or the next one built from the same plan.
Not a map of the leaks
The figure does not point to a wall, a room or a fixture, so finding where the air gets in is part of correcting it.
Corrected, then tested again
The gaps are sealed and the house gets a second test with the same setup as the first, so the two readings can be set side by side.
Where air gets in
Gaps to look at before the retest
On a new house the gaps sit where the shell was cut for a pipe, a wire, a vent or a duct, or where two parts of the frame meet.
The attic hatch
A hatch or pull-down stair in the ceiling under a vented attic is a large opening. Weatherstripping around its edge and a lid that sits down tight close it off.
Top plates
Every opening drilled through the top of a wall for a wire or a pipe connects the inside of that wall to the attic.
Ceiling cutouts
Recessed light cans, bath fan housings and the boots where ducts meet the ceiling each sit in a cutout in the drywall, with a gap around the edge.
Kitchen soffits
A boxed soffit over the cabinets can open into the attic above it if it was never closed off at the top.
Pipes through the shell
Vent stacks through the roof, supply lines through an outside wall and drains that drop under a tub.
Outside walls
The dryer vent, the range hood duct, the air conditioning lines and each outdoor outlet or light box.
Service entries
Where the electric, cable and phone lines come into the house.
Window and door frames
The space between each frame and its rough opening, hidden once the trim goes on.
Fireplace chase
A framed chase around a flue that opens from the rooms into the attic or a wall cavity.
The garage wall
With an attached garage, the wall and the door between the garage and the living area are part of the measured boundary.
Room by room
Openings in kitchens, baths and doorways
Sink cabinets on outside walls
Supply and drain lines that run through the back of a kitchen or bath sink cabinet leave a gap around each pipe.
Shower and tub valves
A valve set in an outside wall sits in a cutout behind the tile.
Washer box
The recessed box that holds the washer valves and drain can sit in an outside wall, with gaps around its edges.
Medicine cabinets
A recessed cabinet set into an outside wall sits in a cutout with gaps around its box.
Gas line to the range
Where a gas line enters the kitchen through the floor or an outside wall.
Exterior doors
Worn or missing weatherstripping along the sides and top, and a gap under the threshold.
Sliding glass doors
The seals where the moving panel meets the frame.
Lights in a vaulted ceiling
With no attic above, a light housing sits right under the roof, and the gap around it opens into the roof framing.
Booking and setting up the retest
Book the retest once every correction on the house is finished. A retest run partway through measures a shell that is still being worked on, and anything left open counts against it.
On the day, the house is left the way the code asks for any test: exterior windows and doors closed but not sealed, fireplace and stove doors shut, exhaust, intake and flue dampers closed, interior doors open where they are hung, the heating and cooling off, and every supply and return register fully open.
Timing
Booking the first test early enough for a retest
The code allows the test any time after every opening through the shell has been made. A test booked soon after that point, instead of just before the house is due to be finished, leaves room on the schedule to correct leaks and test again.
Set the date from the shell
The shell is ready when the last pipe, wire, vent and duct through it is in. Paint, flooring, trim, cabinets and countertops do not change the reading and can still be under way.
Call ahead of the ready date
Give the date you expect before the house reaches it, and we give you a date for the test.
If the date slips
Call the office and a new test date is set.
Booking
What to send for a Chipley test
Chipley tests are booked through our office at 511 S Highway 71 in Wewahitchka, by phone or through the form.
The address
Where the house stands.
The permit number
The building permit for that house.
The ready date
When the shell will be closed up and ready to test.
Who to call on site
The superintendent, or whoever we should reach about access.
Other work
Other services for a new Chipley house
Gutters, garage doors and wire shelving for the closets and pantry are separate services, listed on the Chipley page.
Same county
Blower door testing in other towns in this county
What to expect
From booking to retest in Chipley
- 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.
Is the whole house tested again, or only the parts that were fixed?
How is the reading worked out?
Who can book the retest?
Can the retest be requested through the form?
Can a house be tested before the driveway and landscaping are done?
Is a sealed attic handled differently on a retest?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Chipley
Use the form for a first test or a retest on a Chipley house, and the office will follow up about the date.
