Vernon, Washington County
Blower Door Testing in Vernon, Florida
The test-day setup for new houses in Vernon, and what the code says about additions and remodels.
Getting a Vernon house ready for its blower door test
Big Bend Services, Inc. runs the Florida energy code air leakage test on newly built houses in Vernon, ZIP code 32462. The code sets out how the house is left while the test runs, and those settings are the part of test day the builder or owner controls.
Call (850) 819-6031, Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or send the form on this page.
Test day
How the house should be left for the test
Windows and outside doors
Closed and latched, but not taped, covered or sealed. The test measures the house the way it will be lived in.
Fireplace and wood stove
Glass or metal doors shut, so the firebox is not an open path up the chimney.
Dampers
Closed on the flue, the bath fans, the range hood, the dryer vent and any outside air intake.
Interior doors
Open wherever they are hung, closets and the laundry included, so every room sees the same pressure.
Heating and cooling
Switched off at the thermostat, so the equipment is not moving air while the fan runs.
Registers
Every supply and return register fully open, with any tape, plastic or cardboard from construction pulled off.
Easy to miss
Settings to check the afternoon before
A bath fan damper
The flap inside a fan housing can stick open after the fan is installed.
A back bedroom window
A window closed but not latched can sit slightly open.
The dryer vent flap
Held open by lint or a bent hood on the outside wall.
Fireplace glass doors
Left open after the gas or flue work was checked.
The range hood flap
Propped open while the duct was being connected.
Not needed
What the setup does not include
Finished rooms
Paint, flooring, trim, cabinets and countertops can be incomplete. They do not change the reading.
Cleanup
Sawdust, drywall scraps and packaging on the floors have no effect on how much air gets through the shell.
Moving materials
Tools, boxes and building materials inside can stay where they are.
Appliances
The refrigerator, dishwasher and washer can arrive after the test.
Yard work
Sod, driveways and fences sit outside the house.
Window coverings
Blinds and curtains hang inside the glass and change nothing.
Cover plates on inside walls
Switch plates and outlet covers on interior walls can go on afterward.
Additions and remodels
When a Vernon addition or remodel needs the test
Section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, 8th Edition (2023), requires the test on newly built houses and lists an exception for additions and alterations that make up less than 85 percent of the building thermal envelope, the shell of walls, ceiling and floor around the heated and cooled rooms.
85 percent or more
A project that takes in 85 percent or more of the envelope is past the exception, and the test applies as it would to a new house.
The building official decides
The building official for your project says whether the exception fits.
Say what the work is
When you book for anything other than a new house, tell us whether it is an addition, a remodel or a rebuild, and what the building official told you.
When the test does apply to an addition
If your addition or rebuild does need the test, the whole house is measured, not only the new rooms. The fan reaches every room that is open to it, so the older part of the house is set up exactly like the new part on the day, and its gaps count toward the same reading as the gaps in the new work.
Ready to book
When a new Vernon house is ready to test
The code allows the test any time after every opening through the shell has been made. Book once the last of these is in place.
Plumbing
Vent pipes through the roof, and supply and drain lines through the walls and floor.
Wiring
The electric service entry, and every box for an outdoor outlet, light or fan.
Air conditioning
Refrigerant lines, the condensate drain and any fresh air duct through the shell.
Vents and ducts
Bath fans, the dryer vent and the range hood duct, each run to the outside.
The limit, and a house that reads over it
Vernon is in Climate Zone 2 with the rest of Washington County, and the limit there is 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals. If the house reads over, the leaks are corrected and the house is tested again under the same settings, so the two readings line up.
The reading is one figure for the whole shell. It does not say where the air got in, so finding the gaps is part of correcting them.
Booking
What to send for a Vernon test
Vernon tests are booked through our office at 511 S Highway 71 in Wewahitchka.
The address
Where the house stands.
The permit number
The building permit for the house or the addition.
The ready date
When the shell will be closed up. If it slips, call the office and a new test date is set.
Who to call on site
Whoever we should reach about access.
Same county
Other towns in this county with blower door testing
What to expect
Booking and running a Vernon test
- 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 attic access need to be closed?
Does an attached garage count?
Does a screened porch count as part of the house?
What if some interior doors are not hung yet?
What does 7 air changes per hour at 50 pascals mean?
Get a quote
Request a Blower Door Test in Vernon
Use the form for a new Vernon house or an addition that needs the test, and the office will follow up about the date.
