Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Air Distribution System Leakage And Its Impacts In Central Florida Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Testing for air leakage in air distribution systems was done in 160 central Florida homes. Tracer gas tests found that infiltration rates were three times greater when the air handler was operating that when it was off, indicating that there are large leaks in the air distribution system. Infiltration averaged 0.91 air changes per hour (ach) with the air handler (AH) operating continuously and 0.28 ach with the AH off. Return leaks were measured by tracer gas and found to average 10.7% of AH total flow. House airtightness, in 99 of these homes, determined by blower door testing, averaged 12.7 …

Impacts Of Duct Leakage On Infiltration Rates, Space Conditioning Energy Use, And Peak Electrical Demand In Florida Homes, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Testing for duct leakage was done in 91 homes. Tracer gas tests found that infiltration rates were four times greater when the air handler was operating than when it was off. Return leaks were found to average 10.0% of air handler total flow. House airtightness, in 63 of these homes, determined by blower door testing, averaged 12.38 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50). When the duct registers were sealed, ACH50 decreased to 10.93, indicating that 11.7% of the house leaks were in the duct system.

Duct repairs were made on 25 homes. Blower door tests found 12.30 air …

Tracer Gas As A Practical Field Diagnostic Tool For Assessing Duct System Leaks, Florida Solar Energy Center, James Cummings

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A methodology is presented for using tracer gas testing to detect and quantify duct leakage in homes. Since air is invisible, leakage of air from duct systems often remains undetected. Smoke sticks used in conjunction with blower doors are excellent diagnostic tools for detecting and locating leaks in the air distribution system. The tracer gas tests described are a good complement to these tools in the detection, location, and measurement of duct leakage.

Testing for house infiltration once with the air handler on and again with the air handler off indicates whether duct leaks exist. In many cases, it is …