Airtightness Testing in Dublin
Blower-door testing that measures how much heat your home leaks through gaps, and shows exactly where.
An airtightness test pressurises or depressurises your home with a calibrated blower-door fan fitted into an external doorway. By measuring how much air the fan has to move to hold the pressure difference, we can put a number on how leaky the house is, expressed as air changes per hour or cubic metres per hour per square metre of envelope.
While the house is under pressure we walk every room with a smoke pencil and, where useful, a thermal camera, to find where that air is getting in: floor-to-wall junctions, attic hatches, downlights, service penetrations, window reveals and chimney breasts are the usual culprits in Irish homes. You get the result and a marked-up list of leakage points, ranked by how much difference fixing each one will make.
Testing is most useful at two moments: before an upgrade, so the work targets the real problem, and after it, to prove the airtightness detailing was done properly. It is also a requirement for many heat pump and deep retrofit projects, where an airtight envelope is what makes the heating system work as designed.
Airtightness Testing by area
How airtightness testing applies to the homes in each area we cover, from period red-bricks to modern estates.
Co. Dublin
- Airtightness Testing in Sandyford
- Airtightness Testing in Dundrum
- Airtightness Testing in Clontarf
- Airtightness Testing in Lucan
- Airtightness Testing in Dún Laoghaire
- Airtightness Testing in Malahide
- Airtightness Testing in Ranelagh
- Airtightness Testing in Rathfarnham
- Airtightness Testing in Stillorgan
- Airtightness Testing in Blackrock
- Airtightness Testing in Foxrock
- Airtightness Testing in Mount Merrion
- Airtightness Testing in Goatstown
- Airtightness Testing in Dublin 4
- Airtightness Testing in Dublin 6
- Airtightness Testing in Castleknock
Co. Kildare
Airtightness Testing: common questions
What does an airtightness test involve?
A calibrated fan is fitted into an external door frame and used to pressurise or depressurise the house. The fan measures how much air is needed to hold the pressure, which gives the leakage rate. We then trace where the air is getting in with smoke and, where useful, a thermal camera.
Do I need to prepare my home?
Close external windows and doors, leave internal doors open, and make sure we can reach the attic hatch. Fires and stoves need to be out and cold. Allow two to three hours for a typical house.
Can a house be too airtight?
A house can be airtight without being stuffy, as long as ventilation is planned. Airtightness controls uncontrolled draughts; ventilation then supplies fresh air where and when it is needed. We advise on ventilation whenever a test shows the house is getting tighter.
Is an airtightness test needed for a heat pump?
Heat pumps work best in well-sealed, well-insulated homes, and many retrofit projects measure airtightness before and after the works. A test tells you whether draught-proofing is needed before a heat pump goes in.
Related services
Thermal Imaging Surveys
Infrared surveys that show where your home loses heat, where insulation is missing, and where damp is likely.
Home Energy Advice
Independent advice on your BER, which upgrades to do first, and which SEAI grants your home can use.
Attic Insulation
Bringing the attic up to current depth with the details that keep it working: ventilation, hatch and services.
Book a free consultation for airtightness testing.
Tell us about your home and we will arrange a visit, usually within a week. No obligation.