Airtightness Testing in Castleknock
Blower-door testing that measures how much heat your home leaks through gaps, and shows exactly where. Covering Castleknock village, Phoenix Park, Carpenterstown and the surrounding area.
Airtightness Testing for Castleknock homes
Castleknock's 1970s to 1990s estates usually test moderately, with leakage concentrated at the attic hatch, recessed downlights, boxed-in pipework and gaps behind kitchen units. Extensions and attic conversions, common across Castleknock and Laurel Lodge, add junctions that were not always sealed properly. Larger park-edge homes have more phases and more joins. A test before insulating, or before installing a heat pump, shows which gaps matter.
How homes in Castleknock lose heat
The 1970s to 1990s estates were mostly built with cavity walls, some empty, some partly filled, and attic insulation well below current depth, which typically gives C3 to D2. Larger detached homes near the park have bigger roof and wall areas and often mixed-construction extensions.
Typical housing: Mid-century estate housing across the centre, larger detached homes near the Phoenix Park edge, and newer estates toward Carpenterstown.
How airtightness testing works
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.
Airtightness Testing in Castleknock: questions
Do you carry out airtightness testing in Castleknock?
Yes. We cover Castleknock and the surrounding Dublin area, including Castleknock village, Phoenix Park, Carpenterstown. Mid-century estate housing across the centre, larger detached homes near the Phoenix Park edge, and newer estates toward Carpenterstown.
Is there a grant for airtightness testing in Castleknock?
Airtightness work carries a €1,000 SEAI grant when it is part of a home upgrade through an SEAI One Stop Shop. We can advise whether that route suits your project. Grant amounts are set nationally by SEAI and change from time to time, so check seai.ie before applying. We confirm what your home is likely to qualify for during the survey.
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.
Book a free survey in Castleknock.
We cover Castleknock and the surrounding area. Tell us about your home and we will arrange a visit, usually within a week.