Airtightness Testing in Maynooth
Blower-door testing that measures how much heat your home leaks through gaps, and shows exactly where. Covering Maynooth village, Maynooth University, Carton and the surrounding area.
Airtightness Testing for Maynooth homes
Maynooth's 1980s and 1990s estate homes typically lose air through attic hatches, downlights, gaps at floor level and the original window seals, which have hardened with age. Village terraces near the centre leak through floors and sashes. Being inland, Maynooth sees colder winter nights than coastal Dublin, so every leak costs a little more to heat. A blower-door test gives a measured starting point and a clear list of fixes.
How homes in Maynooth lose heat
The 1980s and 1990s estates usually have partial-fill cavities and attic insulation that has never been topped up, rating around C3 to D1. Village terraces have solid walls and suspended floors. Inland Kildare is colder in winter than coastal Dublin, so the payback on insulation is a little better here.
Typical housing: Older village terraces and pre-war semis near the centre, 1980s and 1990s estates through the middle of the town, and newer Carton, Moyglare and university-edge developments.
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 Maynooth: questions
Do you carry out airtightness testing in Maynooth?
Yes. We cover Maynooth and the surrounding Co. Kildare area, including Maynooth village, Maynooth University, Carton. Older village terraces and pre-war semis near the centre, 1980s and 1990s estates through the middle of the town, and newer Carton, Moyglare and university-edge developments.
Is there a grant for airtightness testing in Maynooth?
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 Maynooth.
We cover Maynooth and the surrounding area. Tell us about your home and we will arrange a visit, usually within a week.