Simplified Multizone Blower Door Techniques for Multifamily Buildings

摘要

The research focused on the applicability of (1) two-blower-door and (2) single-blower-door multi-zone pressurization techniques for estimating the air leakage characteristics of New York State multi-family apartment buildings. The single-blower-door pressurization technique described in ASTM E 779-88 is currently used in single-zone dwellings, such as slab-on-grade single family homes, to estimate the equivalent leakage area (ELA) of the building envelope (roofs, walls, floors). This single-zone, single-blower-door pressurization technique yields incomplete information when applied to multi-zone dwellings, such as apartment buildings. Specifically, the ELA includes both exterior surfaces and partitions between apartments. The research investigates whether two blower doors can be used to determine the ELA of the exterior envelope and the ELA of partitions. Two multi-zone versions of the single-blower-door pressurization method are also examined.