Minneapolis Blower Door - Northern Built

October 18, 2023October 18, 2023

Energy Audit-Blower Door Testing a Barndominium

This post first appeared on the Rockwool R-Class Website

The first time I visited one of Kyle Stumpenhorse’s (RR Buildings) jobsites was in December of 2022. I made the trip to Illinois to blower door test one of Kyle’s Barndominium projects, the project he calls “Building a Barndominium”. The barndo we tested was post and frame construction using closed cell spray foam (CCSF) as both the insulation and air sealing for the project. The home tested very well, 0.41 ACH50.

Kyle (Left), Dan Edelman from Rockwool (right), and me at Kyle’s first blower door tested barndominium, December 2022.

I got to know Kyle a little on that trip, I was very impressed by his attention to detail and willingness to learn. He pushes himself to do better on every new build. I wasn’t surprised to find out his next project he was planning on using Rockwool insulation. He also had a goal, beat the blower door score of the project using closed cell spray foam as the air barrier. Could it be done?

Continue reading “Energy Audit-Blower Door Testing a Barndominium”

June 3, 2021

Building Science-An Interview with Gary Nelson

I think most of us know of this man, one of the founders of The Energy Conservatory and designers of the Minneapolis Blower Door. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Gary. My intent with the interview is a little different from other interviews that have featured Mr. Nelson. I wanted to ask questions from a practitioner working in the field point of view. Continue reading “Building Science-An Interview with Gary Nelson”

April 27, 2021April 27, 2021

Diagnostic Tools-Blower Doors

This week, I’m going to start a new category of subject matter to discuss, the tools I own and use when conducting energy audits, assessments and performing home diagnostic testing. We are going to start with my number one diagnostic tool, the blower door. Continue reading “Diagnostic Tools-Blower Doors”

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021

Opinion-5 Reasons to Own A Blower Door

By now most of us know what a blower door does and the basics of how they work. All energy auditors and raters own one. A few insulating contractors I know also have purchased their own blower door. As a contractor, does it make sense to invest a sizable amount of money and then take the time to learn how to operate this piece of test equipment. Continue reading “Opinion-5 Reasons to Own A Blower Door”

December 18, 2020December 18, 2020

Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures

Most of us by now know what a blower door is. A tool to measure the air tightness of a house. I’ve owned my Minneapolis Blower Door since 2009. Many states have adopted mandatory tightness testing on all new construction. In my area, the minimum is three air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (3 ACH50), Continue reading “Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures”