The leakage of air through a building’s envelope may result in energy inefficiencies, diminished indoor air quality, and a decrease in overall building resilience. To mitigate these issues, air-leakage testing, utilizing techniques such as blower-door fan equipment, is employed to discern leakage hotspots and administer appropriate corrective measures. This equipment operates by generating controlled pressure differentials, facilitating the measurement of the airflow rate through unintentional openings in the building envelope. This presentation and article delves into the intricacies of multi-zone pressure-neutralized air-leakage testing, a method indispensable for large and complex buildings with divergent occupancy types or buildings under phased construction. The discourse encompasses the methodology, challenges, regulatory guidelines, and salient lessons derived from implementing multi-zone pressure-neutralized air-leakage tests in Washington State. Additionally, the utility and efficacy of smoke-generating devices and infrared thermography as diagnostic tools in detecting air-leakages during test setup is examined.

Learning Objectives:

1.  This presentation will describe the similarities and differences between a standard single-zone air-leakage test and a multi-zone pressure-neutralized air-leakage test.
2. The audience will understand why a multi-zone pressure-neutralized test is needed and when it should or shouldn’t be used.
3.  At the end of this presentation, the audience will understand how a multi-zone pressure-neutralized air-leakage test is performed in the field including the planning, preparation, and coordination with parties involved with test.
4.  The audience will understand the advantages and disadvantages of the multi-zone test.

Kelvin Liu, P.E.

Kelvin Liu, PE, is a Senior Building Envelope Consultant with Walker Consultants based in Seattle, Washington. He has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in Building Science from British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Kelvin has experience in building envelope consulting, building condition assessments, reserve-fund studies, wood-products testing/research, and building performance testing. He brings a scientific and analytical approach to the design and conservation of the building envelope; often relying on real-world testing of materials, assemblies, and systems.

When he is not busy providing input on the design of the building envelope or performing building air-leakage tests, he is out travelling and exploring the world with his wife and pawed friend.