GBE > Encyclopaedia > Products > Kit > G#9729
University of Nottingham launches new Pulse air-test unit
Oliver Style
Passivhaus energy consultant – Progetic
University of Nottingham launches new ‘Pulse’ air-test unit for measuring airtightness in buildings
BrianSpecMan Murphy Saw this demonstrated at Built2Spec Project event.
Its very clever in that it is almost self contained and almost autonomous.
I can see this being very useful in bulk Housing/Building stock assessment before and after refurbishment.
It cannot help a builder find the leaks that he needs to fix nor the route through which the air leakage is passing.
In is demonstration form (top picture) it was not robust and self-defensive enough for life on a building site, hanging about to do numerous tests.
In its final version it may be able to survive but I am not sure it has a helpful role on site.
BrianSpecMan Murphy However if the airtightness measures are part of an Energy Performance Contracting exercise, the team may find it useful to test frequently to see the effect of each intervention.
It will be also useful to carryout those 3 months later tests, to find out if all the tapes and sealants and more importantly foams have worked or shrunk away to let the air back in, by which time its too late to put it right.
Oliver Style Hi Brian,
Interesting. So in your opinion in won´t replace current blower door machines, but it could be a useful tool for preliminary on-site testing?
BrianSpecMan Murphy The overhead of bringing a bit of kit to site means you need to get a lot out of its visit.
The blower door test gives you the opportunity with a smoke wand to find all of the leaks and set a plan to fix them.
This Piece of kit cannot help with that.
But for Housing stock assessment many buildings tested on an estate during one days visit is very useful way to get the majority, in one visit, but not all, some people will not be at home.
BrianSpecMan Murphy The solution offered by some airtightness system suppliers it to bring a fan that sucks air out of the building.
This is used whilst the services contractors, the airtightness installer and the Airtightness Champion are all in the building.
They should all do a Toolbox talk about airtightness measures before commencing.
Every time a whole is drilled they get wind in their face.
They begin to understand I made that leak, its my responsibility and I need to fix it.
BrianSpecMan MurphyYour challenge I think is to develop the equivalent function for use with your kit.
Then it becomes useful on a construction site.