What is a Duct Leakage Test?

The sole purpose of a duct leakage test is to evaluate the potential leakage of a home’s duct system. The less leakage within the home, the less your HVAC has to run which saves your home buyers money. By testing the duct leakage, you can verify the duct system was installed and sealed properly.

Spaces with potential leakage within your home might include attics, garages, and small crawl spaces. Measuring the amount of leakage in your HVAC systems could save your home buyers hundreds in electric bills a month! 

According to Florida code 603.8.2, “Ducts shall be leak tested as required by Section C403 of the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation”. In order to meet today’s standard building codes, ducts may require to be tested.

For example, if the home you have just built has elements of the HVAC system that are outside of the conditioned envelope, those spaces must be tested for leakage. 

Commonly, duct leakage and blower door tests are performed simultaneously to determine the total air leaking to the outside. Duct leakage is measured in percentage. If duct leakage to the outside is under 4%, your home is significantly leak-free, and above 4% is no longer leak-free. Duct leakage results are based on the square footage of the home, the leakage spec increases as the square footage increases. 

At Legacy, the typical price is $300.00 and is completely subjective to the square footage of the house. The amount of time the test takes is heavily dependent on the size of the home and the amount of vents, as they must be covered to generate accurate results. 

Schedule your leakage test today! Building Better begins with Legacy’s certified energy testers who will accurately and efficiently test your home’s leakage. If you want to save your home buyers hundreds on their electric bills and take one step closer to becoming Energy Star certified, schedule your duct test! Contact our materials testing scheduler, Kellen Norton, at (904)-735-1100.