Smoke diagnostic testing is a crucial tool for helping a building pass an air tightness test by identifying and addressing air leakage paths, either as preparation for the final test or, in cases of an adverse test result, as an essential step in determining the appropriate remedial works to ensure a successful retest.
What is Smoke Diagnostic Testing?
At Melin, we use smoke diagnostic testing primarily to detect and diagnose leakage routes in newly built commercial buildings and dwellings. With increasingly stringent air tightness standards and the growing number of PassivHaus developments, smoke diagnostic testing has become essential to ensuring a building meets its air tightness requirements. This method enables us to accurately identify air leakage paths, either as a preparatory step before the final air test or as an effective tool for pinpointing necessary remedial works in the event of a test failure.
What are the benefits of Smoke Diagnosis Testing?
Smoke diagnosis is a hugely valuable instrument in ensuring a building passes an air tightness test, serving two very important purposes;
Smoke testing can be conducted prior to the final air tightness test to detect and address potential air leaks. By introducing visible, non-toxic smoke into the building while its under pressure (such as a blower door test), our team of specialist site engineers can easily determine where air is escaping, this allows for targeted repairs to be made in advance, improving the buildings chances of passing the final test by ensuring the building envelope is properly sealed.
If the building fails the initial air tightness test, smoke diagnostic testing can be used to identify the exact locations of air leakage. It provides a visual indication of where the air is escaping, assisting the site team determine what remedial work is needed. Once the necessary repairs or sealing are completed, the building will be retested to confirm the improvements and whether building regulations compliance can now be met.
How Air Tightness Smoke Diagnostic Testing Works:
Please see our case study here;
Smoke diagnostic testing is an invaluable part of ensuring that a building achieves its desired air tightness test result, confirming compliance with building regulations. It can be used both as a preparatory measure before the final test or as a diagnostic tool to identify areas requiring remedial work following a test failure.
At Melin, along with our air tightness testing and smoke diagnostic testing services, we also offer Smoke Shaft Air Testing and Isolation Facilities Air Testing.
Please follow the links below to learn more about these services:
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