Retrotec USACE - Manual (Page 309)

Appendix F F15
F.9.5 Record Set-up Conditions
Accurately record the exact set up conditions. Pictures should be taken of rep-
resentative setup conditions and should be attached to the fi nal report. The
intent of this protocol is to ensure buildings are set-up and prepared in an iden-
tical manner so the tests are repeatable. The testing agency is responsible to
ensure the building is properly prepared and maintained throughout the test.
F.9.6 Preparation of the Building
Seal or otherwise effectively isolate all “intentional” holes in the building enclo-
sure. This includes air intake or exhaust louvers, make-up air intakes, pressure
relief dampers or louvers, dryer and exhaust vent dampers and any other in-
tentional hole that is not included in the air barrier design or construction.
Intentional openings can be sealed by using an air-tight fi lm or by motorized or
manual dampers held in the closed position.
Note: Exterior windows and doors (fenestrations) are not intentional open-
ings. Fenestrations are included in the air barrier test boundary. Exterior win-
dows and doors shall be in the closed and locked position only; no additional
fi lms or additional means of isolation at fenestrations is allowed.
Ensure that all plumbing traps are fi lled with water.
The HVAC system must be shut down or disabled for the duration of the
test. If the HVAC system activates during the test, additional air movement
across the enclosure is introduced and is not measured by the agency, resulting
in inaccurate data.
All interior doors that access the building enclosure (roof, walls and fen-
estrations, fl oor) must be held open during the test to create a single uniform
zone. If the door services only an interior room such as a storage closet, it is
allowed to remain closed only if a dropped ceiling plenum is present above and
it does not access an air barrier boundary.
Buildings with a dropped ceiling plenum must have tiles removed at a rate
of one per every 500 sq ft (46.5 m 2 ). Additional tiles may be removed at the dis-
cretion of the testing agency so a uniform pressure distribution in the plenum
space is achieved.
Combustion equipment must be disabled or be in the “pilot” position.
If the test zone is within a larger building enclosure such as a Tactical
Equipment Maintenance Facility or Company Operations Facility, the areas
outside of the test zone must be at ambient (outdoor) conditions. This can be
achieved by open man-doors or overhead coiling doors in the open position.
Optional: Set-up the door fan and run preliminary test
If using door fans to pressure the air barrier, perform a test with only one
door fan. Occasionally, no additional testing will be required, as a preliminary
test can help determine the following:
The quantity of additional door fans needed to achieve the desired test 1.
pressure.