In these instructions for measuring the airtightness and air change rates in buildings, the principles of measurement methodics, the need for measurements and choosing the correct method for different purposes, are presented. Details of measuring are described for the most common methods: the pressure test, the collector chamber method for measuring local leakages, and the tracer gas methods. In addition, other methods and auxiliary measurements are presented.
Occupants can significantly influence both the heating energy requirements and the indoor air quality of a building by opening and closing doors and windows. If the effects of these actions are to be accurately estimated, both the quantity and character of these exchange flows must be determined. In this paper, data on gravity-driven exchange rates through open doors obtained from field experiments at the Alberta Home Heating Research Facility are compared with laboratory model simulations and theoretical predictions.