How do you know you'll pass the building air test?

The Portascanner device set-up, and its effectiveness when included in a building’s airtightness strategy

Introducing Portascanner

Standards like Passivhaus achieve air leakage rates 90% lower than a typical building, but all buildings have airtightness requirements, and these targets carry a risk that must be managed deep into the construction programme.

Airtightness is usually assessed by air pressure (‘blower door’) testing, which is typically only effective during the later stages of construction when the building is sufficiently sealed. A well designed and executed airtightness strategy will deliver, but it can seem like a huge risk hanging over the project until very late in the programme.

We are now using Portascanner Airtight to detect and measure air leakage and check the progress of the air barrier during construction.

Using Portascanner Airtight means:

✅No building pressurisation needed for testing

✅No temporary sealing needed

✅No disruption to construction work

✅No out of hours testing

✅Building confidence in the airtightness over time

✅No nasty surprises at the first blower door test

✅Reduced risk of failing airtightness target, giving you confidence early in the programme

✅Visual reports to identify the location and size of leaks (as small as 0.06mm)

✅Leaks detected that can’t be found by a pressure test

Here’s a demo video of Portascanner in action, on a training rig we built in the office.

Click here to download our one-pager with more info on how Portascanner can be used throughout the construction phase to measure air barrier effectiveness.

Contact us if you want to explore the use of Portascanner on your site, or to buy your own.