Article

Pulse set for use for air pressure compliance testing

It's official, the 2021 edition of Part L of the building regulations have been published today. Whilst there will no doubt be countless headlines, a major milestone for us here at Build Test Solutions is that Part L volume 1 for dwellings and volume 2 for non-domestic buildings both cite CIBSE TM23 as the procedure to which air pressure tests must be performed.

Pulse equipment illustration

Effective from June 15th 2022, the new CIBSE TM23 document introduces the low pressure Pulse technique as an approved method of compliance testing. Most notably:

  • The Pulse technique is approved for compliance testing purposes, irrespective of building type. That includes all domestic, non-domestic buildings of any design air permeability level.
  • Both the new SAP 10 and RdSAP 10 are set to include a 50Pa and 4Pa air leakage test result input field. This is fantastic on two fronts; firstly in that we start to raise awareness of what air leakage rates look like at pressure levels much closer to ambient conditions and secondly, the EPCs of existing homes will be able to be directly influenced by air leakage test measurement results.
  • With no moving parts, Pulse calibration and pressure vessel inspection requirements are set at once every 24 months.
  • Blower door fan testing set to require a combined pressure and depressure test.

Whilst we remain strong advocates of the fan technique for stress testing of a building and for carrying out air leakage diagnostics, we’re equally keen to see an end to the current culture of ‘test to pass’. Instead, we’re here to support those driven to improve building practices and construction quality standards such that air leakage testing is less about addressing leaks and more about quality control and validation of the building ventilation strategy. More widespread testing at pressure differences closer to ambient levels will also bring new insights into building ventilation, helping to ensure sufficient fresh air provision and healthy internal environments.

With the Pulse technique already in wide spread use for PAS2035 assessments of background ventilation rates in existing buildings, get in touch now to learn about both the immediate new business opportunities presented by Pulse and how this could support your transition to Pulse based new build compliance testing ahead of June 2022.

Author

Luke Smith

Luke Smith

Managing Director

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Pulse Air Permeability Testing

A pioneering approach to fabric air permeability measurement that releases a low-pressure pulse of air for realistic and accurate measurement of airtightness of buildings in seconds.

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