| Air Tightness Testing | Fault Dignosis |
In the event of a building failing its air permeability test, the priority becomes finding the sites of excess leakage to enable remedial works to take place. Stroma is frequently singled out for praise regarding this aspect of our service. There are three main fault diagnosis techniques available to us, each relying on the use of the test fans to 'activate' the leakage paths.
Full Building Smoke Testing
This is a useful holistic procedure for identifying the general mode of air leakage. By prior arrangement, Stroma will deploy sufficient smoke generators to fill the building with benign theatrical smoke. The fans are then operated to cause the smoke to egress via the problem leakage areas. The process will be recorded on video and supplied on a CD-ROM for later reviewing.
Localised Smoke Testing
While this procedure is the more laborious and time consuming diagnostic technique, we believe it to be the most effective as it pin-points the individual leakages sites, where they need to be addressed - inside the building. Stroma engineers are experienced in conducting this procedure using handheld smoke puffers and to get to all the likely problem areas (subject to safe access). The offending details are then photographed and recorded for later reporting.
Thermography
Providing there is sufficient temperature difference between inside and outside the building, a thermal imaging camera can be used to detect localised warm/cold spots around areas of air egress or ingress. Again, the test fans need to have been running to get the air leakage to occur and cause the changes in surface temperature to show up.