# Vermiculite in Attic, Blower Door Test



## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

It basics pressurizes the box, or the home, so that air leaks can be found. If there is air leaking from the living space up to the attic, it should just go out of the roof vents. If you are worried about the blower door causing shift movement of the material up in the attic, you should beware, that it is a common occurrence, that if air is leaking into the living space through the attic access, or people are going up there all of the time, or your furnace and duct work is up there, dust from the attic space has been moving into the living space a lot longer than a blower door test done one time would have done.


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## BeMurda (Nov 28, 2011)

The blower door test was a negative pressure test, sucking air into the living space. That's what scares me.


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

BeMurda said:


> The blower door test was a negative pressure test, sucking air into the living space. That's what scares me.


I would not worry about it. That means that regardless, I would not worry. As I stated before, the stuff in the attic is going to find its way, regardless of the blower door test.

You breathe more harmful chemicals and etc through your day just going to work, walking outside, driving your car, working around the home, etc.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Technically...he should not have done it.

That being said, the exposure risk is probably slight unless there were some really big bypasses.


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## BeMurda (Nov 28, 2011)

The thing that made me realize the possible risk was that it dragged up stinky sewer air into the whole house. We do have a vapour barrier in the attic, but can it stop particles as small as asbestos?


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Yes, the vapor barrier will stop air movement, that is what it is there for. As for the sewer gas, that shows that there is problems with the plumbing system.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

BeMurda said:


> The thing that made me realize the possible risk was that it dragged up stinky sewer air into the whole house. We do have a vapour barrier in the attic, but can it stop particles as small as asbestos?


Yes...just as gregzoll said. You should be fine.



gregzoll said:


> Yes, the vapor barrier will stop air movement, that is what it is there for. As for the sewer gas, that shows that there is problems with the plumbing system.


Dried out trap or lack of one.


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## BeMurda (Nov 28, 2011)

Yeah it was jus a dried out trap, but it just got me thinking about the sucking power.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

BeMurda said:


> Yeah it was jus a dried out trap, but it just got me thinking about the sucking power.


50 Pa (Pascals) is the standard blower door depressurization.

50 Pa is the equivalent of a whopping.....0.00725 psi. That is 7 thousandths of a pound per square inch.

Not much.:thumbup:


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