DIY Pressure Testing for Rain Leaks
I have an impossible to find leak in my travel trailer and I am at my wits end. My trailer is a 40 ft. Park model on a permanent campsite in southern Delaware with a hard room and deck attached so I d...
Forum Discussion
" Using a 7,000 CFM blower to do a leak test doesn't mean that that blower will actually push 7,000 cubic feet/minute of air into the RV. If it was really doing that, then there would have to be a huge leak to let the air back out, such as an open window. What really happens in these tests is that the blower pushes in just enough air to make up for the total amount of air that is flowing out all of the leaks. The amount of air flowing out the leaks is the result of the elevated pressure that be blower is creating inside the RV. Higher pressure causes higher air flow out the leaks."
So first of all friends, The friend that helped me holds a degree in Energy Auditing in Building Science, buildings large and small, commercial, institutional and residential. I won't get into my credentials. I was lucky enough to be offered his very expensive and professional equipment along with his help. If you read my information (quite possibly you did) you would see that we kept the cab door of my truck open, we also performed positive and negative tests and the equipment was controlled outside of the RV by his iPhone which also measured the atmospheric pressures digitally. The "blower door" as they are called, has multiple speeds and is completely different than all of the other devises written about in this thread. I typically like to use good equipment when I do any type of work and I wanted to be certain beyond doubt that we would find our leaks.
One poster suggested something about money to burn, this is ones own perspective. My friend gets paid for the work he performs and he damn well better not be selling snake oil or he is out of business. therefore, the professional equipment. The OP has been given a lot of varying information regarding procedures. I tried the carpet blower option and was not satisfied with the result that I achieved. I have a 4 door crew cab, 3 slides, 5 windows, an 2 roof fans plus the plumbing vents, refrigerator openings etc. I am not the type of person that has time to play with repairs and I wanted to be sure we found the leaks the first time. Water will destroy an RV and I wanted to get my issue corrected. Anyone who has opened up an interior wall of an RV has seen what water can do and how it will travel through the wall and or ceiling. In my opinion and on my rig, the air test is not something to be played with. Make sure you can return your carpet blower in the event you do not achieve satisfactory results. i own 3 of those blowers. They do work great for drying carpet. As a matter of fact I have one I will sell you for less than $170.00. Just PM me and we can see if we can do a deal.
Good luck with your project. Mine is repaired and I have moved on to the next project. I won't be checking back in on you to see how your project turns out since it sounds as though my information has been discounted by some.
One last comment. It is an "Air Pressure Test" not an "Air Flow Test".
You are trying to achieve a change in atmospheric pressure from outside to inside.
So first of all friends, The friend that helped me holds a degree in Energy Auditing in Building Science, buildings large and small, commercial, institutional and residential. I won't get into my credentials. I was lucky enough to be offered his very expensive and professional equipment along with his help. If you read my information (quite possibly you did) you would see that we kept the cab door of my truck open, we also performed positive and negative tests and the equipment was controlled outside of the RV by his iPhone which also measured the atmospheric pressures digitally. The "blower door" as they are called, has multiple speeds and is completely different than all of the other devises written about in this thread. I typically like to use good equipment when I do any type of work and I wanted to be certain beyond doubt that we would find our leaks.
One poster suggested something about money to burn, this is ones own perspective. My friend gets paid for the work he performs and he damn well better not be selling snake oil or he is out of business. therefore, the professional equipment. The OP has been given a lot of varying information regarding procedures. I tried the carpet blower option and was not satisfied with the result that I achieved. I have a 4 door crew cab, 3 slides, 5 windows, an 2 roof fans plus the plumbing vents, refrigerator openings etc. I am not the type of person that has time to play with repairs and I wanted to be sure we found the leaks the first time. Water will destroy an RV and I wanted to get my issue corrected. Anyone who has opened up an interior wall of an RV has seen what water can do and how it will travel through the wall and or ceiling. In my opinion and on my rig, the air test is not something to be played with. Make sure you can return your carpet blower in the event you do not achieve satisfactory results. i own 3 of those blowers. They do work great for drying carpet. As a matter of fact I have one I will sell you for less than $170.00. Just PM me and we can see if we can do a deal.
Good luck with your project. Mine is repaired and I have moved on to the next project. I won't be checking back in on you to see how your project turns out since it sounds as though my information has been discounted by some.
One last comment. It is an "Air Pressure Test" not an "Air Flow Test".
You are trying to achieve a change in atmospheric pressure from outside to inside.
