Retrotec DucTester 341 User Manual

Retrotec Inc. DucTester Operation Manual For Model 341 rev-2014-10-22

Page 10 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 1. Why measure Duct Leakage? 1.1 Energy loss Leaky ducts pose health, safety and comfort problems and account f

Page 11 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 2. How much duct leakage is acceptable under existing Codes? How much duct leakage is acceptable? The table pri

Page 12 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Program/Region Units/Test Pressure Leakage requirement 2012 IECC International Energy Conservation Code Global

Page 13 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Table 2: Maximum allowable duct leakage (Residential) according to existing Codes Code: Based on 2009 IECC GA S

Page 14 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 3. Model 300 / 400 System Types: The Model 341 shares its body and inlet nozzles and Flow Plates with several ot

Page 15 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 4. Types of Duct Leakage Tests Air leakage from a duct system can be very hard to identify. Most duct systems a

Page 16 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 This is a schematic of a duct leakage test. Registers are sealed, the duct tester fan is connected to a return a

Page 17 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 5. Model 341 DucTesters Models include US341 and EU341 with 10 inch Flex Duct A complete DucTester includes a c

Page 18 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 5.1.1. Range Configurations Open 74 47 29 Figure 3: Open Range is for the leakiest ducts and houses while R

Page 19 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 CFM minimum CFM maximum Range name Included 1.1 4.7 11 optional 0.34 1.7 7 optional 0.077 0.42 3 optional 0.018

Page 2 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Made by Retrotec Inc. 1060 East Pole Road Everson, WA USA 98247 For support: Call 1(888) 330-1345 in USA +1 (

Page 20 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Figure 5: Fan Pressure sensors are located in the fan inlet. The 4 Flow sensors are located just inside the fan

Page 21 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 5.3 Flex Duct Retrotec's duct testing systems US341 and EU341 include a 10" diameter, 12' long f

Page 22 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 5.4.4. Toolbag keeps all testing components in one place The Deluxe Cordura Tool bag provides enough volume to

Page 23 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6. Prepare for the Duct Leakage Test 6.1 Unpack, connect the gauge to the DucTester Prior to beginning any test

Page 24 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.3 Follow the Quick Guide that came with your system The Quick Guide is intended to walk you through the te

Page 25 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.4 Seal all supply registers Preparing for a duct leakage test requires preparing both the duct system and the

Page 26 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.5 Make all connections on the gauge and fan 1. Often, the yellow, green and blue tubes and the Control Cable

Page 27 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Speed Control Knob, disconnect the yellow Speed Control Cable and turn the knob on, off and on again. 4. Conn

Page 28 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Some programs require test results from two test measurement locations. The two results are averaged, which hel

Page 29 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.7.2. OR Connect to the air handler cabinet Alternatively, connect a Flex Duct to the air-handler cabinet. No

Page 3 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Copyright © 2014 Retrotec Inc., All rights reserved. This document contains materials protected under Internation

Page 30 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Optional Vent Cap device for connecting flex to return. Optional Sierra Building Science device for con

Page 31 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.8 Install Range Configuration on fan Each Retrotec DucTester includes three Range Configurations to maximize

Page 32 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 6.9.2. Blow air out of the ducts for pressurization The only advantage of pressurizing is that it makes changin

Page 33 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 7. Set up the gauge to display Duct Leakage Results Read the Total Duct Leakage results directly from the gauge.

Page 34 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 7.2 Mode Setup for various standards around the world Table 4: Gauge Mode Setup for various standards around t

Page 35 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Use the manual Speed Control Knob on the Fan Top. Increase the fan speed until a stable pressure of 25 Pa (or -

Page 36 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 8. Conduct the Duct Leakage test 8.1 Total Duct Leakage A Total Duct Leakage test measures the total amount of

Page 37 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Figure 26: Total Duct Leakage under pressurization - DucTester and tubing setup. 8.2 Duct Leakage to Outdoor

Page 38 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Figure 28: Method #1 Duct Leakage to Outdoors, under depressurization 14. If the Blower Door pressure readin

Page 39 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 20. With DucTester fan off, set the Blower Door to 25 Pa by pressing [Set Pressure] [25] [Enter] on the Blower

Page 4 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 5.4.3. Flange for connecting flex to ductwork at register ... 21 5.4.

Page 40 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Duct Leakage to Outdoors may be measured using only one gauge to alternatively measure the house to outdoor pres

Page 41 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 For pressurization, set the Blower Door to blow into the building and the DucTester to blow into the duct syste

Page 42 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 8.4 Combined Total Duct Leakage and Duct Leakage to Outdoors Method This combined method measures both Total Du

Page 43 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 If the target pressure has been reached, but “--“appears as a flow reading, the fan is running too slowly to mea

Page 44 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 9. Restore the house to pre-test conditions after testing is complete Notice the conditions in the building upon

Page 45 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 10. Create a Duct Leakage Test Report with Potential Energy Savings The Retrotec Duct Leakage Test Reporting so

Page 46 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 10.1 Get the Excel spreadsheet based software to run on your system 10.1.1. Enable Macros (with Office 2007) F

Page 47 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Click “Edit Anyway.” Now go back to the main screen and you will see the option to enable macros: Click the “E

Page 48 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 “Leakage Area”: square centimeters, or cm2 10.3 Choose Duct Test type Click to select the type of test you are

Page 49 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 This is the total air flow through the duct system provided by the system air handler. This input is optional

Page 5 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 8.5 If no Results are displayed (--) ...

Page 50 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 subtracting Baseline pressure twice – once on the gauge, and again in software, ensure the gauge is not using a

Page 51 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 10.7.3. Convert “Flow/Area” data so it can be entered into spreadsheet Before obtaining the Duct Leakage Test

Page 52 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 10.8.2. Annual Cooling Cost Enter the cooling cost per year from the utility bill. This entry is used to estim

Page 53 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 11. Find air leaks in the ducts Locating leaks in the ducts can be a tricky process, and there are a number of

Page 54 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Table 5: Retrotec Pressure Pans Pressure Pan Dimensions (in) Part number Large 24.5 x 24.5 x 8.75 PP101 Small 1

Page 55 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 12. Measure the Air Handler system flow 12.1 For Code compliance For Code compliance testing, the air handler

Page 56 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Adjust the [Set Speed] until Channel A reads a pressure of 0 Pa. Record the flow in CFM. To have the DucTester

Page 57 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 12.4 Measure with a DucTester on the air handler cabinet Measure the supply plenum pressure using the Static

Page 58 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 12.7 Measure using Hole Flow on the gauge Because flow through a known size hole depends on pressure across the

Page 59 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 13. Estimate HVAC system energy loss from ducts 13.1 Duct Air Leakage Measurements In this section, you will l

Page 6 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 10.9.1. With Office 2007: ...

Page 60 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Average Operating Pressure (Pa) Multiplier for CFM25 45 1.42 50 1.52 55 1.60 60 1.69 65 1.77 70 1.85 75 1.93 80

Page 61 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Return Loss Factor = (RLS x RLP x RPM) Where: RLS is Return Leakage Split (default 0.5) RLP is Return Leakage

Page 62 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 CFM25 multiplier for return = 1.22 CFM25 multiplier for supply = 1.0 (default) Leakage splits: SLS = 2

Page 63 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 14. Field Check the DucTester to find out what is not working Standard procedure says you calibrate your gauges

Page 64 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 1. Tape the Field Calibration Plate to the Flex Duct Flange, and attach the blue tube to the pressure pickup (o

Page 65 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 15. Avoid common mistakes The following mistakes are commonly made when performing a duct test, and can signifi

Page 66 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 16. Create a Blower Door with a DucTester fan 16.1 Use a DucTester to test tight enclosures To use your duct

Page 67 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Includes all of the parts listed above for a typical duct testing system, except instead of a Flex Duct, the Bl

Page 68 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix A: Calculate Air Flow based on Channel B Fan Pressure readings The air flow being produced by the cali

Page 69 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix B: Flow Conversion Tables Flow Conversion Table for Duct Test Pressure of 25 Pa Table 9: Flow in CFM

Page 7 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Extrapolation Error for Flow if gauge “n” doesn’t match actual n ... 71 Cannot

Page 70 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix C: Calculate flow if required test pressure cannot be reached “n” setting for estimating flow @ pressu

Page 71 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 The @ Pressure extrapolation feature is very useful for ensuring that results taken for flow reflect the flow at

Page 72 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Assumed n = 0.6 Achieved Pressure (Pa) Actual Flow Exponent (n) of Enclosure 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 60 1.

Page 73 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Table 11: Factors for when a duct pressure of 25 Pa cannot be reached (assumed n value of 0.6). Pressure achiev

Page 74 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Pressure achieved Cannot reach 50 factor Pressure achieved Cannot reach 50 factor 48 1.02 23 1.59 47 1.04 22

Page 75 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix D: Troubleshooting Occasionally simple problems do occur with a DucTester system. If the problem is

Page 76 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Adjusting the fan Inlet Nozzle if is rubbing or debris needs to be removed from fan Remove the tape holding the

Page 77 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix E: Using a generator for power Retrotec recommends a generator with inverter type AC power output. S

Page 78 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Generators Honda Generator EU3000 (120V, 2000W, 67 lbs)  Works will all DucTester fan models.  Works with b

Page 79 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Appendix F: Duct-Test Recording Forms Total Duct Leakage Test Form Test date: _______________/20_

Page 8 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Important equipment-related safeguards When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always b

Page 80 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Total Duct Leakage Test Form (CA) Test date: _______________/20____ Fan Model _______________Fan S

Page 81 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 New duct systems must leak less than 6% of the air handler’s flow. Maximum allowable duct tester measurement bas

Page 82 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Glossary Term Definition ACH50 or ACH @ 50 Pa Designation for “Air Changes at 50 Pa.” Can be calculated by tak

Page 83 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014 Term Definition This ELA is sometimes called the EqLA or Canadian ELA because it was first used in the Canadian

Page 9 of 83 ©Retrotec Inc. 2014  Air sealing duct work may change the pressure balance in a house and cause back drafting where it did not occu