We start by covering why the test matters — verifying code compliance in new construction, diagnosing comfort complaints in retrofits, and supporting Manual J load calculations. From there, the animation shows how a calibrated fan gets installed in an exterior doorway to either depressurize or pressurize the home, and why reaching a stable 50 pascal test pressure is the target technicians are after.
You’ll see the full house prep process rendered in 3D: walking the perimeter to close windows and exterior doors, opening interior doors so the home behaves as a single pressure zone, handling sealed attics and crawlspaces, and shutting down fans, exhaust hoods, and combustion appliances before testing begins. The video also details safe handling around fireplaces and naturally drafted appliances, since getting this wrong can throw off your results or create a safety hazard.
From there we move into the actual mechanics — assembling the aluminum frame and nylon panel, locking it into the doorway, installing the fan with the correct ring orientation depending on whether you’re testing for depressurization or pressurization, and placing the reference tube on the leeward side of the building for the most stable reading.
The back half of the video breaks down running the test through the auto test app, from creating a project and entering building info to selecting a test standard, connecting the gauge and fan, capturing baseline readings, and stepping through target pressures. We close with how to read your results — CFM50 versus ACH50 — and the building science behind why homes leak in the first place, including stack effect, wind pressure, duct leakage, and the risks of sealing the wrong leaks near combustion appliances.
Whether you’re new to air tightness testing or just want to see the process from a different angle, this 3D breakdown makes an often-abstract test easy to visualize:
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