Retrotec is the world's leading manufacturer of blower door equipment, including calibrated fans, blower door systems, duct leakage testing units, digital manometers and digital pressure gauges, pressure relief vents, air current testers (smoke puffers) and other blower door accessories, as well as airtightness testing software.
Our high quality, ruggedized blower door equipment is used around the world by certified professionals to conduct residential energy audits, enclosure integrity and clean agent retention time tests, and large building air leakage tests.
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| Retrotec has been designing and manufacturing blower door equipment and airflow diagnostic software since 1980. Our products and training have been used in over 50 countries as a direct result of our continued product development and involvement in the industry, which has included writing the USACE large building air leakage testing protocol. You can use our blower door systems and duct testing system as part of a home energy audit, or to test the effectiveness of duct sealants, or in conjunction with a thermographic analysis.
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Retrotec wrote the NFPA enclosure integrity procedure in 1987 and has been actively researching clean agent retention and peak pressure ever since. Our blower door equipment, training certification and clean agent retention time prediction software is used in over 50 countries worldwide. In addition to our industry-specific blower door systems and accessories, this part of our site also houses an archive of external articles useful to anyone conducting enclosure integrity tests. |
Retrotec offers state-of-the-art, ultra high performance multi-fan blower door systems for testing the largest commercial buildings, either floor by floor, or as a complete envelope. Colin Genge, Retrotec's founder and CEO, worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers to develop a new testing protocol to meet their air tightness standard for tall buildings. He also worked closely with the University of Waterloo's engineering department to develop a procedure for testing multi-unit residential buildings in Vancouver, BC. |
| Retrotec's blower door equipment and software are used to conduct residential leakage testing according to UK's ATTMA TS1, Canada's CGSB 149.10, America's ASTM E779 & E1827, Europe's EN13829 and California's Title 24 including current RESNET standards. |
Our blower door systems and software are used to conduct enclosure integrity testing in accordance with NFPA 2001, ISO 14520, and EN15004 standards. |
Retrotec's blower door test equipment is used in this industry according to ASTM and USACE protocol. |
What is a Blower Door Test? |
Blower Doors are used to calculate the air leakage of residential, commercial, and government buildings. Blower Door Systems consist of a door frame which seals off an entryway, which has a hole to install a calibrated high-power door fan in, and also a Digital Manometer or Digital Pressure Gauge to measure the air pressure of the enclosure as it is pressurized.
 First, the doors and windows of the enclosure are sealed and the Blower Door is installed in one of the entryways. The fan then pressurizes the enclosure to a specific air pressure, taking measurements of how hard it is working to maintain that pressure. The digital manometer records the pressure readings of the enclosure itself, and calculates that against how hard the fan is working to determine the overall airtightness of the building or room.
The information provided by a Blower Door Test can indicate whether or not a structure is energy-efficient or airtight enough to meet energy budget targets, or completely airtight to prevent contamination of the enclosure. Blower Doors also have many other industrial applications.
A Blower Door Test can be used in conjunction with a chemical smoke puffer and/or thermographic imaging to find the exact location of air leaks so they can be sealed and the building's energy efficiency can be improved.
Blower Door Tests can provide valuable data for any building that requires a clean agent fire suppression system - a fire suppression system which uses chemical gas instead of water to extinguish flames - such as computer labs and other hi-tech facilities. Using a Blower Door to determine the maximum pressure sustainable by the enclosure will greatly reduce the risk of damage due to excess pressure in a clean agent discharge - Retrotec also offers Pressure Relief Vents which will allow ventilation once a certain level of air pressure is reached.
Retrotec has been setting the industry standard for years with our rugged, durable Blower Door Equipment, and we continue to look for ways to improve our products to better serve the air leakage testing industry professionals who use them. |
About Our Founder: Colin Genge |
Colin Genge is the founder and owner of Retrotec, Ltd. Starting the company in 1980, Colin worked tirelessly to turn Retrotec into the leading designer and manufacturer of blower door systems, precision pressure gauges and analytical software.
He has played a major role in the development of blower door energy standards, including Canada’s CGSB 149 and ASTM E-779. He developed the NFPA 12A and 2001 Enclosure Integrity Procedure in 1988 to set standards for clean agent fire suppressants in high value enclosures.
He is regarded as the world’s leading expert in the containment of gaseous fire suppressants and has had a 20 year relationship with all of the major fire suppressant manufacturers who regularly rely on his expertise (such as 3M, Tyco, DuPont, Kidde, Chemetron, Fike, Ansul, Kidde-Fenwal and Siemens). His fire testing procedures are currently used in over 60 countries.
Colin has conducted extensive research on airtightness testing methods for high-rise buildings, and has personally tested hundreds of the world’s most exotic high-value facilities, including the Space Shuttle launch pad, military installations and the sophisticated computer rooms for international corporations and government agencies. |
Retrotec's Blower Door Systems |
Residential Blower Doors:
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Fire Suppression Blower Doors:
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Large Building Blower Doors:
Duct Leakage Testing Systems:
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