RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Turnaround | Immediate Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company serving Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County. Fort Pierce runs its own building department separate from the county, and we document envelope results to match what the city reviewer is looking for at closeout.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
Builders working in Fort Pierce are working in a coastal city with production work on the west side, downtown redevelopment, and South Hutchinson Island barrier-island construction. Between Celebration Pointe by LGI Homes, LGI’s first community in Fort Pierce, the same plan comes up again and again — and so does the same duct layout.
A duct leakage test measures how much air escapes the duct system instead of reaching the rooms it was sized for. Registers are sealed and a calibrated duct blaster pressurizes the system to 25 Pascals, reporting the result as CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area.
We test for Fort Pierce builders and developers and send the report the same day, documented against the Florida Energy Conservation Code for the City of Fort Pierce Building Department.
About Me
Before founding Stellar Building Performance, I spent more than 4 years overseeing residential energy code compliance services across two branches covering Southeast Florida for a national engineering firm, supporting builders, contractors, and developers on projects ranging from single-family homes, to developments, to multifamily construction.
Request Duct Leakage Testing
we respond quickly for Fort Pierce duct leakage testing. no waiting days for scheduling and reports.
Local Fort Pierce Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
A duct test is required here whenever any part of the duct system or the air handler sits outside the conditioned space. Total leakage must be no more than 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area, or 3 CFM25 per 100 square feet at rough-in where the air handler is not yet installed. Where every duct run and the air handler are inside the thermal envelope, the code does not require a test at all.
The City of Fort Pierce Building Department runs its own permitting separate from St. Lucie County, so jurisdiction depends on exactly where the parcel sits. We work both the west-side production and villa subdivisions and the elevated construction out on South Hutchinson Island.
Why is Duct Leakage Testing Beneficial?
Across Celebration Pointe by LGI Homes, LGI’s first community in Fort Pierce, one detail missed in framing shows up in every unit that follows. Testing in Fort Pierce is how it gets caught once instead of twenty times.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
For Fort Pierce projects the test does two jobs at once: it satisfies the City of Fort Pierce Building Department and it tells the builder whether the assembly actually performed the way it was drawn.
How We Keep Our Services Simple and Easy
We want completing your Duct Leakage Testing in Fort Pierce to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Fort Pierce address and when the home will be ready. We schedule island and mainland work differently, because the island adds a review step.
2.
onsite testing
Registers are sealed and the duct blaster is connected to the system, which is then brought up to test pressure. We work around whoever else is still on site in Fort Pierce, so nobody has to clear out.
3.
Diagnostics and Measurements
We measure total duct leakage in CFM25 per 100 square feet and compare it against the limit for the test stage. We note the problem areas while we are still standing in the house.
4.
Report delivered same day via email
Everyone on the Fort Pierce project team gets the signed report the same day, not on the next visit.
5.
Ready for Final Inspection approval
With the report on file, the City of Fort Pierce Building Department can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Fort Pierce
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
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No missed appointments or reschedules.
Responsive scheduling for Fort Pierce projects.
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Recent Duct Leakage Tests in Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County
Checking in from the field! See some highlights of our recent Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County Duct Leakage Test site visits!
Frequently asked questions about Duct Leakage Testing
Budget half an hour to an hour on site in Fort Pierce, depending on the size of the house. Nothing is drilled, cut or removed.
Simple rule of thumb: if it’s a conditioned space intended for people, it will require duct leakage testing.
By code definition, any dwelling unit permitted for residential use requires duct leakage testing in Fort Pierce. This includes:
Common Structures Like:
Additional Structures Like:
In Fort Pierce, duct leakage testing is required for new residential buildings where any part of the duct system or the air handler sits outside the conditioned space. That covers most homes with ducts in an attic, a garage, a crawlspace, or a soffit chase. If every duct run and the air handler are inside the thermal envelope, the code exempts the system from testing.
It can. The City of Fort Pierce Building Department needs the documented result in the file before it closes the permit, so a missing report in Fort Pierce is a stalled CO. We schedule so that does not happen.
Either one is allowed. A rough-in test is run before the drywall closes the system up, which is the better moment to catch a problem because the ducts are still reachable. A postconstruction test is run near the end, once the air handler is in and the home is approaching final inspection. The limit is 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet in both cases, except at rough-in without the air handler installed, where it tightens to 3.
In most cases, no. Other trades can keep working in Fort Pierce while we test — we only need the openings closed and the house in its final configuration.
The City of Fort Pierce runs its own Building Department, separate from St. Lucie County. The county’s permitting division covers unincorporated St. Lucie County only.
Port St. Lucie and the Town of St. Lucie Village also permit separately, so jurisdiction depends on exactly where the parcel sits.
The duct test is the same, but the approval path is longer. Oceanfront parcels fall under the state’s Coastal Construction Control Line program in addition to the city building permit.
Elevated construction also puts ducts and air handlers in spaces that behave differently from slab-on-grade work inland.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in Fort Pierce under R403.3.3 of the 2023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, Eighth Edition, which calls for ducts to be pressure tested at 25 Pascals either at rough-in or after construction.
The limits live in R403.3.4. Total leakage must be no more than 4 CFM25 per 100 square feet of conditioned floor area on a postconstruction test, and the same 4 CFM25 on a rough-in test where the air handler is installed. If the air handler is not in place at rough-in, the limit tightens to 3 CFM25 per 100 square feet.
There is a real exception: no duct test is required where the ducts and air handlers are located entirely within the building thermal envelope. Homes on the performance path under R405 are handled differently again, and are tested against the duct leakage rate assumed in the energy calculation.
We keep the full code language, including the complete text of R403.3.3, R403.3.4 and the R405 provisions, on our main duct leakage page: read the full Florida duct leakage code references.
questions? give us a call, this is our specialty!
Need Duct Leakage Testing in Fort Pierce to Pass Final Inspection?
Similar Services
Most Fort Pierce projects need more than one of these. We do all of them, on the same schedule and in the same report chain.
Blower Door Testing
Verify the building envelope meets the 7 ACH50 air leakage limit using a calibrated duct leakage, required for new construction inspections. We provide this service across the Fort Pierce area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping Fort Pierce Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
We know how Fort Pierce books inspections, and we test to fit that rather than fight it.
accurate results
A RESNET certified inspector and calibrated gear — results the City of Fort Pierce Building Department will accept without a second visit.
immediate reports
Same-day digital reporting to the whole Fort Pierce project team, with deficiencies named if there are any.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing in Fort Pierce, with additional service throughout Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.
