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Stellar Building Performance serves Hobe Sound and southern Martin County, from Port Salerno south along US-1 to the Jonathan Dickinson State Park line.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
Hobe Sound is the fastest-growing community in Martin County, up more than 14 percent between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. Almost everything built here is infill and small phases along the US-1 corridor, which changes how testing fits the schedule: there is no repeating plan type to tune, just this house.
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.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the national wildlife refuge bracket the area, so new construction is pushed inland along US-1 rather than spreading out. The report goes to Martin County Building Department under the Florida Energy Conservation Code.
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Local Hobe Sound and Martin County Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in Hobe Sound, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space.
Hobe Sound is an unincorporated community, so the Martin County Building Department issues and inspects every residential permit here.
Hobe Sound has been the fastest-growing community in Martin County, up more than 14 percent between the 2010 and 2020 censuses. What makes it unusual is how little of it can actually be built on: Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the national wildlife refuge land bracket the area, and Jupiter Island sits across South Jupiter Narrows to the east. New construction is pushed inland along the US-1 corridor, so the work tends to be infill and small phases rather than large greenfield subdivisions.
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.
Why is Duct Leakage Testing Beneficial?
A custom home in Hobe Sound is the only one of its kind, and its envelope is too. There is no second unit to fix.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
For Hobe Sound projects the test does two jobs at once: it satisfies Martin County 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 Hobe Sound to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Hobe Sound address and when the home will be ready. We coordinate with the county inspection calendar.
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 Hobe Sound, 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 Hobe Sound 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, Martin County Building Department can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Hobe Sound
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules.
Responsive scheduling for Hobe Sound projects.
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Recent Duct Leakage Tests
Checking in from the field! See some highlights of our recent Duct Leakage Test site visits!
Frequently asked questions about Duct Leakage Testing
Budget half an hour to an hour on site in Hobe Sound, depending on the size of the house. Nothing is drilled, cut or removed.
In Hobe Sound, 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.
Common Structures Like:
Additional Structures Like:
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.
It can. Martin County Building Department needs the documented result in the file before it closes the permit, so a missing report in Hobe Sound is a stalled CO. We schedule so that does not happen.
It is recommended to test as close to completion as possible. Our best suggestion is to be one of the last vendors in the project before the cleaners do their final clean. We provide a pre-inspection, get ready checklist in all of our proposals that is designed to make being prepared for your duct leakage test as simple and easy as possible.
In most cases, no. Other trades can keep working in Hobe Sound while we test — we only need the openings closed and the house in its final configuration.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in Hobe Sound 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 Hobe Sound to Pass Final Inspection?
Similar Services
Most Hobe Sound 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 Hobe Sound area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping Hobe Sound Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
We know how Hobe Sound books inspections, and we test to fit that rather than fight it.
accurate results
A RESNET certified inspector and calibrated gear — results Martin County Building Department will accept without a second visit.
immediate reports
Same-day digital reporting to the whole Hobe Sound project team, with deficiencies named if there are any.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing in Hobe Sound, with additional service throughout Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.
