RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Service | Same Day Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company working throughout Indian River County, from Sebastian and Fellsmere in the north through Vero Beach and out to the barrier island communities of Orchid and Indian River Shores.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
Indian River County is an unusual permitting map, four municipal building departments plus the county, covering Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere, Orchid and Indian River Shores. The county has jurisdiction over the unincorporated county and the City of Vero Beach, while Sebastian, Fellsmere, Orchid and Indian River Shores each issue their own permits.
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.
Whichever department reviews it, the requirement and the report are the same, documented under the Florida Energy Conservation Code.
Request Indian River County Duct Leakage Testing
we coordinate Indian River County duct leakage testing around your stage of construction, with the report sent the same day.
Local Indian River County Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in Indian River County, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space. What changes from project to project is who enforces it.
Indian River County has an unusual permitting map: four municipal building departments plus the county, and the county seat is the one that does not run its own.
The Indian River County Building Division has jurisdiction over the unincorporated county and the City of Vero Beach. Sebastian, Fellsmere, Orchid and Indian River Shores each issue their own permits. Vero Beach’s own Planning and Development Department handles site plan and zoning approval first, then the county issues the building permit and performs the inspections.
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?
Indian River County spans a lot of different building departments and a lot of different products, and the same duct problems turn up in all of them.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
For Indian River County projects the test does two jobs at once: it satisfies Indian River County Building Division 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 Indian River County to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Indian River County address and when the home will be ready. Knowing which of the five desks reviews a given parcel is half the scheduling problem here.
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 Indian River County, 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 Indian River County 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, Indian River County Building Division can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Indian River County
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules.
Confirmed scheduling for Indian River County projects.
We’re on the same team
Other Inspectors
You’re just another sale
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 Indian River County, depending on the size of the house. Nothing is drilled, cut or removed.
In Indian River County, 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. Indian River County Building Division needs the documented result in the file before it closes the permit, so a missing report in Indian River County 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 Indian River County while we test — we only need the openings closed and the house in its final configuration.
Want the longer version? Read our complete duct leakage testing FAQ.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in Indian River County 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 Indian River County to Pass Final Inspection?
Helping Indian River County Builders Stay on Schedule
Coordinated Scheduling
We know how Indian River County books inspections, and we test to fit that rather than fight it.
accurate results
A RESNET certified inspector and calibrated gear — results Indian River County Building Division will accept without a second visit.
same day reports
Same-day digital reporting to the whole Indian River County project team, with deficiencies named if there are any.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing throughout Indian River County, with additional service in Brevard County, St. Lucie County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.