RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Service | Same Day Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company serving Okeechobee County, from the City of Okeechobee and Taylor Creek west to Basinger and Fort Drum.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
Duct Leakage Testing is required on new residential construction throughout Okeechobee County, whichever department holds the permit. Okeechobee County is a rural market where most of the county is unincorporated.
A duct leakage test measures how much air escapes the duct system instead of reaching the rooms it was sized for. Because Okeechobee County has one incorporated municipality and it permits separately, so the county handles the majority of new residential work, we confirm the reviewing authority first and test second.
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. The result is documented against the Florida Energy Conservation Code and sent the same day.
Request Okeechobee County Duct Leakage Testing
we coordinate Okeechobee County duct leakage testing around your stage of construction, with the report sent the same day.
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in Okeechobee County, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space. What changes from project to project is who enforces it.
Okeechobee County has one incorporated municipality, and it permits separately. Okeechobee County Building and Permitting, inside the Community Development department, reviews and inspects everything in the unincorporated county. Anything inside the city limits goes through the City of Okeechobee’s own Building and Permitting department.
Most of the county is unincorporated, so the majority of new residential work here falls to the county. Lots are large, homes are scattered, and single-family construction dominates, which makes trip planning matter more than it does on the coast.
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?
Okeechobee 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:
A clean result in Okeechobee County means the file is complete and nobody is making a second trip. A failure caught early means it is still cheap to fix.
How We Keep Our Services Simple and Easy
We want completing your Duct Leakage Testing in Okeechobee County to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Okeechobee County address and when the home will be ready. Lots are large and homes are scattered, which makes trip planning matter more here than it does on the coast.
2.
onsite testing
Our inspector arrives at the Okeechobee County site and sets up. Registers are sealed and the duct blaster is connected to the system, which is then brought up to test pressure.
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
Documentation is emailed the day of the test so the Okeechobee County permit file is complete when the inspector opens it.
5.
Ready for Final Inspection approval
With the report on file, Okeechobee County Building and Permitting can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Okeechobee County
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules.
Confirmed scheduling for Okeechobee 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
Most duct leakage tests in Okeechobee County take 30 to 60 minutes. It is quick, non-destructive, and easy to slot in before final inspection.
In Okeechobee 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. Okeechobee County Building and Permitting needs the documented result in the file before it closes the permit, so a missing report in Okeechobee 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.
Usually not. The test runs while the crew keeps going; what matters is that the building is buttoned up the way it will be at handover.
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 Okeechobee 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 Okeechobee County to Pass Final Inspection?
Helping Okeechobee County Builders Stay on Schedule
Coordinated Scheduling
Okeechobee County has one incorporated municipality and it permits separately, so the county handles the majority of new residential work. We schedule around it.
accurate results
A RESNET certified inspector and calibrated gear — results Okeechobee County Building and Permitting will accept without a second visit.
same day reports
Documentation lands by email the day we test, so the Okeechobee County closeout package is never waiting on us.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing throughout Okeechobee County, with additional service in Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, and Martin County.