RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Turnaround | Immediate Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance is a Florida local, family-run company working the barrier island communities, including the Town of Orchid. Orchid issues its own permits and exterior work also passes through Orchid Island architectural review, so we coordinate testing around a longer approval path.
What Is a Duct Leakage Test?
A duct leakage test measures how much air escapes the duct system instead of reaching the rooms it was sized for. On a small barrier island town of custom oceanfront and golf community homes, it is the last check before a project that has already cleared flood, wind and coastal review can close out.
What we test in Orchid is custom homes inside the Orchid Island community. Orchid requires Orchid Island Golf and Beach Community Association architectural review approval on top of the town permit.
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 filed with the Town of Orchid Building Department against the Florida Energy Conservation Code.
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Local Orchid and Indian River County 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 Town of Orchid Building Department issues permits for the town, and exterior work also passes through Orchid Island architectural review, which lengthens the overall approval path. Work here is custom oceanfront construction, where large glazed envelopes usually warrant smoke or infrared diagnostics alongside the duct leakage.
Why is Duct Leakage Testing Beneficial?
Coastal construction in Orchid is unforgiving about air and moisture, and the duct system is where conditioned air goes missing.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
For Orchid projects the test does two jobs at once: it satisfies the Town of Orchid 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 Orchid to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the Orchid address and when the home will be ready. With an ARC layer on top of the town permit, the schedule has more moving parts than a typical custom build.
2.
onsite testing
We show up at the Orchid address with everything needed. 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. If it is over, we identify where it is going rather than just handing you a fail.
4.
Report delivered same day via email
Everyone on the Orchid 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 Town of Orchid Building Department can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in Orchid
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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
Typically 30 to 60 minutes for a Orchid home. The setup takes longer than the measurement itself, and nothing about it is destructive.
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 Orchid. This includes:
Common Structures Like:
Additional Structures Like:
In Orchid, 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.
Yes. If duct leakage testing is on the permit and the result is not documented, the Town of Orchid Building Department can hold final approval until it is. That is the whole reason to use a provider who is local to Orchid and shows up when they said they would.
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 Orchid while we test — we only need the openings closed and the house in its final configuration.
It affects the overall approval timeline rather than the test itself. Exterior work in the Town of Orchid requires approval from the Orchid Island Golf and Beach Community Association Architectural Review Committee in addition to the town building permit.
We schedule duct testing against the building permit’s inspection date.
The method is the same. Orchid is entirely barrier island, and the work here is custom homes rather than production phases.
Large custom envelopes with extensive glazing and multiple exterior doors have more pressure boundary to seal, so we often pair the duct leakage with smoke or infrared diagnostics to locate leakage rather than only report the number.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in Orchid 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 Orchid to Pass Final Inspection?
Similar Services
Most Orchid 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 Orchid area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping Orchid Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
Testing in Orchid gets scheduled to land before the inspection, not chase it.
accurate results
Calibrated equipment and a RESNET certified inspector, so the number holds up when the Town of Orchid Building Department reviews it.
immediate reports
Same-day digital reporting to the whole Orchid project team, with deficiencies named if there are any.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing in Orchid, with additional service throughout Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.
