RESNET Certified Inspector | Builder Focused Turnaround | Immediate Electronic Reports
Stellar Building Performance serves West Melbourne, the fastest-growing municipality in Brevard County, along the St. Johns Heritage Parkway corridor and out through the Sawgrass Lakes communities.
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. In West Melbourne it is required on every new home with conditioned living space, and given the fastest-growing municipality in Brevard by percentage, most of that work runs on a schedule that does not leave room for a re-test.
We handle Sawgrass Lakes, Sunrise Estates and Greenleaf alongside one-off spec work. 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 documents compliance under the Florida Energy Conservation Code before the City of West Melbourne Building Department signs off.
Request West Melbourne Duct Leakage Testing
we respond quickly for West Melbourne duct leakage testing. no waiting days for scheduling and reports.
Local West Melbourne and Brevard County Projects Our Team has Worked On
Florida Energy Code Duct Leakage Requirements
The Florida Energy Conservation Code governs every residential permit in West Melbourne, and it applies to any conditioned structure built as living space.
West Melbourne runs its own City of West Melbourne Building Department. Worth knowing up front: Sawgrass Lakes is in West Melbourne, not Melbourne, and that includes The Willows, Sawgrass Lakes Reserve, Sawgrass Lakes Estates and The Summit at The Preserves. Getting that wrong sends the report to the wrong department.
This is the highest-growth municipality in the county by percentage, from under 10,000 residents in 2000 to nearly 26,000 at the 2020 census. Recent approvals include Sunrise Estates at 255 lots on the St. Johns Heritage Parkway, Greenleaf at 55 lots, and a 280-unit apartment project, so the volume here is real and it is ongoing.
Scheduling is tightly defined: inspections run 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and must be scheduled by 3:00 p.m. the prior day. There are also remaining septic pockets in the northwest, and properties in flood zones do not qualify for the under-$7,500 permit exemption.
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?
Volume builders in West Melbourne do not just need a passing number, they need to know which detail moved it.
Ducts losing air outside the conditioned space can cause:
A clean result in West Melbourne 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 West Melbourne to be as easy as possible.
1.
Schedule your test
You tell us the West Melbourne address and when the home will be ready. Inspections run 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and must be booked by 3:00 p.m. the day before, so we schedule against that cutoff.
2.
onsite testing
We show up at the West Melbourne 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. You get the number and, if it needs work, the reason behind it.
4.
Report delivered same day via email
Documentation is emailed the day of the test so the West Melbourne permit file is complete when the inspector opens it.
5.
Ready for Final Inspection approval
With the report on file, the City of West Melbourne Building Department can close out the permit and issue the certificate of occupancy.
Contact Us for Fast & Convenient Duct Leakage Testing in West Melbourne
Why Builders Choose Stellar Building Performance
Stellar Building Performance
No missed appointments or reschedules.
Responsive scheduling for West Melbourne projects.
We’re on the same team
Other Inspectors
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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 West Melbourne home. The setup takes longer than the measurement itself, and nothing about it is destructive.
In West Melbourne, 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.
Yes — an undocumented test is an incomplete permit file, and the City of West Melbourne Building Department will not close it out. Being on time in West Melbourne is most of the job.
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.
Duct Leakage Testing Code Reference
Duct Leakage Test Florida Requirements Explained
Duct leakage testing is required in West Melbourne 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 West Melbourne to Pass Final Inspection?
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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 West Melbourne area!
Energy Code Calculations
Energy performance calculations required for Florida residential building permits and code compliance documentation.
Helping West Melbourne Builders Stay on Schedule
Fast Scheduling
Testing in West Melbourne gets scheduled to land before the inspection, not chase it.
accurate results
Measured, not estimated. Calibrated equipment, RESNET certified, documented for the City of West Melbourne Building Department.
immediate reports
Documentation lands by email the day we test, so the West Melbourne closeout package is never waiting on us.
Other Areas We Serve
Local duct leakage testing in West Melbourne, with additional service throughout Brevard County, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Martin County, and Okeechobee County.
