What is a house tightness test and how is it conducted?
A good rule of thumb for checking a broiler house for tightness is to close all the inlets and doors in the house and turn on one tunnel fan and observe the static pressure difference between inside and outside of the house. The higher the static pressure difference the tighter the house is. Field tests and observations have shown many broiler houses to have a static pressure under this tightness test of under 0.03 to 0.05 inches of water (7.5-12.5 Pa). New houses that are being built where builders are paying special attention to minimizing leaks and tightness can have static pressure readings of 0.15 to 0.25 inches (37-62 Pa) during this tightness test. The performance difference in these houses from a ventilation standpoint is staggering. Loose houses use much more fuel, have poor litter quality, and less uniformity in temperature and air quality for the birds. Field results have shown that houses that have leak test readings as low as 0.03-0.05 inches (7.5-12.5Pa) will use 20-25% m
