Zonal Pressure Diagnostics
Bill Nye (yes, the science guy) said it right when he announced on his show that “Science is Cool!” It’s probably safe to say most of us have grown up in buildings of one kind or another, and as with most things that are familiar to us, buildings are often perceived as simple structures that give us shelter. It turns out, buildings are complex structures affected by many forces both mechanically and naturally induced. Sometimes this can create issues for occupants when things aren’t working right.
Understanding the dynamics of zonal pressures can be among the most vexing and interesting challenge for a building scientist. Understanding why a chimney won’t draft, or how smells are finding their way into one living space from another, or why one area of a building always feels drafty while the adjacent room does not. These are all issues typically based in air movement as a result of pressure differences in and out of a building. Out trained building technicians can help locate, understand and solve these issues using sophisticated tools and some good detective work.
