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  1. rCloud Releases & Updates

    Major Enhancements Are Right Around the Corner

    October Release

    • Feature 1: Completion of the ATTMA (Air Tightness Testing & Measurement Association) standard. This standard is primarily used in the United Kingdom but also used or referenced in 90 other countries. This standard has two types of test available: Single Direction Multi Point Test and Dual Direction Multi Point Test. A lot of the groundwork for ATTMA was completed in the September release (1.1.7) however due to time constraints and the size of the feature some functionality was pushed into the October release. The biggest piece of this feature to be added is to allow user input of the fan flow equation parameters received when a test fan is re-calibrated, and have these parameters be used in calculating flows.  The other functionality to be added will allow rCloud to gather the post test information about environmental conditions, store the additional data in the
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  2. rCloud

    View the latest updates for rCloud.

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  3. How do I know how many fans I need for a Blower Door or Enclosure Integrity Test?

    I have a Energy or Enclosure Integrity Test to perform.  How many fans do I need to properly run the test?  Do I have enough fans to run the test?

     

    We have created two tools to help you figure out how many fans you will need for your test. 

    Download either the Blower Door or Enclosure Integrity version of the Number of Fans Calculator

    Next, open the file in excel and "Enable Editing" when a security warning appears.

    Fill in all the fields highlighted in blue.  The number of fan results are highlighted in green.

     

    Here is what the Blower Door Number of Fans Calculator looks like:

     

    And this is what the Enclosure

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  4. Why does my Q4 result have such high uncertainty?

    You need to consider that there is a fundamental issue of uncertainty with using 4 Pa as a reference pressure. Just imagine, if there is even a 1 Pa fluctuation, due to so many possible sources that can cause pressure fluctuations as you know, the pressure measurement already has an uncertainty of +/- 25% error. Consider that for almost all airtightness testing standards across the world, the reference pressure for Flow results are either 50 Pa or 75 Pa.

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  5. What do the different pressures and flows shown in FanTestic represent?

    How does FanTestic calculate the pressures and flows that appear in the FanTestic UI and in the generated Word reports?

    The table in the report (and the onscreen data entry fields) containing data for each Set shows:

    • the “Induced pressure” and this is the pressure measured by the gauge (read automatically or entered by user) without correction for bias pressure.
    • the “Fan Pressure” for each Fan, and this is the pressure measured by the gauge. (read automatically or entered by user)
    • the “Flow” for each Fan, which is calculated using the Fan Pressure 
    • the “Total Flow” which is all the Flows added up, for all the Fans used, at that target point (will be the same as Flow if only one fan is used)
    • the “Corrected Flow” which is the Total Flow adjusted as required in the chosen Standard to account for air density 
      (air density corrections generally
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  6. If I uninstall FanTestic will I lose all my test data?

    Uninstalling FanTestic will NOT remove any of your test files or reports, it will only uninstall the program files. 

    It is generally a good practice to regularly back your test and report data to a different location.

    Uninstalling FanTestic will also NOT uninstall the DM-2 USB driver.  You should still be able to see it listed as installed in your Control Panel after you restart the computer.

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  7. Why does FanTestic not find my DM-2 gauge when I start an Auto Test?

    When I try to start an Auto Test or click Find Gauges button, I get a message saying no gauges were found.  Part of the error message says "Error 5: Access denied".

    Your computer is limiting access to the USB ports by programs.  In order for FanTestic to access the USB ports on your computer, you may have to "Run as Administrator".  You will need to follow the procedure outlined in the attached document, regardless of whether you have Administrator privileges on your computer. 

    This problem can be avoided if you have a DM32 by connecting the DM32 gauge using an Ethernet cable to connect the computer to the Network port on the gauge instead of using the USB cable.

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  8. How is EqLA calculated?

    For reference to equations for calculating results from a Blower Door test, you can refer to the ASTM E-779-10 standard.

    In engineering (fluid dynamics) terms, Bernoulli's equation is an energy balance equation that assumes incompressible fluid (e.g. air) at steady state through two points (e.g. through a building); The equation can be simplified to an orifice plate equation and applied to a Blower Door test.  We can calculate point #1 - the total leakage (EqLA or ELA) of a building, and point #2 - a known area (size of fan hole: Range configuration) by measuring via Blower Door system the airflow rate through these points at a specific induced building pressure (the reference pressure). 

    Induced building pressure is directly proportional to airflow rate through a building, and EqLA is directly proportional to airflow rate; so that a higher induced

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  9. When do I need to install a USB driver from the website?

    If you have a DM-2 and want to connect to it using software such as FanTestic or the Retrotec Data Logger, you need to install a USB Driver. 

    Check your Windows operating system version to determine if you need a 32 bit installer or a 64 bit installer, and download and install from the website.

    If you have a DM32, you should use the WiFi or Wired Ethernet connection to the computer for controlling the gauge.  The only time you need to connect the DM32 to the computer using the USB is when updating the gauge firmware using the DM32Configurator software .  You can use the USB for gauge control but it is not recommended.  In any case, the DM32 USB driver is automatically installed by FanTestic.

    If you look in your Control Panel - Programs and Features section, you will see the USB drivers that are installed on your computer, listed under Retrotec as the publisher.

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  10. Why is there a reference pressure for results?

    Why is there a reference pressure for EqLA results?
    (Or Flow, Permeability, ACH results?)

    The results are all referenced to a single pressure, the reference pressure.  The reference pressure is dictated by the standard with which the test is trying to comply.

    Induced building pressure is directly proportional to airflow rate through a building, and EqLA is directly proportional to airflow rate; so that a higher induced building pressure would be a higher EqLA. Hence, there needs to be a reference pressure when referring to a leakage or flow result.

    For the ASTM standard, the leakage result is required to be at a reference pressure of 50 Pa, whereas it is 75 Pa for the USACE standard. Reference pressure also applies to permeability (e.g. CFM/ft2) and air change (ACH) results.

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