Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2018

S tate, National, Chapter News Education News

City of Little Rock REQUIRED DUCT TESTING

Any new house, duplex, triplex or apartment permitted after October 3 is required to have ductwork tested and approved by a certified tester prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.

It’s Here! After many

The new ordinance does not change the permissible air leakage. It only requires that the duct be tested in new construction. The test can be done by a third party or the installing contractor; however, the testing person must be certified by RESNET, BPI, or the Arkansas HVACR Association. The Association is offering duct blaster certification classes in September so Little Rock HVACR contractors can comply with the ordinance. Certification is per person, not for the company. The class is open to HVACR owners, employees, or a person wanting to provide testing services to contractors. For a contractor to certify their own ductwork, they will need the following: A. Duct Blaster Approximate cost is $2,700. TEC is offering students a 5% discount on equipment B. Complete Certification Class ARHVACRA Certification $50.00 Click Here to Register

months of consideration and venting by the affected parties, Little Rock Ordinance 21,577 takes affect 10-3- 2018. After that date, all new construction residential, duplex, triplex or apartment dwellings are required to have ductwork tested and approved by a certified tester prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. So how tight is tight? The present Arkansas Energy Code calls for duct leakage not to exceed “x” per 100 ft 2 of conditioned floor area when pressurized to 25 pascals, about 1/10 of an inch of water column-- I. Test at Rough In A. Air handler present 6 cfm per 100 ft 2 floor area B. Air handler not present 4 cfm per 100 ft 2 floor area II. Test at Post-construction (air handler installed) A. Leakage to outdoors 8 cfm per 100 ft 2 B. Total leakage 12 cfm per 100 ft 2