Energy (test) door

• US 4,449,393 A
• Filed: 11/16/1981
• Issued: 05/22/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David L. Wigley, Edmundson H. Dale, Jeffrey C. Tucker, Mark F. Vallo
• Original Assignee: David L. Wigley, Edmundson H. Dale, Jeffrey C. Tucker, Mark F. Vallo
• Inventors: Tucker, Jeffrey C., Vallo, Mark F., Edmundson, H. Dale, Wigley, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): YASICH, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US06/322,019
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 73/40, 98/1.5, 98/33 R, 49/463, 49/425, 52/173 R, 52/173 DS
• US Class Current: 73/40
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/26 by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors

Abstract

A test door has wheels mounted thereon so that one person can easily roll the door to a doorway of a house to be installed. The test door has a fan permanently mounted thereon. The test door has panels or flaps, which slide against the doorway to seal the doorway against leaks. The door has mounted thereon a speed control device, and a tachometer to determine the speed of the fan. The door also has mounted thereon a differential pressure gauge so that the pressure difference from the inside to outside of the door can be measured. Therefore, to determine the amount of leakage of air from a house, the door is rolled to the doorway and quickly placed in the doorway by sliding the flaps out until they seal the doorway. Then by starting the fan, a determination is made as to the amount of air loss for different fan speeds and differential pressures.

Claims

1. A door adapted to be mounted in the doorway of a house comprising:

a. a main panel having

i. an inside face, and

ii. an outside face

b. a fan housing attached to the outside face of the main panel,

c. a fan housing having a

i. a yoke side, and

ii. a door side which is the side attached to the main panel,

d. a yoke attached to the yoke side of the fan housing,

e. an axle attached to the yoke,

f. wheels journaled to said axle,

g. a fan journaled within said fan housing

h. a motor supported on said fan housing and having driving relationship with said fan,

i. a speed controller electrically connected to said motor for controlling the speed thereof,

j. a tachometer connected to said motor for indicating the speed thereof,

k. a differential pressure gauge inside of the door having a probe extending to the outside face of the door,

l. rollers attached to the inside face of the main panel,

m. a side flap slidingly attached to the side of the main panel,

n. a top flap slidingly attached to the top of the main panel,

o. each of said flaps having a core,

p. each of said flaps having a metal plate attached to either side of the core and straddling the main panel,

q. a corner flap slidingly attached to the top flap,

r. thumb screws to hold the corner flap in adjusted position,

s. spring means for biasing the top and side panels outward,

t. each spring means including a spring within

u. a tube secured to the main panel,

v. said springs biasing a plunger outward,

w. said plunger being telescoped within said tube and attached to one of said flaps,

x. latch means interconnecting each of the flaps on said main panel for holding the flaps in a retracted position,

y. rubber seal means extending along the outer edges of the flaps and the exposed edge of the main panel for providing an air seal between the door and the doorway, and

z. post attached to the outside face of the main panel near the top thereof whereby the air leakage of the house is determined by the motor speed and differential pressure.