A Simplified Field Diagnostics Protocol for Envelope and Duct Leakage in Manufactured Homes

Manufactured housing is subject to federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code, which does not require envelope or standardized duct leakage testing. Errors in the home-siting process—along with occasional damage during transport—can lead to envelope and duct-leakage issues that go undetected unless they are severe enough to trigger a customer complaint due to moisture issues, poor comfort, or high energy bills. These problems could be mitigated if home installers or inspectors had a simple way to test for significant envelope or duct leakage at the completion of the siting process.

This report describes the evaluation of a simplified protocol for assessing envelope and duct leakage intended for home installers and inspectors.

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See our explanation of the protocol here, including an outline of recommended steps.

This report is part of a grant that Slipstream and several partners received from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to reimagine HVAC in new manufactured housing. Read more about the full project here.