ENGINEERS NOTEBOOK

78 ASHRAE Jour nal Sept ember 2012

Classifying Duct Leakage
By Lee Feigenbaum, Student Member ASHRAE
A
s an ever-increasing number of
buildings seek LEED certica-
tion, energy-conserving initia-
tives call for HVAC systems that deliver
high levels of performance at relatively
low pressures.
1
To that end, engineers
routinely specify air duct leakage
testing to verify that their finished
systems meet acceptable standards for
air conveyance.
Based on the SMACNA standard for
leakage testing, leakage classication
helps relate leakage to duct surface
area.
1
To avoid unnecessary costs or
lost productivity resulting from failed
leakage tests in the eld, it is important
to understand how leakage classication
impacts the leakage factor, or permis-
sible leakage.
Leakage classication is the value that
ties static pressure (in. w.g.) to acceptable
leakage rates. At any given pressure, leak-
age classication identies a permissible
leakage rate measured in cfm/100 ft
2
(L/s
per 20 m
2
) of duct surface area at 1 in.
w.g. (249 Pa).
1

To simplify the procedure of calcu-
lating acceptable leakage, SMACNA
provides leakage factors that correspond
to Leakage Classications 2, 4, 8, and 16
in Table E-1.
1
Although leakage classi-
cation can be expressed by any number
(including decimals and/or fractions), it
should not be selected arbitrarily.
SMACNA provides suggested values
in its leakage standards as a general
guideline. Other values are also accept-
able given that they are achievable us-
ing the correct fabrication and sealing
techniques. ASHRAE/IES Standard
90.1-2010 recommends Leakage Class
6 for ductwork at 1 in. w.g. (249 Pa).
To maintain efciency while conduct-
ing leakage testing, it is important to
understand how to properly calculate the
specied allowable leakage.
One example would be when the
specified leakage class is 5. Many
engineers and contractors in this situ-
ation quickly jump to the next most
restrictive classification as set forth in
SMACNA Table E-1. In doing so they
exceed the specifications, which is un-
This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, September 2012. Copyright 2012 ASHRAE. Posted at www.ashrae.org. This article may not be copied
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ENGINEERS NOTEBOOK
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Classifying Duct Leakage
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80 ASHRAE Jour nal Sept ember 2012
necessary and potentially expensive on
a first cost basis.
The proper formula to calculate allow-
able leakage is:
F= C
L
P
N
where
F =Maximum leakage rate per unit
of duct surface area as cfm/100
ft
2
(L/s per 20 m
2
) (L
max
in Standard 90.1-2010)
C
L
=Leakage Class (given)
P =Static Pressure (given)
N =0.65 (constant value unless specied otherwise)
1

Using this formula on a duct systemconstructed to 4 in. w.g. (996
Pa) and Leakage Class 6, the leakage factor (F) is 14.8 cfm/100 ft
2

(15 L/s per 20 m
2
). The same system at Leakage Class 5 yields a
slightly more restrictive factor of 12.3 cfm/100 ft
2
(12 L/s per 20
m
2
). At Leakage Class 4 this system only allows a stingy factor of
9.8 cfm/100 ft
2
(10 L/s per 20 m
2
).
When applied over a large test area, this difference becomes
signicant. For instance, assume a test area of 2,000 ft
2
(186 m
2
)
at Leakage Class 5. If an engineer or contractor follows Table E-1
and jumps to the next most restrictive Leakage Class 4, rather than
calculating the leakage factor for Leakage Class 5, he essentially
forfeits 50 cfm (24 L/s) of allowable leakage (Table 1). That is
roughly equivalent to testing the system with an undampered air
Static
Pressure (P)
Leakage Class
(C
L
)
Maximum
Leakage Rate (F)
Test Area
(ft
2
)
Allowable Leakage
4 in. w.g. 4 9.8 2,000 196
4 in. w.g. 5 12.3 2,000 246
4 in. w.g. 6 14.8 2,000 296
Table 1: Allowable leakage of sample section of duct tested to 4 in. w.g. (996 Pa)
and various leakage classifcations.
outlet fully open. The impact to a contractors productivity and/or
protability under these undesirable circumstances is unacceptable.
Leakage classication is an important component of leakage
calculations. When multiplied by the surface area of a test sec-
tion the leakage classication can become a powerful and costly
hindrance if not given proper consideration and care. Diligence
while calculating leakage factors is important, as unexpected
consequences of erroneous calculations may include unrealistic
leakage goals and lost productivity. To that end, SMACNA states
that prudent contractors must take testing seriously; work se-
quence, work duration and costs can be signicantly affected.
1

References
1. SMACNA. 2012. HVAC Air Duct Leakage Test Manual (2
nd
ed).
Lee Feigenbaumis a project manager at Heritage Mechanical
Services: An EMCOR Co. in Farmingdale, N.Y. He is studying for
an MBA degree at Hofstra University.
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