10/07/2026
Just a general FYI—a static pressure test is a relatively simple way to estimate the amount of leakage area in a poultry house. If we close up the house, turn on an exhaust fan with a known air-moving capacity, and measure the resulting static pressure, we can use a formula to estimate the total leakage area.
For instance, if we turn on a fan that moves 25,000 cfm at 0.10" static pressure and measure a house pressure of 0.15", we know that the house has approximately 20 square feet of leakage area. It does not matter whether the house is 400, 500, or 600 feet long, or how wide it is—the house still has approximately 20 square feet of cracks and other openings.
Is 20 square feet a lot of leakage? That depends on the size of the house. In a 40' × 400' house, 20 square feet is a significant amount of leakage—approximately 1.2 square feet of leakage per 1,000 square feet of floor space. In comparison, a 60' × 700' house with the same 20 square feet of leakage would be considered relatively tight, with only about 0.46 square feet of leakage per 1,000 square feet of floor space.
In the end, without knowing the amount of air the fan is moving and the size of the house, a static pressure reading taken during a pressure test does not tell us very much about how tight the house actually is. This is important because the tighter the house, the lower its heating costs will tend to be and the easier it will be to control house temperature and air quality.
You may want to download our Poultry411 app. It has a house tightness calculator that will calculate leakage area, and relative leakage area. Just input the air moving capacity of the fan you used in your static pressure test, the resulting static pressure measurement and your house size. It will also provide an estimation of how much your houses's leakage area could cost you in terms of propane usage and inlet performance.
Let me know if you have any questions.
