Test & Balance

Professional Test and Balance Company

Texture Dots

A Little Bit About Testing, Adjusting and Balancing

Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) is the art, science and best engineering practice of gathering physical values of system fluid flows (air or water), comparing them to design/code/compliance criteria, and adjusting dampers/diffusers/grilles (air) or circuit balancing valves (water) to match design/code/compliance criteria, within an established percentage, to achieve optimum performance of the building’s environmental equipment.

The accurate test and balance of a building ensures that the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are operating at an optimum level. Bringing comfort to the building occupants while providing energy efficiency to the owner are two of the key benefits of our HVAC air test and balance services.

Understanding TAB Operations and the TAB Process

Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) ensure that a building’s environmental systems meet the design engineer’s objectives — especially the goals of comfort and economy. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) defines the three TAB operations in this way:

  • Test: To determine quantitative performance of equipment. Testing involves the use of specialized, calibrated instruments to measure temperatures, pressures, rotational speeds, electrical characteristics, velocities, and air and water quantities during an evaluation of equipment and system performance.
  • Adjust: To regulate the specified fluid flow rate and air patterns at the terminal equipment (e.g., to reduce speed or throttling). Adjusting is the final setting of balancing devices such as dampers and valves, and fine-tuning fan speeds/pump impeller sizes and control devices such as thermostats and pressure controllers to achieve maximum specified system performance.
  • Balance: To proportion flows within the distribution system (zones, branches and terminals) according to specified design quantities. Balancing is the methodical regulation/balance of system fluid flows (air or water) using acceptable/standardized procedures to achieve the desired or specified design air/water flow.

Those three TAB operations are part of the TAB process, which ASHRAE defines as checking and adjusting the building’s environmental systems to produce the design objectives. The process includes:

  • Balance of air and water distribution
  • Adjustment of the total system to provide design quantities
  • Electrical measurement
  • Verification of the performance of all equipment and automatic controls
  • Measurement of sound and vibration

A technician accomplishes these by following three steps:

  1. Checking installations for conformity to design
  2. Measuring and establishing the fluid quantities of the system as required to meet design specifications
  3. Recording and reporting the results, including any deficiencies found

Choose CEPro for Your Water and Air Balance Testing

CEPro, an HVAC test and balance company, has the significant resources, years of experience and specialized training to ensure that the TAB projects we perform are completed on time, thoroughly and accurately. Results are predicted and inconsistencies are fully examined and remedied.

Certified: NEBB – National Environmental Balancing Bureau and TABB – Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau

  1. Air & Hydronic Balancing
  2. Diagnostics and Analysis/Design and Repair
  3. Infection Control Compliance
    • Integration with Construction T&B
  4. Central/Localized Controls/BAS
    • Calibration & Commissioning
  5. Duct Leakage Testing & Sealing
  6. Room Leakage/Blower Door Testing
  7. Professional Documentation/Web-based Reports
  8. SOP Development
  9. Energy Assessments, Measurement & Verification
  10. Laboratory Environment & Controls Expertise
  11. NIST – Instrumentation Calibrated Annually

Ready to begin your critical environments project?

Get Started Today