When using TECTITE, a pop up message comes up saying:  WARNING! Excessive building pressure fluctuation for current target pressure. What causes this and what are my options?

While attempting to reach a target pressure line, the measured building pressure has been fluctuating beyond the Target Tolerance for more than 90 seconds. In order for TECTITE to start taking data at any target pressure line, it must first determine that the current measured building pressure is within a specified range from the target building pressure.  This specified range is called the Target Tolerance. If the current measured building pressure is fluctuating beyond the Target Tolerance, then data collection for that target pressure will not begin. 

Fluctuating building pressure readings are often caused by improper installation of the building pressure reference tubing, or by windy weather. To determine the cause of the problem: 

• First check to be sure that the outside end of the building pressure tubing (e.g. the green tubing connected to the Channel A/P1 Reference tap) is not placed directly in the exhaust air flow of the Blower Door fan. You must be careful to run the end of the tubing well away (at least 5 feet to the side) from the exhaust of the fan.  A good location for the end of the building pressure tubing is at the base of the building where it meets the ground. 
• If the building pressure tubing is installed correctly, the fluctuating building pressures are possilby caused by wind. Try increasing your Target Tolerance to 3 or 4 from the default value of 2 (the Target Tolerance can be changed by clicking on the ADJUST AUTO TEST   SETTINGS button in the warning screen). If this doesn’t work, increase the Target Tolerance to 5 or greater. 

Note: As the Target Tolerance is increased from the default value of 2, gathered data may not be as close to the target pressure lines as would be the case when using the default value. This has negligible effect on the final test results. However, some test standards do require that the measured building pressures be within a specified range of the target pressure (e.g. the CGSB test standard requires that the measured building pressures be within +/- 2.5 Pa of the specified target pressure).

• In windy conditions, you may wish to use the SAMPLE button on the Test Graph to force a reading to be taken despite the fluctuating building pressure. Whenever the computer is seeking a target building pressure, clicking on the SAMPLE button causes the computer to proceed as if it had decided that the Target Tolerance has been met.
• Check the version of TECTITE that is installed on your computer by clicking on the Help pull down menu and choose About TECTITE. Version 4.0.38.0 has a known issue that will cause this error to occur when you have higher baseline readings. Uninstall this version and install the latest version from our website.