Running a test

To start a new Pulse test, click the Run Test button from the Home screen. You will be guided through a number of screens to collect information about the test.

Property screen

The Property screen allows you to enter an address of where the test is being performed. This is essential for finding the test again in the future as well as for reporting and auditing purposes.

There a number of ways in which to enter enter an address: using address lookup, manual entering it or copying an address from a previous test.

Address lookup (UK only)

To find a address quickly, use the Address Lookup option and enter the postcode or house number + postcode. A list of matching addresses will be returned and you can select the correct address from the list displayed.

For best results, format the postcode correctly including a space, e.g. “AB1 2CD”.

You must be connected to Wi-Fi in order to use the address lookup functionality.

The address lookup functionality makes use of Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF®) including the “Not Yet Built” dataset. This is a comprehensive database of all addresses in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, and includes dwellings still under construction.

Manual address entry

If you cannot find the address using the lookup functionality, or you are entering a non-UK address, you can use the Manual Address Entry screen to enter the location of the property.

To proceed, select the country from the dropdown list, enter the first line of the address and postcode (where known).

Use an address from a previous test

For a property that has been tested by you before, or for similar properties on the same street, it is possible to copy an address and settings from a previous test.

Go to the From Previous Test screen and search for the previous test.

Once the previous test has been found, select one of the options to proceed:

Same Settings

To do another test within the same property but following a different procedure or in a another room, select the Same Settings option.

Repeat Test

When you need to run another identical test within the same property, select the Repeat Test option.

Similar Property

If you are testing in a similar property to one you have tested previously, select the Similar Property option where you will be prompted to enter a new address.

Context screen

The Context screen enables you to add contextual information about the test being performed, this determines which of the proceeding input fields are mandatory. It is also useful for future reference and streamlines the process of creating online test reports.

Test type

On the Context screen, you are required to specify the type of air test being performed - either Air Pressure Test or Background Ventilation Assessment.

Refer to test types for more information on each type of test.

Test enclosure

You are also required to state the type of enclosure being tested. If you are testing an entire building or part of a building, select Whole Building and enter the dimensions/volume of the entire building or space being tested.

If you are testing only a single room (common for Background Ventilation Assessment), select Room Only. This will enable the Room screen to appear where you can enter specifics of the room in question.

When testing any other type of enclosure, select Other and enter the correct dimensions/volume on the Building screen.

Test preparation

There are also a number of input fields around the preparation you performed in the building before carrying out the Pulse test. These are optional questions that allow you to record information required for CIBSE TM23 reporting and similar.

Building screen

The building screen allows you to enter information about the building and it’s architecture. When doing a whole building test, the building name (main, extension etc) as well as the dimensions/volume are required inputs.

For Air Pressure Tests, both the envelope area and volume are mandatory, whereas for Background Ventilation Tests, only the volume is mandatory.

Refer to measuring volume and measuring envelope area for more information on how to determine the building geometry.

Optionally, enter additional information about the building:

Building type

• House
• Flat
• Bungalow
• Maisonette
• Park Home
• Commercial Premise

Floor level (flats only)

• Ground Floor
• Mid Floor
• Top Floor

Attachment

• Detached
• Semi-Detached
• Mid-Terrace
• End-Terrace
• Enclosed Mid-Terrace (flats only)
• Enclosed End-Terrace (flats only)

Age band

For UK properties, the age bands will be based on the SAP region where the building is located. For non-UK properties, the age bands will be based on decades:

• before 1910
• 1910-1919
• 1920-1929
• 1930-1939
• 1940-1949
• 1950-1959
• 1960-1969
• 1970-1979
• 1980-1989
• 1990-1999
• 2000-2009
• 2010-2019
• 2020 onwards

Main wall construction

• Cavity
• Cob
• Solid Brick
• Solid Concrete
• Solid Stone
• Steel Frame
• System Build
• Timber Frame
• Other

Main floor type

• Solid
• Suspended (timber or concrete beam & block)

Main heating type

• Boiler
• Communal Heat Network (serving one building)
• District Heat Network (serving multiple buildings)
• Electric Space Heaters
• Heat Pump
• Heating Stove
• Warm Air Heating
• Other

Main ventilation type

• Natural Ventilation (may include intermittent extract fans)
• Centralised Mechanical Extract Only (MEV)
• Decentralised Mechanical Extract Only (dMEV)
• Mechanical Ventilation (MV)
• Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
• Positive Input Ventilation (PIV)

Room screen (room tests only)

When doing a room only test, the room screen allows you to enter information about the room being tested it’s dimensions/volume.

For Air Pressure Tests, both the envelope area and volume are mandatory, whereas for Background Ventilation Tests, only the volume is mandatory.

Refer to measuring volume and measuring envelope area for more information on how to determine the room geometry.

Optionally, enter additional information about the room:

Room type

• Basement
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Corridor
• Dining Room
• Kitchen
• Landing
• Living Room
• Lounge
• Office
• Store Room
• Study
• Toilet
• Utility Room
• Other

Room name

Will default to Room type but can be overridden, e.g. “Bedroom 1” or “Meeting Room” etc.

Age band

For UK properties, the age bands will be based on the SAP region where the building is located. For non-UK properties, the age bands will be based on decades:

• before 1910
• 1910-1919
• 1920-1929
• 1930-1939
• 1940-1949
• 1950-1959
• 1960-1969
• 1970-1979
• 1980-1989
• 1990-1999
• 2000-2009
• 2010-2019
• 2020 onwards

Wall construction

• Cavity
• Cob
• Solid Brick
• Solid Concrete
• Solid Stone
• Steel Frame
• System Build
• Timber Frame
• Other

Floor type

• Solid
• Suspended (timber or concrete beam & block)

Heating type

• Boiler
• Communal Heat Network (serving one building)
• District Heat Network (serving multiple buildings)
• Electric Space Heaters
• Heat Pump
• Heating Stove
• Warm Air Heating
• Other

Ventilation type

• Natural Ventilation (may include intermittent extract fans)
• Centralised Mechanical Extract Only (MEV)
• Decentralised Mechanical Extract Only (dMEV)
• Mechanical Ventilation (MV)
• Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)
• Positive Input Ventilation (PIV)

Ventilation devices

• Chimney
• Closed combustion flue (e.g. wood burner)
• Cooker hood (vented to outside only)
• Intermittent extract fan
• Passive vent
• Trickle vents above windows

Settings screen

The Settings screen allows you to enter your own test reference. This will default to the house number and postcode entered, but can be manually changed.

Additionally, you can also add notes about this specific test as well as general site notes about the building or location being tested.

Tags

Tags are a useful way of categorising tests, for instance, if you are doing multiple tests within the same building over time. Pre-defined tags exist for Pre-retrofit and Post-retrofit. Custom tags can be added by clicking the + icon.

Building profile

The building profile determines the test cycle used during the release of air. In most cases, this should be set to Normal which will trigger a 2-step, 1.5 second burst of air for each step.

For buildings that have been purposely built to a very airtight standard, such as Passivhaus, this can be set to Very Airtight. This will trigger a 3-second burst of air for both steps.

Advanced settings

For advanced use cases, it is possible to override the number of steps and Pulse duration manually, as well as change the barometric pressure reading.

Overriding the default advanced settings can cause unexpected results. This section is designed for expert users only.

Run test screen

The final stage is to launch the Pulse test. Clicking Next from the Settings screen will take you to the Run test screen.

When the button is clicked, you will be given a 5-second countdown timer before the test begins. During this time you should alert others that the test is about to fire and be loud. It is still possible to cancel the test during the countdown.

After the countdown ends, the Pulse test will start by releasing air from the connected air receivers. It is not possible to cancel the test once it is in progress. Once the test cycle has been completed, the result will be presented on screen.

Refer to flowchart of test cycle for more information on the stages of a Pulse test.

The burst of air released during a Pulse test is loud. Always ensure other people in the building are aware before running a Pulse test.

We recommended that you always wear ear plugs or suitable ear protection due to the loud noise levels.

It is your responsibility to perform a health & safety risk assessment for the site in question before doing a Pulse test.

Results screen

Once the test has completed, the Results screen will be displayed showing the status of the Pulse test and the result for various air leakage metrics at both 4 Pa and 50 Pa.

The Pulse test will show one of the following four statuses:

Valid

The test completed successfully.

Valid with warnings

The test completed with warnings, such as low or high building pressurisation.

In excess of

The test was not valid due to insufficient building pressurisation, but it is still possible to present an “in excess of” result.

Invalid

The test was not valid and a result cannot be presented with any confidence.

Refer to test validity and result metrics for more information on understanding results and warning messages.

Uploading the result

If you are connected to Wi-Fi and signed in as an online user, it is possible to upload the result directly to the cloud from the Results screen. Click the Upload button and wait for the test to be uploaded to your cloud account.

Exporting to USB

Alternatively, test results can always be exported to a USB flash drive. To achieve this, plug a USB flash drive into the USB port on the top of the controller and click the Export button. This will write a .PAT file to the root folder of the USB flash drive, which can then uploaded to Pules Online using a separate computer.

Re-running a test

The Results screen also includes a button to perform a re-test. This allows you to quickly re-run the same test again in the case of invalid tests or where you want an average of multiple tests.