As an employee, I was told over and over again, “you can’t say this or that to the customer.” When mistakes were made, the costs were dumped on the customers. I wondered how this was even possible, and many times, I’d had enough. I switched jobs five times in seven years until I found a company whose values matched mine: customer satisfaction, courage and honesty, innovation, and collaboration. The problem? That company went bankrupt in 2019. So, when I started my own company that same year, I decided to build it around these values—and stay out of bankruptcy.
We at IVAeris Oy always aim to deliver the best service, and I’ve been waiting for mistakes to happen so I could see if my values were just pretty words or if I could actually stick to them as an entrepreneur. And then, a couple of weeks ago, that mistake happened.
Yeah, we messed up… but here’s why that’s a good thing for you.
At IVAeris Oy, we’ve done hundreds of ductwork pressure tests, like in the Lähderanta metro tunnel and Kivistö residential block projects —almost always without a hitch. But in this latest project, we made a mistake that taught us something important, and in the end, it could save you from major headaches.
The first step in a tightness inspection, aka pressure test, is checking the installation—a time-consuming process, especially for large projects. We create a tightness report that notes the lengths and surface areas of the ducts inspected. After that, the ducts are pressurized with a fan connected to the system with temporary ducts. This is where we messed up.
When the measurements showed leaks, we spent a couple of hours hunting down the leak point. Finally, we realized the issue wasn’t with the system itself but with our own temporary connections. From now on, we’ve adopted a new rule: if a leak is found, we check our own connections first. This simple change ensures we save time and money—yours and ours.
Not sure what a ductwork tightness inspection is?
A ductwork tightness inspection is like testing a boat for leaks. Leaky ducts = you’re losing money. Tight ducts = you maximize energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Here’s the deal:
What is a tightness inspection? It’s a test to check that air isn’t leaking out of your ducts. We pump pressure into the ducts, measure how much leaks out, and compare it to standards. Simple.
Why is it important? Leaky ducts mean wasted heating and cooling. And who wants to pay extra for that? Tight ducts keep energy bills down and ensure fresh air. This isn’t just trivia; this is directly tied to your and your customers’ wallets.
Regulations and classes? Tightness classes A, B, C, and D. A is “better than nothing,” D is “nearly airtight.” Recommendation: Aim for at least B. It’s a good balance between cost and performance.
Bottom line: Don’t leave money on the table. A tightness inspection tells you if your ventilation system is up to par or if you’re literally leaking money into thin air.
So, if you’re not doing tightness inspections, you’re making a mistake. Ductwork tightness is critical for energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Leaky ducts can increase energy consumption by up to 30%. That’s why we now make sure every connection, even temporary ones, is double-checked.
Mistakes happen, even to the pros. But when we make mistakes, you don’t pay for them, and we learn from them. Now we’re better at what we do than we were before this slip-up. One of our core values is honesty, so when you book an inspection with us, you can trust the job isn’t done until it’s done right. We don’t hide our mistakes; we own them and learn from them.
WE KNOW, WE CARE & WE GET IT DONE
IVAeris Oy
010 206 3000