HRV ventilation in the mechanical room
pookieman
4 years ago
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HRV help (along with natural gas fireplace)
Comments (4)Unvented fireplaces are problematic. I think they are outlawed in Canada and, in my opinion, should be outlawed here because they are dangerous and harmful to indoor air quality. Building codes in many communities outlaw them, especially in sleeping rooms because of the risk of oxygen depletion and/or carbon monoxide buildup. Consumer Reports has a good article on the subject available free of charge in their website. If there is an uncomplicated and not too costly way to vent your gas logs, doing so with eliminate the problem you described. But if you depend on gas logs to provide serious heat, you should consider upgrading to a direct vent system. They are safe and highly energy efficient. Go to the FIREPLACE forum and plug in direct vent in the search engine to find out more about them....See MoreHeat recovery ventilator (HRV)
Comments (4)I can't imagine it'd be practical to create an isolated area for using turps as I'm sure you're using them all over the room, and it's generally floating around....although for cleaning, maybe you could create a dedicated area but you wouldn't want to concentrate the fumes dangerously, either. I have two thoughts, one would be to install a bathroom-type (or maybe even a kitchen vent hood, if there is indeed an area you could try to restrict the turps use to) that vents outside....this would create a slight negative pressure in the room which would prevent the fumes drifting through the rest of the house....but you do need to ensure adequate fresh air intake so the fans aren't drawing combustion products back through the furnace etc....so a whole-house air replacement unit might be a possibility too, which, in theory you could set up in your studio I suppose. You could also consider some sort of air conditioning unit, a split system or even just a window unit, some can be set to draw fresh air in - you crack another window in the room for the air to go out. The a/c would dehumidfy....See Moredistance from HRV input to heating output vent?
Comments (3)The venting is already run. By air exchanger I mean the HRV - heat recovery ventilator that is installed in all new homes around here. They are called air exchangers because they exchange air inside air with fresh outside air. All the vents here are attached to the HRV. When you turn on your "fan" (which isn't turning on a fan, it's button to turn on the HRV), it pulls air through an intake and then swaps in fresh air through a vent which is the same vent where heat and A/C come through. They don't put exhaust fans in new houses here due to the air tightness of the homes. If there is something vented outside, the air has to be brought back in and so this is done by making the air exchange system work throughout the house. There is already an output vent, putting heat/ac/fresh air into the toilet stall. There currently is no intake to take air from the toilet stall outside. The intake for that is only in the main bathroom area. There is also a heat/ac/fresh air output in the main bathroom area. I want to know where I can put an input vent to haul smells out of the toilet room for when the door is closed. Right now, that placement will put it too close to the output vent, which means everything coming out will get sucked directly into the intake without circulating through the room. Maybe I don't need an intake in there, I am trying to figure out if I do. The one that is in the main bathroom area was supposed to be double sided into the toilet stall but for some reason that didn't get done....See MoreHRV and air quality
Comments (13)This is an old thread, but since it's been resurrected, I thought some additional information would be helpful. Residential indoor air quality standards are evolving--as they should. Energy conservation goals are driving the construction of "tighter" homes which can result in elevated concentrations of moisture and indoor pollutants. Ventilation strategies need be implemented to deal with each. Strategies such as opening windows and turning on fans may be helpful for rapidly ventilating a living space following an event that generates smoke or an unpleasant odor (like when I'm doing the cooking, for example) or to deal with high relative humidity following an event like a shower or to provide short duration make up air for a high-capacity range hood. But, unless you live in a climate where you can live with open windows year 'round, it's not the best strategy to deal with a continuous source of indoor pollutants as is the case with chemical off-gassing of construction materials, and furnishings. Nor is it the best strategy if outdoor air pollutants (e.g., pollen) are a problem for one or more occupants. In those cases, a controlled mechanical ventilation designed for the specific purpose is a better strategy. With respect to formaldehyde, guidelines vary from country to country, but most suggest around a 0.1 ppm maximum concentration to preclude health issues. If you know the average concentration in your home and the volume of the conditioned living area, you can calculate the supplemental ventilation rate required to keep it under 0.1 ppm. That said, if the main contributor to the problem is localized (e.g., new kitchen cabinetry) the average ventilation rate is of less interest than the local (i.e., kitchen) ventilation rate--especially if you spend a lot of time in your kitchen. The required local ventilation rate should decrease over time as the rate of off gassing declines. Depending on the design of your home, the existing HVAC system, and the particular ventilation strategy, you may be able to use a single mechanical ventilation system or you might need one specific to the kitchen area and another for other areas of your home. I think you'll be well served to consult a HVAC design professional with experience designing and implementing ventilationsystems. That's not likely to be the same guy who services your HVAC equipment or the local sales guy....See Morepookieman
4 years agoCharles Ross Homes
4 years agoSpringtime Builders
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoElmer J Fudd
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoElmer J Fudd
4 years agopookieman
4 years ago
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