 |
MECHANICAL VENTILATION |
 |
|
|
MECHANICAL VENTILATION |
|
|
Today's tight, well-insulated homes benefit
from a comprehensive ventilation strategy. Insulation does not work if subjected
to air washing. Air movement is the primary transport mechanism for temperature,
moisture, sound, pollutants and allergens. Indoor living environments cannot be
controlled without controlling air movement. Likewise the home-owner cannot be assured of good indoor air quality (IAQ) without mechanical ventilation. Good IAQ is impossible if half of the “fresh” air comes from the attic, the garage and the basement. Balanced ventilation provides a fresh source of outdoor air into the home and exhausts and dilutes indoor air pollutants. A healthy, safe and comfortable home -- that is both durable and energy efficient -- is both achievable and practical. Tighter shells and mechanical ventilation are being recognized as best building practice. ERV's - Energy Recovery Ventilator - are the new generation, or the successors of HRV's - Heat Recovery Ventilators. Please review the following two or three articles to better understand the importance of HRV's. Article By PowerHouse
If you really like the technical stuff, read
this article by
GreenBuilder Runners Up: Also quoted: "Essentially, the Aprilaire Energy Recovery Ventilator is an efficient, effective way to exchange stale inside air for fresh outside air. In winter months, the exclusive EnergyMax Transfer Core uses the heat of indoor air to warm up the incoming cold fresh air, recovering about 77% of the energy. In summer, warm fresh air passes near outgoing conditioned air, cooling it down. The beauty of the EnergyMax Transfer Core is its use of enthalpic technology. This technology enables the transfer of moisture as well as heat."
Unfortunately, the web site is better, but is slow as molasses. Chances are your browser will time out before the web page appears. The following is also quoted from the manufacturer: Fantech Provides Ventilation Solutions To Improve Indoor Air Quality. Indoor air quality problems have soared since the late 1970’s when construction technology succeeded in developing energy efficient "tight" houses. Pollutants inside houses, which once escaped through cracks around windows and doors, are now trapped inside creating an indoor environment that is often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outside. Pet dander, mold spores, dust mites, allergens, tobacco smoke and other pollutants add up to poor indoor air quality." Scroll down to the bottom of their page for a choice of several PDF files. The site could do a better job at comparing their product to others. Nevertheless, Fantech is certainly a leader in the IAQ -Indoor Air Quality, and offer several other ventilation products we have been installing for years without having a single issue.
This site is even worse! Get your magnifying glass out!
The following is quoted from the manufacturer: "The RecoupAerator® features automatic pressurization or indoor pressure balancing capability. This enables the homeowner to maintain a slightly positive pressure in homes that might need it. In addition, our ERV accepts a wide variety of external indoor air quality control device inputs, making it the "smartest" ERV around. Automatic econo-cooling and frost prevention features are included, clearly setting the RecoupAerator apart from other ERVs."
Winner: Fantech offers the broadest range of efficient, quiet and durable ventilation products out there. They offer remote in-line kitchen hood exhaust fan, as well as bathroom single point and central remote in-line exhaust fans, HEPA filters, HRV's, ERV's... We've been using this company products for years now, and everyone of our customers loves their efficiently, but what they like the most is the quietness... Sometimes it's hard to tell they're even on! Two HRV's were installed, the larger one in one of the attic, the smaller one in the crawl space. The returns were installed in all four bathrooms, laundry room, over the kitchen sink, and over the exercise area, while the supplies located in the bedrooms and other living areas. A simple, independent HEPA 8" duct system was located in the other attic, with the one return installed at the highest point of the home (since the lighter hot air rises up along with its pollutants), and the lone supply located at one of the lowest point of the lower level. The results are a fine, smooth, unnoticeable filtered air circulation between all the floors. Thank you Fantech! |
Portfolio | Profile | Fan Mail
| Press coverage | Remodeling Tips
Career Opportunities | Inquiry Form | What's
New | e-Newsletter
 |
e-Mail Inquiry |
