Today's high tech building solutions require a whole house system approach. With a huge emphasis on building it "Green"
and highly energy efficient, ventilation has become a necessity!
This is what we are building.
Mom always warned us not to put a plastic bag over our
heads... Why? We could die!!
Well, let's
see what happens.
First thing that accumulates
is moisture. You will immediately see it start to form in the bag. We exhaust moisture into the air when we breath and also
when we cook, wash, clean, water our plants, pets, and some comes in through the foundation.
But, the immediate danger is not the moisture. It's the build up of the unseen gases. This is the greatest danger.
Let's compare......
Bag over Head
vs. Tightly sealed Home
Moisture forms in the bag on the inside surface.
Moisture may form on cold surfaces. Windows, exterior
wall cold spots either inside the wall cavity or behind furnature where there is little heat flow.
Result: mold will grow and start to eat at structure and produce spores which affect health.
Oxygen is depleted and replaced by CO2 and other exhaust
gases.
Gases build up from many different sources including;
radon, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, biological pollutants, pesticides, second hand smoke, etc...
Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes,
nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral
diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution.
Other health effects may show up years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of
exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating
or fatal.
Particle accumulation, unless you have dandruff, is not a
big concern since it's just your head in the bag.
Health Effects: Eye, nose, and throat irritation; asthma, respiratory infections and bronchitis; lung cancer.
Mold Spores magnified
Dust mite magnified major cause of asthma
So, what are the things that we need to consider......
Depressurization
Exhaust devices remove air i.e. dryer, bath fans, rangehood, furnace, fireplace, woodstove
Air out has to be matched by air in. So, where does it come back in?
If your new
home is really tight and air can only come back in at a few locations, say maybe your patio slider, basement, or garage entrance.
Is your whole home getting properly ventilated?
If you decide to go with an "Exhaust Only" approach to meet codes you not only have
this problem but you also get no heat recovery.
Balanced Ventilation
Balanced Heat Recovery offers you a cost effective way to make sure your whole house is getting
the Fresh Clean air that you need to breathe and get the heat recovery up to 95% efficiency that will keep your new home energy
efficient!
Our Designer will use your floor plan and using precise calculations, design a system
that will deliver the appropriate air to those key locations where you spend most of your time and will exhaust the air
from the locations that produce most of the indoor air pollutants.
Fresh Air Ventilation Systems, LLC * 155 Spring St. Lewiston, ME 04240 * USA * Phone: (207) 786-9400
