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Found 121 results for the keyword(s) ‘Ventilation’

  • Article

    HOW MUCH SUMMER VENTILATION DO I NEED IN A BASEMENT OR CRAWL SPACE?

    The general rule is that a basement or crawl space should have at least 0.1 square meters of screened ventilation space for every 25 square meters of floor space (1 sq. ft. per 250 sq. ft.) -- that is if the floor is made of poured concrete or if a dirt floor has a ground cover. If the floor...
  • Article

    IS TRADITIONAL BUILDING PAPER GOOD TO PUT ON MY HOUSE?

    Yes, but maybe not good enough.Sheathing paper is designed to keep outside water and wind out of the walls but to let inside vapour breath out (like your skin does for your body). Over the years, manufacturers have made the traditional sheathing or building paper stronger, but at the same tim...
  • Article

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY A WALL MUST BREATH?

    The easiest way to stop the bathtub from overflowing is to turn off the water. If the faucet leaks, we have to pull the plug to let the dripping water out the drain as fast as it comes into the tub.Warm, humid air leaking into the walls of a house is like a faucet flooding the tub. Even a go...
  • Article

    WILL CEILING FANS SAVE ME MONEY?

    No! Large-blade ceiling fans, even the simplest and least expensive models, will do no more than equalize the air temperature in a room (making it feel warmer for the same amount o furnace work) and slightly lower the temperature on the ceiling (which means less heat loss through the ceiling). ...
  • Article

    ARE BALANCED AIRCHANGE SYSTEMS WORTHWHILE?

    A balanced air-change system is a fan operated system that forces out stale air through exhaust ducts and forces in an equal amount of fresh air through controlled intake ducts. The difference between this and a central exhaust system is that the input air is under active control and balance...
  • Article

    ARE WHOLE-HOUSE EXHAUST FANS WORTHWHILE IN A COLD CLIMATE?

    There is no simple answer to this one. Let's narrow the field and talk only about exhaust fans that do not use things like the air-to-air heat exchangers for heat recuperation.Government literature from the Prairie provinces do not recommend them if they must be installed in the attic (the st...
  • Article

    SHOULD CLOTHES DRYERS VENT INDOORS OR OUTDOORS?

    Clothes dryers should vent outdoors.However, clothes dryers do make excellent humidifiers and if you really want a ton of water vapour in the laundry room you could very well vent yours indoors.Special lint traps and by-pass valves exist to aid you in venting a clothes dryer indoors in the win...
  • Article

    DO I NEED AN EXHAUST FAN IN THE BATHROOM?

    Yes. If your house is well sealed the bathroom will create too much humidity, and an exhaust fan will get rid of the tremendous moisture produced by a shower quickly, before it spreads through the house. This excess load function of the exhaust fan will work even if the bathroom exhaust ducting...
  • Article

    WON'T A COLD-AIR INLET MAKE MY HOUSEHOLD AIR TOO DRY?

    Yes -- if the cold-air input is uncontrolled. In fact, uncontrolled cold-air drafts are the reason for dryness in older houses. Damper control of the cold-air intake (not the hot-air exhaust) will allow you to maintain whatever level of humidity you want.If your furnace combustion air is provid...
  • Article

    CONFLICT: A MAJOR PUBLICATION SAYS NOT TO RUN AN OUTSIDE FRESH-AIR INTAKE INTO THE COLD-AIR RETURN ON THE FURNACE DUCTING.

    "Energy Efficient Housing -- A Prairie Approach" is the only book I know of which advises against this practice (check out the graphic, keyword "ventilation", title "WHAT IS A CONTROLLED COLD-AIR INLET?"), so I asked the Saskatoon Research Council why. They are not against the practice in genera...