fresh air system

[Danny J. James]

I inspected a home with a fresh air system (Lifebreath)this system has been vented into each room of the home. I guess it is supposted to remove moister and particles(probably dead skin particles) from the air and give the customer better breathing air inside the home. The guestion is,can this system take the place of a bath room vent? It is suppost to remove moister from the air.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by djames2

I inspected a home with a fresh air system (Lifebreath)this system has been vented into each room of the home. I guess it is supposted to remove moister and particles(probably dead skin particles) from the air and give the customer better breathing air inside the home. The guestion is,can this system take the place of a bath room vent? It is suppost to remove moister from the air.

Try this link from a mfg. of similar equipment.

http://www.broan.ca/support-faqs-100106.asp

Here is a portion of the faqs.

Must I also install bath fans if I choose to install an air exchanger? An IAQ vent system cannot be as effective if the high levels of humidity generated by today's shower and tub systems is allowed to dissipate throughout the entire house. It should be removed at the source by running a bathroom exhaust fan for 20-30 minutes after each shower. Your bathrooms should be properly measured and fans for each room must be chosen with proper CFM (Cubic Feet of air per Minute). Then the house's general ventilating system can control the moisture.

Short answer-YES


May I vent my bath fans through an air exchanger's ductwork?
It is not recommended that you do this. When an IAQ system has been properly sized and balanced, any vent fan that operates during operation of the IAQ will unbalance that system, rendering it ineffective. The high humidity from the bathroom, along with any odors, may be circulated throughout the rest of the house.


Short answer-NO

[rcooke]

Originally Posted by djames2

I inspected a home with a fresh air system (Lifebreath)this system has been vented into each room of the home. I guess it is supposted to remove moister and particles(probably dead skin particles) from the air and give the customer better breathing air inside the home. The guestion is,can this system take the place of a bath room vent? It is suppost to remove moister from the air.

Most systems now put in do not need a bathroom fan .
They have a wall touch switch that you push that runs the system on a higher speed to increase the air exchange for a set period of time.
You say vented into each room .
I think you will find they take air from each room and they are usually very well balanced to take more air from the kitchen and Baths then other rooms .

The one Lifebreath that I looked at on the net had a five speed motor .
They do run constant at slow speed normally .
They are Called a ( HRV ) Heat recovery ventilation unit..
I do not think you will require other fans to help these systems along .
How they work is they take the inside air from all rooms and send it through a Rad exhausting out and bring in outside air filter it and run it through the rad the opposite direction and pick up much of the heat from the out going air and send it through the air ducts into the home .
The biggest complaint is the home owner does not get the filters cleaned often enough and some shut them down thinking they are doing a good thing .
I think they are great .
Roy Cooke . Royshomeinspection.com

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by rcooke

Most systems now put in do not need a bathroom fan .

This may be true in newer construction Roy but would depend on local requirments and the mfg. installation requirements.
This method needs a very well sealed building envelope and a sophisticated air exchange and moisture control system.

Some of the science behind this is not all in yet and it also varies depending on local climate conditions.

[Danny J. James]

Thanks, I new I joined NACHI for a reason you guys are great, all this knowledge and everyone is willing to share right,wrong or indifferent this
is great. Its always good to have second opinions (or more)it opens ones eyes to new and different ideals.

[Scott Falvey]

I have a fresh air system in my house. It is designed to exhaust air from certain rooms and bring fresh air into certain rooms, thus allowing for the "more" stale or moist air to be drawn from the rooms of most concern and adding the fresh air to the other rooms of most concern.

The system is designed by an engineer (for what its worth) and I do not have separate bathroom fans, but I do have the 20/40/60 minute switch.

It works great.