For Rocks .......... HVAC Stuff

[blueoval01]

HVAC Question ……….

Ron, Looking at putting a Fresh Air Return in my house.

Have located where I want to put it as well as where I need to duct to the outside.

Will 4” dryer vent ducting be enough?

Or should I be using something larger?


TIA !! http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

[03LightningRocks]

HVAC Question ……….

Ron, Looking at putting a Fresh Air Return in my house.

Have located where I want to put it as well as where I need to duct to the outside.

Will 4” dryer vent ducting be enough?

Or should I be using something larger?


TIA !! http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gifhttp://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif


What are you trying to accomplish?

[blueoval01]

What are you trying to accomplish?
Less dust in the house .......

[03LightningRocks]

Your going to need more than a 4" duct if your goal is positive pressure. I don't know much about your house...size, ect.How about just installing a good air cleaning system??? One of the problems with installing ducts for outside air, is it changes the heat loads of the space....(system isn't big enough). There are products called "fresh air exchangers", that are designed to help this situation....but they aren't cheap. Look up info on Honeywell and April Air....It has been quite a while since I put one of these in, I can't remember which one of the two makes them. Start with Honeywell.
Just to give an out of my arse number...you are probably going to need at least an 8" duct to give the desired effect. Bigger if your space is more than 2000 square foot.


Rocks

[dboat]

Mark and Rocks, we have an Aprilaire system on our house in Erie. The house has 3000 sq ft plus a basement that is heated, but dont need to cool it here. My guy ran a 4" PVC pipe to the outside to draw in some fresh air, plus the air filter is this big honking thing that you change every 6 months. But its not expensive. We also have a 12vdc fan on our HVAC system that we run 24/7 because is spins down to a low volume run cycle when the air or heat isnt on.

Dont know if this helps, but I thought you might want to know.

Dana

[03LightningRocks]

Mark and Rocks, we have an Aprilaire system on our house in Erie. The house has 3000 sq ft plus a basement that is heated, but dont need to cool it here. My guy ran a 4" PVC pipe to the outside to draw in some fresh air, plus the air filter is this big honking thing that you change every 6 months. But its not expensive. We also have a 12vdc fan on our HVAC system that we run 24/7 because is spins down to a low volume run cycle when the air or heat isnt on.

Dont know if this helps, but I thought you might want to know.

Dana

Is that 4'' pipe going into the return system? My mom's house had something that sounds like that with the 4" pipe going into the basement if I remember it right. The issue had something to do with radon gas and basements.

[03LightningRocks]

Mark,

Th 4" duct idea is good enough if all your doing is attempting to level out the air your drawing out through exhaust fans and what not. If you are trying to help your dust issues, I found this link......check it out... http://www.centralairsys.com/ventilation.asp

[Silver_2000]

prices

http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewcategory-1.htm

[03LightningRocks]

LOL..........now I know how Terry feels. Hey man how about some advice??? Then along comes the part where you get your throat cut by some a-hole that's not even working legally from the net....


Hey Mark.....if you want some prices on some of these things, let me know. I have no idea if I can compete with the limp dick in that web site, but I will be around to stand behind the product while he is ignoring your pleas and emails;) .


Rocks:rolleyes:

[dboat]

Is that 4'' pipe going into the return system? My mom's house had something that sounds like that with the 4" pipe going into the basement if I remember it right. The issue had something to do with radon gas and basements.

Rocks, it is part of the return air system and goes right into the return air. The reason is that my builder uses the spray in foam insulation, plus with the new windows these days, houses are built pretty air tight. We needed to do this not because of any potential radon issue but because the inside air would get stale, etc. We have another pipe that runs from the basement to the attic or roof for radon. Its set up so that if we had high radon numbers, we can add a fan to it to create a positive pressure and pump out more air.
Some of the newer homes are using air to air heat exchangers and such, but I havent heard of any up here, and this place isnt exactly hot.. :evil
We have probably gotten 12" of snow in the last 24 hours.
If you want to keep dust down, my approach, and I am not a HVAC guy, would be to make sure I have tight windows and doors, get a really high end air cleaner system and make sure I have some outside air coming into the return air system just to keep some fresh air coming into the house. I think having the fan run at a low speed helps keep the air moving in the house and keeps it going through the air cleaner system..
Dana

Here is my air cleaner
http://www.aprilaire.com/category.asp?id=0B10B06EA1EA4D14A4722CD120E8C7F6

[Silver_2000]

The best way to keep dust down is to NOT live in the house and outsource your laundry

Skin cells and dryer lint make up a HUGE % of the dust in a house...

Doug

[03LightningRocks]

Rocks, it is part of the return air system and goes right into the return air. The reason is that my builder uses the spray in foam insulation, plus with the new windows these days, houses are built pretty air tight. We needed to do this not because of any potential radon issue but because the inside air would get stale, etc. We have another pipe that runs from the basement to the attic or roof for radon. Its set up so that if we had high radon numbers, we can add a fan to it to create a positive pressure and pump out more air.
Some of the newer homes are using air to air heat exchangers and such, but I havent heard of any up here, and this place isnt exactly hot.. :evil
We have probably gotten 12" of snow in the last 24 hours.
If you want to keep dust down, my approach, and I am not a HVAC guy, would be to make sure I have tight windows and doors, get a really high end air cleaner system and make sure I have some outside air coming into the return air system just to keep some fresh air coming into the house. I think having the fan run at a low speed helps keep the air moving in the house and keeps it going through the air cleaner system..
Dana

Here is my air cleaner
http://www.aprilaire.com/category.asp?id=0B10B06EA1EA4D14A4722CD120E8C7F6



Can lights are another source for dust. By the By...that air cleaner happens to be one of my favorites. I have sold and installed literally thousands of them over the past 20 years. You should not change the material so often. Every 6 months is not only a waste of money...but keeps you from ever seeing the optimum effeciency. It is designed to get better with age...like wine...LOL. Once a year is considered normal. That thing should look like a fur coat when you change it.



Rocks:beer:

[blueoval01]

Thanks Rocks/Dana/Doug ........ http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif
The house is only 1603 Sq Ft. HVAC was updated in 2000 prior to me buying it. The unit is a Rheem heat pump.

Yes, I think the issue is pressure equalization. Easy fix is to open a window. But not practical long term.
I see Fresh returns in new homes everyday and as I understand it they are required by code now, however not really enforced.
I think that the negative pressure is also effecting the clothes drying performance. The dryer in inside the house, not in the garage.

Sooooo, with all that said, I'm considering a simple Fresh Air return that is simply ducted to the outside. Then the HVAC unit can use it "as needed" throughout the year.

[dboat]

Mark,
Sounds like a good plan. I would caution using dryer vent hose for this. I am wondering if the negative pressure would cause it to collapse at some point. If you can, use pvc piping and its not an issue..

Having said all that, use the best filter you can find or install. Ours is good for 6 months and only costs about $30 for a new one.. it must be somewhere between 4-6" wide...
Dana

[cpeapea]

ive heard (and im not hvac tech) that sometimes dust can be cause by holes in the duct work?

[03LightningRocks]

Mark,
Ours is good for 6 months and only costs about $30 for a new one.. it must be somewhere between 4-6" wide...
Dana


Dana...you goof ball.....your filter is better if left in for 12 months. It is designed to get more effecient as it loads............quit with the every 6 month stuff.


Rocks:tu:

[03LightningRocks]

ive heard (and im not hvac tech) that sometimes dust can be cause by holes in the duct work?


Yep...usually around start collars and duct to boot connections. Mastic solves this problem....:D .

[blueoval01]

Thanks guys ........ http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif
I'm on a mission .......... http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/dancing_banana.gif

[jim woods]

I had great results with Aprilaire Filters.
My wife was upset with all the dust that built up every week. She would dust then it would be very dusty again a week later.

Our house is (3100) sqf
We have two heat pumps, so we have to two airfilters.They were the standard 20 by 20 air filters/ 1 incn thick.
Our AC man took those filters out and just left 2 vents with no filters.Then they retrofitted in my attic the 2 APRILAIRE filters into the system. I was concern this would not really help and the cost would be a waste.My HVAC man gave me the bill and said let a 2 weeks go by and if you do not honesty notice a difference in dust he just return my HVAC system back to where it was, and we tear up the bill. Well I can say it has cut the dust down by atleast 40 Percent. Ther are some parts of the house where it would be a 2 months later and I might see some dust.

[dboat]

Dana...you goof ball.....your filter is better if left in for 12 months. It is designed to get more effecient as it loads............quit with the every 6 month stuff.


Rocks:tu:

You are right, except right now, we live in a construction area. There are houses being built across and down the street. The amount of dust flying around is incredible, well except for the winter. Anyway, once the houses are done and the yards are in, we should be in good shape.
Thanks
Dana