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Whole-House Mechanical Ventilation Strategies
Give control of air-exchange to homeowners rather than to weather or wind speed
Aside from paying the mortgage, space heating and cooling costs can be the most expensive aspect of home ownership. A well-insulated, tightly-sealed building envelope (exterior walls, roof, and foundation systems) can prevent the escape of costly conditioned air, but may have unintended consequences for indoor air quality (IAQ). While drafty, uninsulated structures allow plenty of natural "infiltration", well insulated and sealed structures may allow the build up of contaminants such as bacteria, mold spores, cooking fumes, pollen and dust. In some climates, inside and outside humidity levels may cause mildew or excessive condensation problems.
There are a number of mechanical ventilation systems that give control of air-exchange to homeowners rather than to weather or wind speed, and that can be incorporated into new or existing homes. Decisions regarding the best ventilation strategy for a particular situation should always go hand-in-hand with consideration for energy efficiency.
Mechanical Ventilation Systems
Mechanical ventilation systems may range from very basic - for instance, an exhaust fan and a timer - to more sophisticated systems that may be ducted to multiple locations, pre-condition the incoming air, and/or be tied into other mechanical systems in the home. A system may be custom designed by combining various individual components or may consist of a "packaged" system supplied by one manufacturer. The systems that are described here represent three possible options of mechanically introducing fresh air into the home.
• Honeywell Y8150A Fresh Air Ventilation System
• Night Breeze
• HRV/ERV
Honeywell Y8150A Fresh Air Ventilation System
The Honeywell Y8150 A is used in conjunction with central HVAC fan systems. It consists of a motorized damper, a transformer, and control that contain an "intelligent algorithm". The algorithm calculates the amount of ventilation needed based on particular settings for the home. The installer enters the square footage of the home, the number of bedrooms, and the amount of outdoor air being introduced when the air handler operates and the damper is open. The latter value is obtained by directly measuring the volume of air moving through the duct with a tool such as a pitot tube. The control then opens the motorized damper the appropriate amount of time to achieve the required volume of fresh air for the home.
Night Breeze
Developed by the Davis Energy Group, Night Breeze is a system that integrates space heating, air conditioning, whole house ventilation, and filtration. It is ideal for mild cooling dominated climates with cool nights and warm days.
Components of the system include:
• A built-in hot water coil that circulates hot water from the boiler or water heater.
• A variable speed blower powered by an electronically commutated (ECM) motor that uses a fraction of the blower energy used by permanent split capacitor motors. The air handler can be used with heating equipment up to 100,000 Btu and cooling equipment as large as 5 tons of cooling capacity.
• An outside air damper that delivers up to 2100 CFM of outside air while also filtering the air and providing relief of indoor air to the attic or outdoors.
• A control system that integrates heating, air conditioning, ventilation cooling, and fresh air ventilation functions and optimizes the amount of ventilation cooling required to maximize energy savings and offset AC use.
The Night Breeze unit pulls fresh outdoor air into the home and exhausts stale indoor air to the attic or to the outdoors. The fresh air is filtered prior to being delivered to the home at one or more locations.
Ventilation cooling during the summer: On cool summer nights, the Night Breeze system brings in filtered outside air and flushes out warm, stale indoor air. Typically, the Night Breeze air handler operates whenever the outdoor temperature is at least 5° F cooler than the indoor temperature. A low limit temperature setting prevents the house from being overcooled during milder periods. If ventilation cooling is not sufficient to maintain indoor temperatures below the high limit setting, the system operates the air conditioning system if there is one.
The system also varies the airflow rate daily based on the historical record of indoor and outdoor temperatures. Indoor and outdoor temperatures are recorded daily. This history is used to predict temperatures for the following day, operating the fan at higher speeds if hotter weather is expected.
Ventilation heating during the winter: When the system is in heating mode, the outside air damper and fan operate once per hour to provide ventilation. The Night Breeze circulates water from your water heater or boiler through a coil that is similar to the radiator in a car. The air handler blows incoming fresh air across the coil and delivers warm air to the house. If the heating system operates at any time during a given hour, the damper opens long enough to deliver the pre-set average hourly ventilation rate. Again the fan speed will vary and the damper will remain open accordingly. If supply temperatures drop below about 100° F, the damper will close to prevent discomfort.
If the fresh air requirement is not fully satisfied while the central system is providing heating or if no heating is needed during the hour, the system will activate the fan and damper at the end of the hour. At outside temperatures below 45° F, the control will automatically activate the pump to temper incoming air. At temperatures below 35° F, ventilation is discontinued to prevent freezing.
Vacation mode: Vacation mode is used while away from home for an extended period. Minimum and maximum temperatures are programmed into the thermostat and the air conditioning, heating system, and ventilating system operate as needed to maintain indoor temperatures within these limits.
HRV/ERV
A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) can help make mechanical ventilation more cost effective by reclaiming energy from exhaust airflows. HRVs use heat exchangers to heat or cool incoming fresh air, recapturing 60 to 80 percent of the conditioned temperatures that would otherwise be lost. Models that exchange moisture between the two air streams are referred to as Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs). ERVs are especially recommended in climates where cooling loads place strong demands on HVAC systems. However, keep in mind that ERVs are not dehumidifiers. They transfer moisture from the humid air stream (incoming outdoor air in the summer) to the exhaust air stream. But, the desiccant wheels used in many ERVs become saturated fairly quickly and the moisture transfer mechanism becomes less effective with successive hot, humid periods. In some cases, ERVs may be suitable in climates with very cold winters. If indoor relative humidity tends to be too low, what available moisture there is in the indoor exhausting air stream is transferred to incoming outdoor air.
Installation
Honeywell Y8150A Fresh Air Ventilation System
Typically, the damper is installed in a 6" duct that runs from the outdoors to the return side of the air handler on the central heating and cooling system. The control opens the damper to introduce fresh air when the air handler operates to satisfy a space heating or cooling call from the thermostat. Once the damper has been open the appropriate length of time to satisfy the calculated requirement for ventilation, the damper will no longer open during regular heating or cooling periods. Alternatively, if there have not been sufficient heating or cooling calls to introduce adequate fresh air, the control will open the damper and activate the air handler. The control resets and begins counting every 24 hours.
Night Breeze Air Handler
The Night Breeze is typically installed in an attic where the outside air damper can most easily be located over a return air register in the ceiling of the living space. This register should be easily accessible to facilitate regular replacement of the filter. The damper exhausts indoor air to the attic and is also ducted to a louver or roof vent where fresh air is drawn in. In the event that some areas of the home might be isolated from the return air register by closed doors, transfer grilles are recommended.
The Night Breeze air handler may be located anywhere but should be as close as possible to the damper to minimize pressure and thermal losses. It is also advantageous to have the air handler centrally positioned in relation to the supply registers. The air handler incorporates a variable speed blower, a hot water heating coil, a circulating pump, and system controls. Because of the wide variation in flow and pressure requirements for different installations, a circulating pump is not included in the Night Breeze system and must be purchased separately. A pump relay is provided in the Night Breeze parts kit.
The heating coil can be connected to either the potable water supply or a closed-loop pressurized system used for space heating. By circulating hot water through this coil during the winter, the incoming outdoor air is warmed before it is delivered to the home. ¾" copper or PEX tubing may be used if the equivalent length of piping between the water heater or boiler and air handler is less than or equal to 50'. 1" piping should be used if the equivalent length is greater than 50'. The Night Breeze manufacturers recommend installing an air vent to remove air from the piping as needed and valves, unions, and a drain to facilitate flushing the piping and possible service needs. The piping should be insulated and freeze protection provided if necessary.
For summer cooling, coils from 1½ to 5 tons may be added to the Night Breeze Air Handler. Because the Night Breeze usually requires higher flow rates for ventilation cooling than for air conditioning, cooling coils should be oversized by at least one ton to minimize pressure drop while the system is ventilating.
Recommendations regarding duct sizing and minimum free vent area for registers and fresh air intake are given in the Night Breeze Installation Manual. Recommended air flow rate is 0.6 CFM per square foot of conditioned floor area. It is recommended that branch ducts and registers be sized using a maximum external static pressure of 0.3" w.c.
Controls provided with the Night Breeze include a thermostat, an outdoor temperature sensor, and an electronic control module that is installed in the air handler. The thermostat allows for cooling, heating, and vacation modes as well as short-term override settings and manual fan operation. The outdoor temperature sensor should be located out of direct sunlight and away from areas where hot air may collect such as above the roof or adjacent to a west wall. The thermostat should be located on an interior wall near the return and on the second floor in a two-story home.
Benefits/Costs
Honeywell Y8150A Fresh Air Ventilation System
The Honeywell Y8150A ventilation system is a low-cost means of automatically introducing fresh air into your home using your existing central heating or cooling system. The recommended amount of fresh air is calculated based on the size of your home and number of occupants. The system also tracks and controls the amount of fresh air that is introduced in order to avoid over- or under-ventilation. These features contribute to an energy-efficient means of bringing fresh air into a tightly sealed home.
The retail cost of the Y8150A is $275. This includes the motorized damper, the control, and the transformer.
Night Breeze Air Handler
The Night Breeze ventilation system is a good ventilation cooling strategy in moderate climates. It provides a means of automatically introducing fresh air in a controlled manner and reduces compressor cooling energy use and expense. The interface with the central space heating and cooling system insures that indoor temperatures are maintained within the specified comfort range. The variable speed air handler also helps assure energy efficient operation.
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CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTENTS
ROUGH-IN
Since I have published all 62 chapters of the Ductwork Installation Guide book, hundreds of separate chapters along with all three versions of the book have been sold! However I am still working on this book. In order to make this book more informative and useful to my customers almost on weekly basis I am inserting new pictures and new relevant information in it.
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1. Introduction* – the chapter gives a brief description of the “Ductwork Installation Guide”contents.
 Tools and Equipment – presents most of the tools available for the ductwork installation. Chapters have 90 pictures, 16 pages**, $1.86 (Instant Access)
*Articles:
Tools
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Materials* – presents most of the fittings and materials available for the ductwork installation.
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*Glossary
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2. Design Features of the American House* – describes how a house is built and what is in its construction that makes it   possiblefor the use of central heating and cooling equipment. (Instant Access)
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3. House Mark-out* – the chapter gives a brief explanation on how to mark out a house so carpenters could cut all the   openings in the walls and in the floor and the ductwork installer would know the layout of the system.
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*Glossary,
Spiral Duct Quiz,
HVAC DESIGN MANUAL, pdf file.
Updated on 05/07/2011. On 07/08/2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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4. Rough-in* – the chapter presents an explanation of this term and describes step-by-step layout of materials in  preparation for implementation of the Rough-in.
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5. Heat Runs* – the chapter gives a brief explanation of the HEAT RUNS term.
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 interior walls.
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6. Bathbox Installation in Exterior Wall* – the chapter gives a detailed description of the bathbox installation in  the exterior wall. Chapter talks about airflow and in what direction they should be pointed crimp of the pipes because of it, explains how to cut the bottom plate if it wasn’t cut by carpenters.
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7. High Wall Heat* – this chapter is divided into two parts: one describes detail installation of the high wall heat, another
 explains how to make a measurement, cut and put together a piece of pipe.
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8. Bathbox for Two Rooms* – the chapter describes what should be done to the bathbox to make it  works for two rooms. Also the chapter has a brief description of the uncommon case of the field made bathbox.
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9. Oval Stack Installation*
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*Article: RESIDENTIAL OVAL DUCT AIRFLOW PERFORMANCE
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10. Bathbox Situated in Parallel to Oval Stack* – the chapter covers several topics:
 It's starts with an explanation on how to make the right measurement for a piece of pipe and how to put together a round pipe and an oval fitting. The chapter describes what to do when distance between fittings smaller, equal or bigger than length of one (two) pipe. It gives a general information about how to connect pipes and fittings together and describes the right way of using a stepladder and why it's important.
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*6” Pipe Quiz.
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11. Bathbox Disposed Perpendicular to Oval Stack* – the chapter was published on the “Ductwork  Installation Guide” page before it was completely published on this website.
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*Pipe Length Calculation Quiz.
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12. Bathbox Situated Right above Oval Stack– the chapter deals with very simple installation, but gives the
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Updated on 05/16/2011
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13. Hooking up to Floor Box – the chapter describes installation 90* and 45* oval floor boxes and shows how to
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14. Oval Stack Situated in Interior Wall – the chapter gives a description of the installation of oval stack in the  interior wall. Also explains how to use the cordless drill the right way.
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15. Oval Stack in Wall between Two Joists – the chapter gives a detailed description of all three cases which can  occur. Also presents uncommon case of bathbox installation.
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16. Oval Stack in Wall Situated Perpendicular to Joists – the chapter describes an installation of 90* boots
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17. Hooking up Oval Stack to Toe Kick 90* – the chapter describes an installation of toe kick 90* and how to hook
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18. Uncommon Cases Oval Stack Installation – chapter presents wide variety of uncommon cases of the oval stacks
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Are you looking for a job? Not yet? When you will, they are going to ask you about your experience and it should be at least from three to five years or even more than that! However, under a good supervision one year is just enough to put your hands on it!
So, why do they need more, are they crazy? No, they are not! They just need to know that you are able to do your job without asking too many questions!
My entire book is designed to help you out in this regard, but this chapter in particular! Once you have read this chapter, undoubtedly, you can claim that you have a knowledge equal of at least ten years of experience!
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19. Cold Air Return Installation* – the chapter presents general information about cold air returns.
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*Articles:
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Return-Air System.
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20. Cold Air Frames Installation* – the chapter gives a detailed description of the cod air frames installation .
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*Blocker Installation Quiz
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21. Blocker Installation* – the chapter gives general information about blockers and after that gives detail  explanation of all possible cases of their installations.
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*Article:
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Updated on 05/08/2011
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22. Uncommon Cases Installation of Cold Air Returns – first part of the chapter is devoted to an explanation on  how to cut sheet metal the right way, after that it will present nine uncommon cases of the cold air returns installation .
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Are you looking for a job? Not yet? When you will, they are going to ask you about your experience and it should be at least from three to five years or even more than that! However, under a good supervision one year is just enough to put your hands on it!
So, why do they need more, are they crazy? No, they are not! They just need to know that you are able to do your job without asking too many questions!
My entire book is designed to help you out in this regard, but this chapter in particular! Once you have read this chapter, undoubtedly, you can claim that you have a knowledge equal of at least ten years of experience.
On 07.31.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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23. Bath Fan Exhaust* – the first part of the chapter gives general information about bath fans, after that it presents
 five different cases of the bath fan exhausts runs to the wall and to the soffit cap.
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*Article: Bathroom Ventilation Ducts and Fans.
Bath Room Exhaust fans, pdf file.
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24. Bath Fans Installation – the chapter gives a brief description of two types bath fan installation.
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On 07.31.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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25. Uncommon Cases of Bath Fan Exhausts – the chapter gives a description of the five uncommon cases of the
 bath fan exhausts.
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Are you looking for a job? Not yet? When you will, they are going to ask you about your experience and it should be at least from three to five years or even more then that! However, under a good supervision one year is just enough to put your hands on it!!
So, why do they need more, are they crazy? No, they are not! They just need to know that you are able to do your job without asking too many questions!
My entire book is designed to help you out in this regard, but this chapter in particular! Once you have read this chapter, undoubtedly, you can claim that you have a knowledge equal of at least of ten years of experience!
On 08.01.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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26. Dryer Vent*# – the chapter covers all possible cases of the drier vent installation inside a house and explains how to rough-in a drier cap. Also the chapter has an article from the code in it.
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*Article:
The Facts About Clothes Dryer Exhaust Systems
#From code: 504.3 Clothes Dryers.
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27. Kitchen Exhaust* – the chapter describes all three cases of the kitchen exhausts: kitchen hood, microwave oven
 hood, Jenn-Air fan; explains roof and wall caps installation; covers ductwork installation.
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Common Kitchen Exhaust Fan Problems
On 08.02.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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28. Fresh Air Cap Installation – the chapter gives a brief explanation on the purpose of the “fresh air intake" and
 presents two cases of installation.
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On 08.03.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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29. Venting of Furnace* – the chapter gives general information about types of furnace’s venting.
B-vent pipes Installation – the chapter describes installation of B-vent pipes in all possible cases and treir roof termination.
PVC Pipes Installation – the chapter describes installation of the PVC pipes in all  possible cases. The chapters have 27 pictures; 8 pages. $2.37 (Instant Access).
*Articles:
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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and Detectors.
Vents. pdf file., Dura Vent Sizing Instructions pdf file.
YouToube vide clip: Concentric vent kit.
On 08.04.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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30. Thermostat Wiring* – the chapter talks about thermostat wiring and describes how to run thermostat wires at the  Rough-in.
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*Artyicle:
Thermostats
On 08.03.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved.
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31. Firestop Installation* – the chapter gives a brief description of the fire stop insulation and fire stop caulking and
 explains how to use them.
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*Artcle:
Firestops
Updated on 05/06/2011
On 08.04.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved
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32. Temporary Furnace Suspension – the chapter describes how to hook up a temporary furnace, how to vent it out
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On 08.04.2011 text of this chapter was significantly modified and improved
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ROUGH-IN $39.99
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DUCTWORK INSTALLATION GUIDE $84.99
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