I’m doing a job that will have open cell foam on a garage apartment. It will have foam on all of the walls and the roof, but will have r-30 batts in the floor system. Should I still install a fresh air intake system, and if so which type? the apartment is only 600 sq ft. and it will have two bath fans and a range vent. Will these allow enough fresh air in and out? thanks, joel
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"Should I still install a fresh air intake system"
ever hear of a window?
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I think the way air comes in is at least as important as the way it goes out. I also think that we need to start planning for fresh air intake.
An exhaust fan cannot work without a fresh air supply. The reason bath fans have never impressed me much is probably because they can't work well unless there is a way for fresh air to enter that closed-off bathroom. Yet, when was the last time you saw louvers on a bathroom door?
In the past, buildings had so many leaks we could safely ignor the fresh air supply. Take my place for instance; on windy days, my drapes move - even when every window is tightly closed! There's that much air coming in through the walls.
Let's look closer at my place .... I installed a CO detector, and readings have been minimal. Do you think that might change were I to tightly seal my place? While the furnace has a fresh air supply, the gas range does not.
It won't do to just poke a hole in the wall, though. You need to provide for the fresh air to be screened and conditioned, and you need to allow for the natural flow of the air.
Here's a wild thought: Let's imagine you're installing an exhaust fan on the ceiling of your kitchen (or bath). Would it be out of line to suggest installing an inward-facing dryer vent at floor level, to let in fresh air? Or, even, a second fan to blow fresh air in, switched together with the exhaust? I am thinking that, if the intake were behind an appliance or in a cabinet, you might eliminate any drafting problem (while the cabinet would 'leak' freely enough to still work).
Probably however that does not deal with the need for replacement air. If your house is leaking (built more than a decade agao) it won't be a problem.. if you are in the south where winters are temperate simply opening a window would provide enough air.. If however you live up here in the frozen tundra you have to taka an additional step which is to get a heat exchanger.. That's a unit that recovers about 80% of the heat energy and puts it back into the incoming fresh air..