A study has been undertaken to (1) evaluate airtightness in recent construction dwellings in New York State, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies in providing adequate ventilation, and (3) study the use of various ventilation options by residential builders and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) contractors.
In certain parts of the United Kingdom where radon gas seeps from the ground into the basement of domestic housing, normal methods of removing this gas by using under floor extract ventilation is not appropriate. In this situation the radon gas enters the basement through the side walls of the cellar and hence into the house. Using mechanical ventilation to either pressurise or de-pressurise the cellar may be an appropriate solution to this problem, however before installing such a system in a house a ventilation strategy must be established.
This paper reports on the findings from two extensive laboratory studies of ventilation of bathrooms of different sizes and layout of ventilation. The ventilation flow rates were varied. Moisture production were due to laundering and shower baths. In one of the studies the bathroom was provided with a drying cabinet. The extract air was forced to pass through the drying cabinet which was connected to the extract ventilation system of the house by a duct running from the cabinet to the extract air terminal device.
User experiences of the workings of a ventilation system have often been pretty disheartening. Draughty, too hot, noisy, too stuffy are some of the verdicts which in many cases have been confirmed by objective measurements. Often the complaints are due to the air flows not being appropriate to the room. This in turn can be due to adjustment difficulties or to the flow balance in different branches of the system being affected by residents tampering with the supply or exhaust air terminal device settings.
A report on the first part of this investigation of the possibilities of natural ventilation in small utility buildings was presented in 1982. During that investigation it became clear that it was necessary to gather information regarding air-leaks from inside walls and inside doors. This information is required in order to be able to determine the magnitude of the mutual influence of the ventilation in one room on the ventilation in other rooms.
Ventilation is the process by which clean air is provided to a space. It is essential for the provision of fresh air to occupants and for the dilution and removal of pollutants. It is therefore at the focal point of building environmental design. In many climatic regions, ventilation air must be conditioned by heating or cooling. Such treatment frequently incurs a heavy energy penalty. In addition, ventilation systems can be complex and involve space, installation costs, maintenance and operating energy. It is these factors that motivate much ventilation research.
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