Home Page link

Outside fresh air pipe - needed in summer?

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

HVAC Discussions - Heating, ventilation and air conditioning. 

Page 2 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Outside fresh air pipe - needed in summer? geberly 06-28-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by on June 28, 2007, 6:38 pm

>
> >
> >
> >
> > > My reason for having it in the winter? Here is my uneducated guess:
> > > In a newer house, it is going to be (hopefully) sealed pretty well.
> > > With the furnace using combustion, it seems plausible that grabbing
> > > air from the outside would help supply any extra air for that and
> > > would stop any drafting around the house.
> >
>
> Safety issue not comfort.


It's not really a safety issue... the equipment room should still have the
required combustion air intake.


> > Pretty good... now sitting at my computer, I'd say close it off in the
> > Summer. But this doesn't allow for a fresh air intake that could lead to
> > indoor air quality issues.
> >
>
> Respectfully disagree, and venture that almost certainly would be against
> code...


Your suggestion is nice, however, IMC doesn't require make-up air in a
residence.




Posted by Jeffrey Lebowski on June 28, 2007, 9:56 pm

>
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > My reason for having it in the winter? Here is my uneducated
guess:
> > > > In a newer house, it is going to be (hopefully) sealed pretty well.
> > > > With the furnace using combustion, it seems plausible that grabbing
> > > > air from the outside would help supply any extra air for that and
> > > > would stop any drafting around the house.
> > >
> >
> > Safety issue not comfort.
>
>
> It's not really a safety issue... the equipment room should still have the
> required combustion air intake.
>
>
> > > Pretty good... now sitting at my computer, I'd say close it off in the
> > > Summer. But this doesn't allow for a fresh air intake that could lead
to
> > > indoor air quality issues.
> > >
> >
> > Respectfully disagree, and venture that almost certainly would be
against
> > code...
>
>
> Your suggestion is nice, however, IMC doesn't require make-up air in a
> residence.
>

Not sure why it was done ( with timer and damper as described above ) at my
brothers place then.

--




Posted by on June 29, 2007, 12:11 am

>
> >
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > My reason for having it in the winter? Here is my uneducated
> guess:
> > > > > In a newer house, it is going to be (hopefully) sealed pretty
well.
> > > > > With the furnace using combustion, it seems plausible that
grabbing
> > > > > air from the outside would help supply any extra air for that and
> > > > > would stop any drafting around the house.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Safety issue not comfort.
> >
> >
> > It's not really a safety issue... the equipment room should still have
the
> > required combustion air intake.
> >
> >
> > > > Pretty good... now sitting at my computer, I'd say close it off in
the
> > > > Summer. But this doesn't allow for a fresh air intake that could
lead
> to
> > > > indoor air quality issues.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Respectfully disagree, and venture that almost certainly would be
> against
> > > code...
> >
> >
> > Your suggestion is nice, however, IMC doesn't require make-up air in a
> > residence.
> >
>
> Not sure why it was done ( with timer and damper as described above ) at
my
> brothers place then.


It might very well be a local code.



Posted by daytona° on June 28, 2007, 3:06 pm
Also it is there for ANY exhaust needing air intake. For example...bathroom
exhaust fans, microwave exhaust fan, clothes dryer (either gas or electric)
...anything in the tightly sealed, newly constructed house that needs air
make up to work.



>
>> What did your service guy say? The service guy said that was a crazy
>> location to have an air intake pipe.
>
>
> I read that, I meant as far as closing it off.
>
>
>> My reason for having it in the winter? Here is my uneducated guess:
>> In a newer house, it is going to be (hopefully) sealed pretty well.
>> With the furnace using combustion, it seems plausible that grabbing
>> air from the outside would help supply any extra air for that and
>> would stop any drafting around the house.
>
>
> Pretty good... now sitting at my computer, I'd say close it off in the
> Summer. But this doesn't allow for a fresh air intake that could lead to
> indoor air quality issues.
>
>
>> >
>> >
>> > > I live in Virginia in a house built in 2002. I have a 6" pipe that
>> > > runs from the outside to my cold air return. I have a propane
>> > > furnace, but it is not the high efficiency kind that require a
>> > > separate line into it for combustion.. I can kind of see a reason to
>> > > have this in the winter time, but in the summer is it really
>> > > necessary? Also, my 6" pipe is located about 2 feet from my
>> > > outside
>> > > AC unit. When I was having my routine maintenance done, the AC guy
>> > > commented on the horrible location saying it would be pulling in even
>> > > hotter air with that location. I would love to seal it up during
>> > > the AC season, if possible.
>> >
>> > > Speaking of return, how do they check to see if the return ducts are
>> > > pulling air adequately? I know nothing about HVAC systems, but it
>> > > seems to me the last intake location in my house is not doing much.
>> >
>> > What did your service guy say?
>> >
>> > What's your reasoning for having it in the winter?
>>
>>
>
>



Posted by Abby Normal on June 28, 2007, 7:34 pm
On Jun 28, 11:20 am, gebe...@gmail.com wrote:
> I live in Virginia in a house built in 2002. I have a 6" pipe that
> runs from the outside to my cold air return. I have a propane
> furnace, but it is not the high efficiency kind that require a
> separate line into it for combustion.. I can kind of see a reason to
> have this in the winter time, but in the summer is it really
> necessary? Also, my 6" pipe is located about 2 feet from my outside
> AC unit. When I was having my routine maintenance done, the AC guy
> commented on the horrible location saying it would be pulling in even
> hotter air with that location. I would love to seal it up during
> the AC season, if possible.
>
> Speaking of return, how do they check to see if the return ducts are
> pulling air adequately? I know nothing about HVAC systems, but it
> seems to me the last intake location in my house is not doing much.

Well, from my experience in a humid climate, if you could put a damper
in that intake, it could help lower the humidity in your home.

For it to work, you are going to have to have the furnace fan in the
"Auto Mode" so that it just runs when the compressor runs.

What will happen is that whenever the AC runs, some fresh air will get
drawn in directly to the AC system. The heat and humidity of this air
goes right to your cooling coil, and you end up pressurizing your home
with dry air. Dry air will try to leave your house rather than warm
humid air infiltrate into your house.

You would adjust the damper and open it up enough so that when the AC
was running, you could just notice cool air leaving from a door that
was cracked open.

If your house leaks like swiss cheese it will not work, but if it is
reasonably tight it could work great.

You cannot run your fan all the time, otherwise you will be pumping
humidity into your house when the compressor is off.


Page 2 of 4       < 1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
Should I Use A Dehumidistat In The Summer? July 12, 2007, 1:56 pm
Gas pipe size February 21, 2008, 5:18 pm
Trak-pipe June 3, 2008, 11:35 pm
copper pipe/tube bending July 21, 2007, 9:00 pm
Brown liquid from flue pipe November 13, 2007, 11:54 pm
Galvanizing on vent pipe flaking off May 18, 2008, 1:16 am
Furnace/Boiler plumbing - black pipe vs. copper November 5, 2007, 11:44 pm
Single vs. double pipe loop providing hydronic heat to radiators. November 7, 2007, 9:17 am
New System Needed March 13, 2007, 1:05 pm
Advice needed August 26, 2008, 12:30 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap