Need Ventilation/Filtration Advice ASAP

[enviro]

Can anyone offer suggestions of systems that include both ventilation and filtration together? Or appropriate separate systems that could work together? Are there heat or energy recovery ventilators out there that use carbon filtration? Need something that will filter wood smoke well, gasses and chemicals. I am told by most that carbon is needed for wood smoke.

My family, including 2 children, has gone through a serious chemical poisoning and are very chemically intolerant so have to be very careful about what equipment we use in this new home. Also, serious mold sensitivities. Have a tightly built home to keep outdoor pollution out, and need good ventilation and filtration to keep it healthy.

My husband is building essentially all of the home and will likely install the system himself. Checking into the Ultra Aire system from Therma Stor, as well as the Ultimate Air system from Stirling Technology. The Ultra Aire from Therma Stor uses carbon filtration, but is not heat recovery (if I understand) and will cost more in the long run. Ultimate Air from Stirling IS energy recovery, but uses a type of filtration that might not be well enough for wood smoke. Any other suggestions of good filtration, ventilation to add to air handler?

Thanks!

[Carnak]

The best way to avoid wood smoke is not to burn wood.

[cxagent]

I have had VERY good results with the Ultra Aire system, in my local humid climate. I don't know anything about the Ultimate Air system. I would recommend NOT using any HRV or ERV system in a humid climate (don't know about yours). I would recommend NOT dumping some of the air you have filtered/cleaned back outside through any HRV/ERV in your situation. Let the ventilation air keep the building pressure higher by working its way back out through all the leaks that exist in every building.

Doing your homework/research is always good. In your health situation, I would recommend you hire a professional to design your HVAC system. That professsional should NOT be the person who has something they want you to buy - so you will have to pay for their work.

[enviro]

Guess I wasn't specific enough.... obviously, if we have trouble with odors, chemicals, gasses, etc.... it is NOT my family that will be using wood and making wood smoke. The wood smoke is coming from nearby neighbors and once we are bringing in outdoor air, it will be broughten into OUR home.

Hope that makes more sense.

Thanks!

[enviro]

cxagent,

So you are suggesting regular ventilation without HRV or ERV? I can see your point as long as that doesn't affect the outgassing of the building materials in the home that we are having some problems with. I need to be sure it is exhausted and/or filtered sufficiently.

Unfortunately, due to financial issues after chemical poisoning and having to abandon a home, expensive medical care to keep from dying, etc. and issues surrounding our construction loan we can't afford to hire the HVAC professional. Plus, in our small, rural area most of the HVAC contractors don't know what HRV or ERV is... truly... and they have no knowledge here how a person's health relates to their environments, so you can probably see why my husband prefers and must do this himself. He'd probably prefer hiring a professional, but cost issues demand we do it ourselves.

It is humid in the summer here. The home is very tight. Will your suggestion work with a tight home? Glad to hear you had success with the Therma Stor unit. Others under another heading on this forum were talking of having problems with it. Seems we definitely need a unit with carbon to filter neighbors wood smoke, and there don't seem to be many, if any with both ventilation and filtration, besides Therma Stor. Thanks for your suggestions.

[cxagent]

Originally posted by enviro
cxagent,

So you are suggesting regular ventilation without HRV or ERV? I can see your point as long as that doesn't affect the outgassing of the building materials in the home that we are having some problems with. I need to be sure it is exhausted and/or filtered sufficiently.

The building materials will still outgas at the same rate. And what ever ventilation air is brought into the house will find a way back out. By not providing an escape path, it will raise the building pressure a little. That higher pressure will keep outside air from seeping into your house as much.


Originally posted by enviro
It is humid in the summer here. The home is very tight. Will your suggestion work with a tight home? Glad to hear you had success with the Therma Stor unit. Others under another heading on this forum were talking of having problems with it. Seems we definitely need a unit with carbon to filter neighbors wood smoke, and there don't seem to be many, if any with both ventilation and filtration, besides Therma Stor. Thanks for your suggestions.


It works better the tighter the home is. Someday I hope to see a home that is so tight it causes problems. I haven't seen one yet. There are very easy fixes for 'too tight'. It is much harder to fix 'not tight enough'.

I hope the person having trouble with the Thermastor unit will get some factory help.

[Carnak]

you need to take a trip to Canada Cx, they have been so tight they have been causing problems for over 20 years.

[cxagent]

Originally posted by Carnak
you need to take a trip to Canada Cx, they have been so tight they have been causing problems for over 20 years.

You are right again Carnak. All of my posts are 'colored' by my experience in a hot and humid climate. Here, our "hermetically sealed buildings" leak a lot. The tightest residence I've tested was 6 ACH50 (pretty good) and the tightest commercial building I've tested was 3 ACH50. Neither of these best cases needed any ventilation air to meet ventilation code.

In all of my trips to Canada I left the test equipment behind. The airline said I was maxed out with ski gear...

[Special Ed]

Originally posted by enviro
Unfortunately, due to financial issues after chemical poisoning and having to abandon a home, expensive medical care to keep from dying, etc. and issues surrounding our construction loan we can't afford to hire the HVAC professional.

I'm sorry to hear of your health & financial woes; however, if you want the system properly designed to meet your needs & installed in a correct manner it is highly recommended to hire a professional. That being said, I think that if your husband installs whatever he's going to install by himself then it doesn't matter what we recommend. Because it probably won't be installed correctly in the first place. No offense intended, please.

[syntropicsystems]

I suggest you consider using a radiant catalytic ionization ductworx from EcoQuest combined with a Hoffman variable fan speed control unit as part of your overall strategy. This is a new photocatalytic oxidation design that Kansas State University testing is showing will reduce pathogens by up to 99.9% within a conditioned space, with measureable ozone levels of less than .02 ppm. The EPA considers .05 ppm a normal 24 hour a day exposure. I've seen real time data-logging results that have airborne particle reductions of 20%+ and TVOC reductions of 50%+ in addition to the pathogen reductions.Additional testing is being conducted at other universities for publication in scientific journals. You want to keep airborne particulate levels down, so intake HEPA screens for outside air are pretty much a requirement. I'd make certain that you are using a good HEPA vacuum cleaner, minimal carpeting, minimal VOC emitting materials in the home. You could use a separate negative ion generator if you want to increase particle drop levels. Remember that HEPA filters rely on airborne particle collection. If they are airborne, you have an increased chance of breathing them. Look me up on the web if you'd like some specific product recommendations that might fit into your budget. Kevin

[drk]

So your telling these people to use Ion generator and UV! Id say don't waste the money on ether!

[syntropicsystems]

Perhaps you need to research photocatalytic oxidation, which is the next step beyond simple UV. University of Florida has some good articles, as does Penn State, on the uses. You might also look at NASA use of the KSE. Genesis Air, EcoQuest, RGF, Lennox, and other companies that are spending the R&D money in the US for development and testing have a lot more smarts than me - I'm only reporting actual data, which is a lot more than an opinion. The Kansas State University research report on data about the EcoQuest RCI Cell in reducing surface pathogens by 3 log (99.9%) is a scientific data study, not an opinion. As a professional, I guarantee customer satisfaction with the equipment I sell and install based upon expected and actual results. Set a trend - do the same. While the equipment is not a medical device, and doesn't cure people, they have a right to make knowledgeable purchases. If you sell equipment that cures cancer, more power to you - I make no such claim. I sell equipment that scientific testing on efficacy can be performed using more than just an opinion. Opinions are cheap (as are spell checkers), testing is expensive. You get what you pay for if you deal with an honest merchant that stands behind their products. Merry Christmas.