Fresh Air Ventilation Systems, LLCPresents

Dr. Richard CorsiProfessor, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental EngineeringPresident of Indoor Air 2011http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Corsi/

U. S. Dept of Environmental Protection www.epa.gov/iaq

California Air Resource Board www.arb.ca.gov

American Lung Association www.lungusa.org

Indoor Environment Connections www.ieconnections.com

World Health Organization www.who.int

Venmar Ventilation www.venmar.ca

With special thanks to the following contributors & sources of information

Indoor Air Pollution: Is my house killing me?

Hosted by Kurt T. Johnson HRAI Certified Design and Installation of Residential

Mechanical Ventilation Systems Board Member of The Maine Indoor Air Quality Council

Three Converging Trends

• Construction

• Chemicals & other pollutants

• Couch Potatoes

Changes in Construction

Old houses & buildings leaked a lot of air

1973 Oil Embargo Changed it

Note: As a result of the 1973 oil embargo, national energy conservation measures called for a reduction in the amount of outdoor air provided for ventilation from 15 to 5 cfm per person

The Apple & Atari Arrive in the late 70’s

Trend number 2

Americans spend 89% of our time indoors

6% traveling

5% outdoors

Klepeis, N.E., et al 2001

#3 Demand for Easy of Life

Wall-to-wall carpet

Cleaners

Air fresheners

Pesticides

Personal care products

Much more

Dr. Richard Corsi, University of Texas

Global Production: Synthetic Organic Chemicals

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100150200250300350

1920 1940 1960 1980 2000

YearBi

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kg/

year

Pollution Sources

0

10

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50

60

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Kitchen Sink Bathtub WashingMachine

Shower Dishwasher

Av

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fer

Eff

icie

nc

y (

%)

AcetoneEthyl AcetateTolueneEthylbenzeneCyclohexane

Average Concentrations of VOCs

00.050.1

0.150.2

0.250.3

0.350.4

0.450.5

Co

nce

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atio

n ( g

/m3)

ScentedUnscented

What Happened in the 80s & 90s

Sick Building Syndrome – 30% of new or remodeled buildings have excessive complaints - source World Health Organization (WHO) 1984

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

% of all complaints relating to Indoor Air Quality

1978 = 0.5% 1990 = 52% Dramatic increase in Respiratory diseases

More Bad News

The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health

Organization have concluded that 80% of all cancers are attributed to environmental rather than genetic factors, including exposure to carcinogenic chemicals, many of which are found in household cleaning products.

Is Vinyl Flooring Causing Autism?Scientists find "baffling" link between autism and the phthalates off-gassed by vinyl flooring, and other indoor air contaminants.

Asthma becomes Nation Epidemic

Asthma cases triple 1980 – 6.8 million 1996 – 14.6 million 1999 – 17.3 million 2005 – 22.2 million

Asthma Deaths also triple 1977 – 1,674 1998 – 5,438

Leading killer of young children!!!!

Asthma increase a mysteryApril 9, 2002 - source: by Ben Lieberman / National Review online

Costs 5.5 to 14.5% of family income to treat an asthmatic child

2005 Surgeon General Advisory

Millions of homes & apartments and 1 in 5 schools have indoor air quality problems

7.7% school age children with asthma Asthma = 14 million missed school days

Trend has continued to increase 8.9% in 2009 Maine – highest rate in the United States 10% of adults 10.7% of children

Cleaning Chemical Studies

European women using spray cleaners 4 days a week were more than twice as likely to have asthma

Women working in domestic cleaning

46 - 109 % more likely to develop asthma

Source National Jewish Health Feb 2009

Radon kills over 20,000 per year in the US

1 in 15 Homes have high radon levels at or above 4 (pCi/L)

Cancer risk at 4pCi/L = 1 in 44 In Maine, the average house is

at or above 4 pCi/L. Source EPA

Mold and other Particulates

60,000 deaths each year caused by particulate matter source American Heart Association

Exposure to air pollution contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke).

If so,..What can we do?

Does this concern you?

2 Effective Strategies

Source Control & Ventilation

Limit the pollutants from coming in

Remove the ones that do get in

VentilationNatural vs. Mechanical

We need to start thinking about a house as a system

2 Main Driving Forces of Air

High Pressure to low pressure

Warm air rises Cold air drops (Stack effect)

Very Important Principle Air out is equal to air in

Natural (wind & stack) & Mechanical

What can be trusted to consistently work?

Natural Ventilation Wind is inconsistent Winter vs. Summer No Control 100% heat loss Tight house has few

holes and where?

Mechanical Ventilation Air flow Controllable Properly Designed will

vent every room Heat Recovery (with Air

Exchanger) up to 95% of heat from exhaust air

Mechanical Ventilation is Superiorbut which one….

Exhaust only vs. Balanced

Which one is really effective when it comes to complete ventilation of entire house?

Does it remove the pollutants from all rooms?

Very Important Questions?

What room do you spend the most time in?

And your children?

“Bedtime is anything but pleasant for people with allergies and asthma since that’s very often the time when

symptoms worsen.” Source Amer. Lung Assoc.

Formaldehyde found in baby cribs

• Many baby nursery furnishings emit formaldehyde.

• A baby sleeping in a nursery furnished with a high- emission crib and changing table may face an increased risk of developing allergies and/or asthma.

• Formaldehyde exposure can cause cancer in the long term. “… 2 ppb (parts per billion)”

• 6 tested furnishings released “enough formaldehyde to contaminate an entire home with levels of formaldehyde greater than this threshold.Environment California 2008

This is just 1 of the many house components releasing formaldehyde and other chemicals

Does Exhaust only really work?

• Bath and kitchen fans have been used for many years

• Do they really ventilate the bedrooms?

• Are they effective ventilating every room?

Let’s see….

Exhaust Ventilation

Exhausts air in bathroom and kitchen.

No control of fresh air May not be used properly Depressurizes building May cause back drafting May pull pollutants in from

garage 100% heat loss Can be noisy

Air Moves from High to Low PressureSince air out is replaced by air coming back in….

So… Where does the air come in?.... Front door Basement Garage Flue Other not in use vents

Where does it go? . . . Right to the low pressure (bathroom, kitchen)

Question? How does the bedroom get fresh air?

We really don’t know…. Because every house is different. This method only hopes to ventilate the bedroom but there is no direct control. This is really a “hope so” method.

Designed and Balanced Ventilation

• Ventilates all rooms• Controls air flow• Heat recovery up to 95%• Recovers bath heat loss• In Winter, can control humidity• Programmable• Low elec. cost as low as $3 per month (ECM motors)

Types of Ventilators

HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilators)

• Heat recovery up to 95%

• Removes all moisture within exhaust air

• Good for colder climates with excess indoor humidity

ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator)

• Heat recovery up to 95%

• “Bounces” some moisture back to its source

• Good from warm humid climates or dry houses

•No condensation drain

How Air Exchangers Work

A core with lots of surface area transfers heat

Pollutants and moisture are removed and heat is

recovered

Ventilation and Filtration

• captures 99.97% of all dust and particles even those as small as 0.3 micron (150th of a human hair)

• Removes moisture and gases

For best quality airwhole house HEPA air exchanger

Other filters available•Pleated•Charcoal•Electrostatic

All of the data presented so far has been from houses built based on the changes of

the late 70’s and 80’s. Not very tight.

What will be the consequences of the latest changes with the whole country going GREEN?

Maine’s mandatory residential energy code Dec 2010

Cash for Caulkers

Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency $5 billion to weatherize more than 1 million homes

What is a “tight” house?

“Home Building Envelope Air Leakage Area. The median ACH50 (air changes per hour at

50 pascals) for the homes in this study was 4.8 air changes per hour, which compares to a

median of 5.2 air changes per hour for a group of homes built since 1992 and 8.6 air

changes per hour for a group of homes built before 1987. New Californian homes are generally being built tighter,

but not exceptionally tight, like those found in colder climate regions.”

Pre 1987 = 8.6 ACH50Since 1992 = 5.2 ACH50

2003-07 = 4.8 ACH50 (Calif. Study Houses)

In Maine, If an energy auditor tests your home and it is at or above 3.5 ACH50 you will be told that you have plenty of natural ventilation and

that you do not need any additional.

Signs and Symptoms of Air Pollution

Headaches Congestion Watery Eyes Coughing Shortness of Breath Dizziness Lethargy Fever Digestive Problems

Moisture on Windows Black mold around

windows and low or high on walls

High radon readings Poor Combustion Flue Back Drafts Chronic Stale Smell

effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases

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Fresh Air Ventilation Systems, LLC155 Spring St.Lewiston, ME 04240207 786-9400kurt@freshairventilation.netwww.freshairventilation.net

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