Hvac ???

[Tyler Howell]

Me Again,

With your assistance I purchased a high efficiency boiler for my super insulated, earth bermed, 30 year old home. Great even heat. Got my energy rebate. Plenty of domestic hot water. Had it stubbed off for adding Solar Thermal in the future.

What nobody, (especially that salesman) mentioned was with the external combustion air, all that warm moist air remains in the house condencing on my windows.

Solution found. Heat/AC recovery Air Exchanger (AE) with HEPA filter, appropriate for this climate purchased and installed.

Works great so far for dust, odors and balancing the house temp. The real test is about to begin.

The install instructions were a little vague and I want to know if it is a good idea to draw stale air off the bath rooms.

The AE has a drain for condensation.
In the old days HVAC rarely had a cold air return for kitchens and baths, so I'm wondering has thinking changed or is this a different ball game??

No vent fans in the baths. Just cracked the window when needed.


TIA
Always great to be wading in the Creek.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not an expert, but in my experience (two kids that loved long hot showers) the majority of moisture in a house comes from two locations. The bathroom and the kitchen, with the bathroom contributing the most. I see no problem pulling air out of the bathroom through your air to air heat exchanger. Duct the incoming air to a different room.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Bathroom air is often not circulated on the thesis that it stinks and is overly humid. That's what my HVAC guy told me.
I made them put an inlet vent in the master anyway.

[Jerry Bruette]

I also have hot water heat with an indirect fired water heater. When we built the house Wisconsin Public Service(local gas and electric provider) told me that with two little kids going in and out of the house in the winter I'd have enough air exchanged to prevent condensation. Ha!!!

Fought with so much frost on my windows that they would freeze shut in Jan. and Feb. even with exhaust fans in both bathrooms. Eight years later I had central air installed along with an air to air exchanger. And now I can get it so dry in the house it causes a light show of static when you pull back the bed sheets.

I think that as long as your air to air is the proper size you'll be okay. But it may take more than one heating season to get all the excess moisture out of your house.

Jerry

[Jim Finn]

[QUOTE=warm moist air remains in the house condencing on my windows.
This is a problem with a sealed up tight house . When I was a HVAC contractor in Wisconsin folks that went for electric heat and sealed tight houses, that did not "breathe", had this same problem.

[Lee Schierer]

Bathroom air is often not circulated on the thesis that it stinks and is overly humid. That's what my HVAC guy told me.
I made them put an inlet vent in the master anyway.

I have an air inlet to the bathroom, but no air return. If you don't put heat or A/C in the room won't stay at a comfortable temp. By having an air inlet only you push the moisture out to the rest of the house before it goes back to the furnace.