[Greenbuilding] ventilating a tiny shop space

[JOHN SALMEN]

I agree with Rob - you need air. General rule for a shop is minimum 4 air
changes per hour. Since you have a new vent system with an hrv for the house
it is probably balanced at around .3 - .5 air changes per hour. So if you
just vent the shop it will suck air from the house and create some negative
pressure and unbalance the ventilation.

 

Best thing is to isolate the shop from the house and put in an exhaust fan -
given the room size you need minimum 60-70 cfm (but go for one you can crank
up higher - old range hood or something that can get up to 300cfm). Make
sure the exhaust is not under a house window or even close or close to a
neighbours window. 

 

Need to punch a big hole for makeup air - minimum 8" would be my suggestion
- perhaps between floor joists - you can even duct it to where you will be
standing/working to get the most benefit.

 

Wear a sweater and make sure to exhaust well before cracking the door to the
home.

 

Shops are nasty - dilute dilute dilute.

 

JOHN SALMEN ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN

4465 UPHILL RD,. DUNCAN, B.C.  CANADA, V9L 6M7

PH 250 748 7672 FAX 250 748 7612 CELL 250 246 8541

terrain at shaw.ca

 

  _____  

From: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Thomas
Lewis
Sent: October 26, 2010 4:15 PM
To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org; ArchiLogic at chaffyahoo.ca
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] ventilating a tiny shop space

 


a very convincing argument for fresh air, 
I think you changed my mind on the subject.  

While getting my nose clogged with particles first gave me concern, I
ignored the less obvious effects.

This will have to jump on the list, not that I needed another project.

My question to RT is,
Where does your makeup air come from?

Tom

"Time makes more converts than reason." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

--- On Tue, 10/26/10, RT <ArchiLogic at yahoo.ca> wrote:


From: RT <ArchiLogic at yahoo.ca>
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] ventilating a tiny shop space
To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 1:13 PM

I think that it would be a mistake to not provide exhaust and make-up air
capacity for the shop.

It's not just particulate matter that needs to be exhausted.

ie Sometimes when using carbide cutters & blades on hardwood, smoke will be
generated.

    or

If you ever use sheet stock (ie plywood, PB, HDF or MDF) then those
materials are going to be off-gassing, and moreso when being cut)

   or

If your dust collection system is not a HEPA type, then there will be
particulate matter of the worst sort in the air you breathe

   or

If you use that shop to apply liquid finishes or steenky adhesives, well,
you know.

Even working with "real" (soft) wood, they will off-gas VOCs into the indoor
air environment.
(CMHC's  "Healthy Homes" program recommends that softwoods be avoided for
interior finish work for this reason, if any of the home's occupants are
afflicted with MCS.)

Since the shop is in a basement former "cold room" (ie concrete walls, floor
and ceiling) providing good exhaust capacity should not result in any severe
thermal discomfort due to heat storage/buffering capacity of the
(well-insulated ?) thermal mass, if the exhaust is operated only during
"pollution" events.

In the shop that is in my own home (as opposed to the one that is separate
from) I have an awning-type insulated (R-20) vent on which a squirrel cage
blower (salvaged from a furnace) is mounted. In winter when I need to
exhaust, snap open the sash lock, crank open the insulated awning oand then
turn on the blower. The air is sparkling clean & fresh within moments.


--=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
< A r c h i L o g i c  at  Y a h o o  dot  c a >
manually winnow the chaff from my edress if you hit "reply"
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