[Greenbuilding] dehumidifying bathrooms - makeup air?

[Norbert Senf]

The Japanese traditionally fill their crawlspace with bags of charcoal, for
year-round moisture equalization. There is a lot of interest in biochar
these days, as a carbon sequestration technique. As an experiment, we
managed to make around 500 lbs last winter, as a byproduct of heating our
house with a cordwood fired masonry heater. Biochar can apparently be used
as an aggregate in plasters, giving them enhanced moisture control
properties ............. N

On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 8:41 AM, Stephen Collette <
stephen at yourhealthyhouse.ca> wrote:

> Hello Reuben and all,
>
> You seem to be looking for more passive strategies. I am wondering if you
> have considered building materials in the bathroom that could safely manage
> moisture, such as clay plaster, unfinished cork and wood? These strategies
> have been used for centuries with great success. I was in a bathroom in
> Florida of Helmut Ziehe, the founder of Building Biology in North America
> and in this tiny bathroom there was unfinished cork and wood details in the
> space (he was also an architect, it looked beautiful). I was the second
> person to take a shower in humid Florida and the mirror was clear when I
> stepped out of the shower.
>
> Clay plasters will do the same. They can absorb and adsorb the moisture in
> the air to balance out the indoor humidity. Once the conditions have
> changed they can desorb the moisture in the material into the air helping
> to maintain a more even internal humidity in the room. Because they can
> hold significant amounts of moisture safely, this can create a more durable
> space. We have over the last decades been trying to create impermeable
> surfaces in bathrooms and adding mechanical solutions. Instead, if we add
> hygroscopic materials that can safely manage the moisture generated, we
> reduce the need for mechanical solutions.
>
> I will be adding clay plaster to my two bathrooms in the very near future
> as detail walls to help with this exact situation. I am in Ontario but have
> family members who have discovered the magic of long showers…. This in
> combination with a balanced HRV exhaust in each bathroom will maintain
> humidity in the air and reduce potential concerns with damage.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Cheers
>
> Stephen
>
> Stephen Collette
> BBEC, BBNC, LEED AP, CAHP, BSSO
> Principal
> *Your Healthy House*
> Indoor Environmental Testing & Building Consulting
> http://www.yourhealthyhouse.ca
> stephen at yourhealthyhouse.ca
> 705.652.5159 <(705)%20652-5159>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 17, 2017, at 2:00 PM, greenbuilding-request at lists.
> bioenergylists.org wrote:
>
> * of course I don't know how much it would actually run as I've not tried
> it in the living space and don't know its duty cycle, but my hope is that
> there might be a (passive?) way to accomplish some of these goals without a
> compressor running a lot of the time....
>
>
>
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-- 
Norbert Senf
Masonry Stove Builders
25 Brouse Road, RR 5
Shawville Québec J0X 2Y0
819.647.5092
www.heatkit.com
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