Mechanical Systems
The
following publications and papers deal with fan cycling control
information,
controlled ventilation issues, heating and cooling choices, system sizing,
duct leakage, etc.:
Fan Cycling Control Information
-
FanCycler.com
For the most up-to-date information on fan cycling and FanCycler
products
- Central Fan Integrated Supply
Ventilation ? The Basics
The simplest, most effective, and most economical way to introduce fresh
air in homes with central forced air systems is to use the central fan to
pull in and distribute a controlled amount of outside air.
- The Fan Cycling Control
-- Details
Based on article published in Heating Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration News, 5 July, 1999, page 45, Armin F. Rudd. This is a
concise write-up on the what, why and how of this central-fan integrated
residential ventilation approach. It describes the inherent
cost-effectiveness and energy/resource efficiency of the system,
especially well suited to the needs of production builders and
manufactured homes. Click on "details" above for diagrams of
some typical applications.
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Fan Cycling Frequently Asked
Questions
2001, Armin Rudd. The fan cycling control is an important element of the
Building America ventilation strategy. The quick and easy read of this Q
and A with Armin Rudd "clears the air" regarding this control
strategy.
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Design
Methodology and Economic Evaluation of Central-Fan-Integrated
Supply Ventilation Systems
ACEEE Summer Study in Buildings, August, 1998, Armin F. Rudd,
Joseph Lstiburek. Testing of Central-fan-integrated supply ventilation
systems yields a five step guide for sizing and installing the system and
computer modeling reveals the cost-effectiveness of this system in
comparison to a separate supply ventilation system as well as the marginal
costs of operation compared to no mechanical ventilation.
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Measured Air Change Rates
and Distribution of Ventilation Air In A Single Family Home
December, 1998, Armin F. Rudd. This technical paper demonstrates,
with results from single-home testing, the superior air distribution
delivered by a intermittently operated central fan integrated supply
ventilation system in comparison to continuously operated separate supply
ventilation system.
Other Ventilation Information
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Understanding Attic Ventilation
Revised 2006, Joseph Lstiburek. Attics or roofs can be
designed and constructed to be either vented or unvented in any hygro-thermal
zone.
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Understanding Ventilation
2006, Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng. Adding outdoor air
in hot, humid climates causes moisture problems, right? Sometimes. It
depends on the condition of the house before you start to add outdoor
air.
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Review of Residential Ventilation
Technologies
August 2005, Armin Rudd, Max Sherman and Marion Russell.
This paper reviews current and potential ventilation technologies for
residential buildings with particular emphasis on North American
climates and construction.
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Multifamily Ventilation
2005, Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng. Are multifamily
buildings one building or a bunch of individual buildings sharing the
same space? Should services and systems be shared or individual?
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The deKieffer Bypass
January 2004, Boulder Design Alliance. Construction practices have
improved and the HVAC systems in need to improve with them. The deKieffer
Bypass relieves air pressure in rooms without compromising sound or light
transmission.
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Why It?s So
Important (and Troubling) to Keep Ducts and Equipment in Conditioned Space
Perhaps the single most challenging BSC performance requirement for
our Building America production homebuilders is that all ducts and HVAC
equipment must be within the conditioned space (This means no ducts in
outside walls and no ducts or air handlers in garages, vented attics and
vented crawlspaces). It?s an important and even driving element for each
of the four case studies in this report. So, why all the heartache over
this single design element?
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Ventilation and
Air Leakage
November 2003, Andrew C. Ask, P.E. Reprinted by permission from ASHRAE
Journal, November 2003. ?2003 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating
and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. Buildings leak water and air, which
is normal and unavoidable. So how much leakage is acceptable? The author
suggests as a modest goal that buildings should leak no more than the air
that must be introduced for acceptable indoor air quality.
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Residential
Ventilation and Latent Loads
by Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P. Eng., Member ASHRAE, ASHRAE
Journal.
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Measurement of Ventilation
Rates and Inter-zonal Distribution In Single Family Homes
June, 1999, Armin F. Rudd, Joseph W. Lstiburek. Technical article
for ASHRAE demonstrating that successful ventilation strategies ALL
involve central fan re-circulation.
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Discussion of Ventilation System Energy
Performance and Costs
1999, Armin F. Rudd. An hourly simulation study using DOE2.1E was conducted to
determine the annual difference in energy consumption between various
ventilation options in different climates.
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Ventilation Questions Posed by
Home
Energy Magazine
2000, Armin Rudd. "The most important consideration in making
the decision for or against mechanical ventilation is, therefore,
"How lucky do you feel?" You will feel a whole lot luckier
after you read this Q&A with Armin on residential ventilation issues.
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Practical Approaches to Residential
Ventilation for Improved Durability and Indoor Air Quality
November 8, 2000, Armin F. Rudd.
Durability and Disaster Mitigation in Wood-Frame Housing Conference,
Madison, Wisconsin,
Other HVAC Information
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The
How and Why of Your High Performance HVAC System
December 2003, Building Science Corporation. Perhaps the most frequently
raised concern from home owners of high performance homes is: How can I be
saving energy, money, and wear and tear on my equipment if it seems as
though my system is running a lot more than systems in other homes?
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Residential
Dehumidification Systems Research for Hot-Humid Climates
August 2002, Armin Rudd. Final Technical Report for the Advanced System
Performance Dehumidification Project done under the U.S. Department of
Energy Building America Program.
- Combo Space/Water Heating
Systems -- "Duo Diligence"
September 2002. Combo systems use a gas water heater to provide
domestic water and space heating. Find out when its appropriate to
use such a system and guidelines for doing it right.
- Heating Choices
1999, Joseph Lstiburek. Straight talk, based on Building America
experience about selecting furnaces, water heaters, both, or sometimes
just one to accomplish both (space heating and domestic hot water). Not
always the answers you would expect, either; but then, Lstiburek did write this.
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Advanced
Space Conditioning - The Practical Science of Fully Integrating
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning in High Performance
Residential Buildings
2000, Joseph Lstiburek. Everything you ever wanted to know
about HVAC for homes-thermal comfort, air distribution, nature of and
dealing with contaminants, HVAC strategies, and climate-appropriate
graphics to boot.
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How to Size Cooling and Heating System Capacity, Room
Air Flows, Ducts, and Transfers of Homes Built to Building America
Standards
Armin Rudd . A design process is laid out for sizing cooling and
heating system capacity; for specifying the airflow and duct sizes to each
conditioned space; and for specifying the free area needed to transfer air
supplied to closed rooms back to the central return. The software program
RHVAC (from EliteSoft) and additional calculations are used to establish
this process. An actual builder's plan is used as an example of the design
process.
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Air
Conditioning Equipment Efficiency (Startup Procedures)
January 2002, Armin Rudd. For you and your HVAC contractor: installation and
start-up procedures for optimum air conditioning performance.
- Transfer
Grille Details
January 2002, from Builder's Guide, Building Science Corporation.
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Transfer
Grille Sizing Chart
2000, Armin Rudd. Excerpted from "Discussion of the Use of Transfer
Grilles to Facilitate Return Air Flow in Central Return Systems".
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Air
Handler Leakage Testing
September 17, 1999, Armin F. Rudd, Kohta Ueno. Duct blaster testing
of several furnaces from four manufacturers reveals total air leakage from
air handler units and coil/plenums somewhat less than expected, with
amounts of leakage and ease of correction suggesting first opportunities
lie with sealing of the coil section and plenum.
- Discussion
of the Use of Transfer Grilles to Facilitate Return Air Flow
in Central Return Systems
2000, Armin Rudd. Transfer grilles represent a cost-effective
alternative to individual return ducts IF they are properly configured for
air flow, privacy, and aesthetics. Armin knows exactly how to do this and
now you can too.
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