Mechanical Ventilation: When Your Home Is Shut Tight, You Need Some Fresh Air

Mechanical Ventilation: When Your Home Is Shut Tight, You Need Some Fresh Air

Did you know that your indoor air could be much more polluted than the outdoor air in Pasadena? Most people spend the majority of their time indoors, so that makes it even more important to ensure that your indoor air is as clean and healthful as it can be. Mechanical ventilation is a way to achieve that. These systems bring in fresh air and spread it throughout the rooms, reducing moisture, odors and pollutants.

Other than improving the quality of your indoor air, the benefits of mechanical ventilation include:

• Increased control over the air flow in your home. You don’t want your indoor air to be mixed with polluted air from your attic or garage, but this can happen due to air leaks and gaps. Mechanical ventilation will ensure proper fresh air flow and exhaust polluted air.
• More comfort for you and your family. Many mechanical ventilation systems are also designed to filter, dehumidify and condition the incoming fresh air.

There are three different types of mechanical ventilation systems. The right one for your home depends on the climate of your area and your home’s heating and cooling system.

• Supply Ventilation Systems. These systems come with an air intake vent, which brings in the outdoor air and circulates it with a fan and duct system. The air intake vent can be connected to the main return air duct, which can cool down or dehumidify the outdoor air. These systems are suited for hot or mixed climates.
• Exhaust Ventilation Systems. Instead of bringing outdoor air indoors, these systems focus on exhausting your indoor air to the outdoors through one or more fans in your bathrooms. These systems are designed for cold climates and thus probably not suitable for homes in Pasadena.
• Balanced Ventilation Systems. With two fans, these systems bring in as much fresh air into your home as they exhaust your indoor air, giving you the benefits of both supply and exhaust ventilation systems. These ventilation systems are appropriate in all climates.

Contact us at Air-Tro, Inc.for more expert advice on mechanical ventilation systems and other issues related to home comfort. We serve the greater Los Angeles area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Los Angeles, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about mechanical ventilation and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

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