Another round of Forced hot air and CAC questions
I’ve read a lot of anti forced hot air opinions here—is it really that dry? What steps can be taken to improve the quality of the air? Additionally, are there any downsides to central AC? It seems that the consistent temperature in the house would be a wonderful feature, but I am sure that there…
I’ve read a lot of anti forced hot air opinions here—is it really that dry? What steps can be taken to improve the quality of the air?
Additionally, are there any downsides to central AC? It seems that the consistent temperature in the house would be a wonderful feature, but I am sure that there are some pretty strong opinions out there….
Don’t let the Radiant guys confuse you with biased half-truths. Radiant heat is an excellent form of heat, to be sure. But- that’s all it can do: Heat. We are interested in something beyond merely heat in our homes: Comfort and Health. Heat is simply one part of this equation. We also want clean air (filtered), conditioned air ( either warm or cool), and fresh air for indoor air quality. This requires “ventilation”. Addressing this “fresh air” ventilation portion is another topic all to itself.
Forced air systems rec’d the stigma of “dry” heat in cold climates due to the leaky nature of unsealed ductwork. The return air duct (negative pressure- suction ) would pull in outside air thru gaps and spaces within cavity walls, crawl spaces, etc. This would pressurize the house and drive indoor air out thru other gaps within the home: door gaps, window frames, sheetrock, etc. Thus an unintended exchange of air with the outside: in cold winter invironments this is dry air, in the summer just the opposite. This air must now be heated,cooled,humidified, etc. This wastes energy. The answer is to insist on duct- sealing when installing forced air duct systems.
As to the prior recommendation of Electronic Air Cleaners, I’d recommend you also concider a whole house HEPA type filter system that attaches to you furnace system vs. the EAC. No Ozone, lower mainenance costs, much higher cleaning efficiency.
From a 30 yr hvac/radiant/i.a.q consultant-Alaska
we used PAM…516-889-3100. most of the current system was in place when we bought the property (original duct/grill system), but they rerouted the return, expanded the basement ducts to acomodate the power of our double furnace, installed the air filters and installed a new thermostat. They are reliable and seem reasonable. Their guy knew more about electrics than our electrician.
Thanks, Can you offer a recommendation for the company that installed your forced air system?
we have forced air in our 4-story brownstone in bedford stuyvesant. it is beautifully balanced, very quiet, and the air is much less dry than any radiator-heated homes we’ve visited. i recommend installing high quality electrostatic filters to clean the air. make sure your ducting is adequate for its usage. also, be certain the return is getting fresh air and not being receycled from the basement.
to wash and humidify the air, check out the ventawasher at bed, bath and beyond. they are a simple,german design and require very little maintenance.