If you need electrical work call a profetional to avoid this unbecoming hair do.
805-GET-HELP
Search This Blog
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Great guide to home ventalation.
A Guide To Ventilation Exhaust Fans
Most of today’s new homes are highly insulated and practically air tight. While this is great as far as cost effective energy bills go, the down side to tightly insulated homes is poor indoor air quality. As windows and doors are typically kept shut throughout the day, moisture, and stale air that can carry contaminants and pathogens circulates inside homes and gives rise to various problems including mold and mildew, health problems, ruined furniture, peeling paint etc. This is why it is important that you take every step to improve the quality of your indoor air, which can be achieved through mechanical ventilation.
An excellent way to ventilate your home thoroughly, efficiently, and cheaply is to install exhaust fans in your home. This article explains what exhaust fans are, their different types, how to select the best one for your home, and also the benefits of exhaust ventilation fans.
What Are Exhaust Fans
An exhaust fan is a mechanical ventilation device that helps to draw out stale and impure air from your home and bring in fresh air, thereby improving the quality of indoor air. Exhaust fans are typically ducted to the exteriors of your house, through which bad indoor air can effectively be removed from your living space.
Types Of Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans are classified into various types, mainly depending on the type of mount and the location where you need to install the fans. The different types are:
1. Ceiling Mounted Exhaust Fans:As the name suggests, ceiling exhaust fans are those which are installed in the ceiling. Such fans expel stale air from your home upwards through the roof. The fan is connected to ducting, which is exhausted outside the home via an external vent, like a roof cap or soffit exhaust vent.
2. Inline Exhaust Fans:Unlike ceiling exhaust fans that are installed directly into the ceiling, inline exhaust fans are typically mounted in-between ducting, hence the name inline fan. For instance, if you wanted to ventilate an area that did not have clearance or space for a ceiling mount fan, you would make use of inline exhaust fans to ventilate such areas. The exhaust fan would be placed in between the ductwork and the stale air would travel through the ducts and ultimately be expelled from your home. Since inline fans are not mounted directly to the ceiling, they are very quiet. When installing an inline fan, to reduce noise, we recommend using an insulated flex duct that is at least eight feet long from the intake port on the ceiling to the inline fan.
Inline exhaust fans are ideal for exhausting areas or rooms where you cannot, or do not wish to install the exhaust fan directly. Since these types of exhaust fans are mounted in remote areas, they are also referred to as remote mounted exhaust fans. Inline exhaust fans can either be single-port (exhausting from a single area) or multi-port (exhausting from multiple areas).
3. Wall Mounted Exhaust Fans:These exhaust fans are installed on walls. Since they are installed on exterior walls of the home and not on interior walls, the stale air has a direct route to the outside of your home and thus no duct work is required in installing these exhaust fans.
4. Combination Exhaust Fans:Exhaust fans are also available as combination units. You have the choice of a fan-light combination where the exhaust fan provides illumination as well, or heat-fan-light combination wherein you get a heater, light and ventilating fan all in a single device.
5. Exterior Remote Mounted Exhaust Fans:While most other exhaust fans are installed inside your home and push stale air out, exterior remote mounted fans are installed outside your home and pull out stale indoor air instead of pushing it out. The main benefit of these exhaust fans is that regardless of however noisy they are, most of the noise remains outside your home.
6. Kitchen Range Exhaust Fans:These fans are mounted inside the range hood over your kitchen stove. Such fans not only help to rid your kitchen of stale air but also help to expel bad odors and reduce moisture levels in your cooking area.
These several types of exhaust fans can be used for complete ventilation of your home including intermittent local ventilation for baths, kitchens, dryer rooms; continuous whole house ventilation throughout your home, and for exhausting hard-to-air spaces such as crawl spaces, attics, and basements.
Benefits Of Exhaust Fans
Exhaust fans are very effective at ventilating your home and other living spaces. Without proper ventilation, the air inside your home can get filled with harmful contaminants and disease causing pathogens.
Pollutants such as pesticides, harmful gases, smoke, pet dander, lead, asbestos, dust mites, paint fumes, grease etc get released into indoor air due to daily activities such as cooking, smoking, burning fuel, bathing, renovating etc. In addition to these pollutants, activities such as bathing, cooking, and washing also release excess moisture in the air and make indoor air extremely humid. If not ventilated adequately, these added pollutants and increased moisture levels can decrease the quality of indoor air greatly, thereby leading to various problems such as:
- Health problems including asthma, allergies, nose bleeds, skin rashes, headaches, nausea, and other breathing disorders. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, a large percentage of the over 20 million annual asthma cases in the US alone can be attributed to bad indoor air quality.
- Split, warped and rotted furniture due to excess humidity.
- Cracked and peeling paint on the walls.
- Formation of fungus, mold spores, and mildew, which in turn lead to severe health problems.
Thus, by using exhaust fans to ventilate your home efficiently and completely, thereby improving indoor air quality, you can rid yourself and your home of all these problems.
Recommended Sizing Of Exhaust Fans
To ventilate your home effectively, it is important that the exhaust fan you choose has the capacity to exhaust the intended space completely. To ensure this, you must select the right sized fan for your needs. Here’s a look at how to size exhaust fans properly.
1. Location of the Exhaust Fan and Air Changes Per Hour:
Where you intend to install the exhaust fan will have a direct bearing on its size. As per the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI), different locations in your home require varying Air Changes Per Hour (ACH) in order to be ventilated properly. Here are the ACH requirements recommended by HVI.
- 8 ACH for bathrooms
- 15 ACH for kitchens
- 6 ACH for rooms other than bath and kitchen
ACH refers to the number of times the air should be completely changed in an hour. Thus, an 8 ACH recommendation for bathrooms means the exhaust fan should have the capacity to completely change the air in the bathroom 8 times in one hour.
All exhaust fans are rated in CFM, which refers to Cubic Feet per Minute. To determine how large an exhaust fan you need (in other words, CFM rating of the fan) here’s what you need to do.
Sizing Bathroom Exhaust Fans:
First and foremost, measure the dimensions (length, width, and height) of the room and then calculate the volume of air in the room by multiplying all these 3 numbers. For instance, if your bathroom has dimensions of 6 x 10 x 8, then the air volume in the bathroom is 480 cubic feet. Thus, the exhaust fan needs to ventilate 480 cubic feet of air in order to achieve 1 ACH. But since the recommended ACH for bathrooms is 8, the fan will effectively need to ventilate 480 x 8 cubic feet, which equals 3840 cubic feet in one hour. Fan ratings are per minute, thus by dividing 3840 by 60, you can achieve the desired CFM rating for the fan which in this case is 64.
A simpler way of determining the CFM rating for bathroom exhaust fans is to simply multiply the length of the bathroom by its width. For every 1 sq. ft. of floor area, you need 1 CFM. Thus, in the above example, area would be 6 x 10 = 60, thus recommended fan size would be 60 CFM.
However, if your bathroom is more than 100 sq. ft. in size, you have to add the different fixtures in your bathroom to reach the desired CFM rating. The recommended CFM for different fixtures is:
· Shower – 50 CFM
· Toilet – 50 CFM
· Bathtub – 50 CFM
· Whirlpool tub – 100 CFM
Thus, if your bathroom is more than 100 sq. ft. in size and has a toilet and shower, you will need an exhaust fan with 100 CFM rating. If a bathtub is also present the CFM rating will increase to 150 and so on.
Sizing Kitchen Exhaust Fans:
When sizing an exhaust fan for the kitchen, you have to take into account the location of your kitchen cooking range (if without range hood) or the size and location of the range hood if there is one. Here are the recommended CFM ratings for kitchen range hood exhaust fans:
Generally speaking, for every 10,000 BTU of the range, it is recommended a minimum of 100 CFM. So if your range is rated at 50,000 btu's, you would consider getting a fan with at least 500 CFM.
2. Understanding Static Pressure and Measuring Equivalent Duct Length:
When sizing an exhaust fan that does not open directly to the outside but is ducted, it is important to ensure that the exhaust fan has the capability to move stale air throughout the duct and ultimately to the outside. Here, we first need to understand what static pressure and equivalent duct length is.
Static Pressure:Inside every duct, there is a constant pressure being exerted at any point from all directions. When an exhaust fan moves air through the duct, the air counters resistance from this pressure which is known as static pressure. Thus, an exhaust fan has to have the ability to overcome the static pressure in a duct so as to effectively duct stale air to the outside of your home. This can be done by calculating the equivalent duct length of any duct.
Calculating Equivalent Duct Length (EDL):Simply measuring the length of a duct is not enough to know how much static pressure an exhaust fan has to overcome. Ducts may have one or more elbows, turns, or wall caps which add to the static pressure in a duct. Thus, you have to calculate the equivalent duct run and not the actual duct run so as to size an exhaust fan properly.
The static pressure in any duct run differs according to the material of the duct, number of elbows and turns, exterior wall cap and wall jacks etc. Listed below are the standard values for different duct components.
- Smooth metal duct: Actual duct length x 1
- Flex aluminum duct: Actual duct length x 1.25 (for 4”diameter duct)
Actual duct length x 1.50 (for 6”diameter duct)
- Insulated flex duct: Actual duct length x 1.50 (for 4”diameter duct)
Actual duct length x 2.00 (for 6”diameter duct)
- Wall caps and roof caps: 30 feet for each cap (for 4”diameter duct)
40 feet for each cap (for 6”diameter duct)
- Elbows and turns: 15 feet for each (for 4”diameter duct)
20 feet for each (for 6”diameter duct)
Using the above values, you can calculate the equivalent straight duct length that an exhaust fan has to overcome so as to push stale air outside your home and counter static pressure effectively.
This ventilation guide is provided as a service from R.E. Williams Cont. Inc. Please be aware, that building codes and local regulations differ from region to region, they also can change.; therefore, R.E. Williams’ Cont. Inc. assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any home improvement project. You should always exercise reasonable caution, follow your current codes and regulations that may apply, and if in doubt on any procedure consult with a licensed professional.
For a complete line of residential ventilation solutions, visit our website at www.REWCI.com
Copyright ©2007 All Rights Reserved R.E. Wiiliams Cont. Inc.
Reprinting or use for other than personal use is strictly prohibited without permission.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Carbon Monoxide Detectors, the new law and how to protect yourself.
Please read all the comments that follow this article.
New Law Regarding Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Home Inspectors will start checking for CO detectors after passage of new Disclosure Laws
Watch this vidio in the link below.
http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/QuietKiller/
STAY UP TO DATE ON THIS IMPORTANT NEW LAW BY “LIKING” OUR FACEBOOK PAGE (Click above)
California Senate Bill 183 was signed into law to regulate the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors. The law is a two-part law that requires an update to the Transfer Disclosure Statements used in a real estate transaction, and puts into law the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010.
The first part of the new law requires that as of July 1, 2011, Transfer Disclosure Statements (TD forms) include a line item regarding the presence or absence of a Carbon Monoxide detector in the same manner as Smoke Detectors, for all residential units that are sold. This applies to just about all types of occupancies from single family owner-occupied and rentals, to multi-family housing. If the property is being sold, it must now include a CO Detector if the dwelling has gas appliances, fireplaces, and/or attached garages as described below.
The second part of the law enacts the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 which requires that all residential properties, not just those being sold, be equipped with a Carbon Monoxide detector when the property has a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, fireplace, and/or an attached garage. All single-family homes in structures with 1-4 units (owner or tenant occupied) must be equipped with a detector on or before July 1, 2011.
All other multi-family residential units must be equipped with a detector on or before January 1, 2013, not just those being sold.
For rentals, the Carbon Monoxide detector must be operable at the time the tenant takes possession. A tenant is responsible for notifying the owner or owner’s agent if the tenant becomes aware of an inoperable or deficient carbon monoxide detector within his or her unit. The owner or owner’s agent must correct any reported deficiencies in the carbon monoxide detector and will not be in violation of this section for a deficient or inoperable carbon monoxide detector when he or she has not received notice of the deficiency or inoperability.
The bottom line is that ALL SINGLE FAMILY residential dwelling units as of July 1, 2011 must have a CO detector, even those that are not being sold. All other dewlling units (multi-family, dormatories, hotels, motels, etc) must have CO detectors installed by January 1, 2013.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Expect to see this new inspection item in your home inspection report. Home inspectors will be required to report on the presence or absence of a working Carbon Monoxide detector just like they report on Smoke Detectors, and water heater strapping.
Home Buyers and Sellers will also see this new requirement on Transfer Disclosure Statements. In addition to Smoke Alarms and strapped water heaters, sellers will be required to disclose the presence or absence of a working Carbon Monoxide detector starting July 1, 2011.
Details of SB 183
This bill requires that Transfer Disclosure Statements (TDS Forms) include a line items for Carbon Monoxide Detectors just like Smoke Detectors. This applies to homes intended for human occupancy that have a fossil fuel (gas or wood) burning appliance, fireplace, and/or an attached garage.
The remedy for failure to install a device is actual damages not to exceed $100, exclusive of any court costs and attorney’s fees. The Bill revises the statutory Real Estate Transfer Disclosure Statement to require the seller of a one-to-four residential property or manufactured home to make certain disclosures regarding carbon monoxide devices, smoke detectors, and water heaters, and requires the owner of a rental dwelling unit to maintain carbon monoxide devices in the unit (as of January 1, 2013).
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010
Details: As of July 1, 2011, Carbon Monoxide detectors will be REQUIRED in all houses (1 – 4 units) if they have any of the following:
- Any gas appliances such as a gas stove, gas furnace, gas fireplace, gas water heater, etc.
- A fireplace (even if it only burns wood, pellets, or any other material).
- An attached garage (even if there are no gas appliances in the house!). Cars continue to emit CO even after they are shut off.
- ANY rental dwelling that meets the criteria listed above. Yes this means that if you own a house, condo, or townhouse that you rent to another human being, you are REQUIRED to install Carbon Monoxide detectors.
- As of January 1, 2013, ALL multi-family dwellings including multi-family dwellings that meet the criteria listed above will be required to have Carbon Monoxide detectors. Even those that are not being sold will be required to have them just like smoke detectors.
Be sure the home you are buying or selling is safe. A qualified home inspector will provide the information you need to feel confident about your home buying decision. Don’t compromise when choosing a home inspector. Be sure to ask if they will check for this.
You can read the entire new Carbon Monoxide Bill here.
The San Diego Real Estate Inspection Company feels that Carbon Monoxide detecors are as important, or more, than a traditional smoke detector. We will will add this as an inspection item effective immediately. We want to get this information out to buyers and sellers. Most Carbon Monoxide detectors cost $50 or less.
To keep up with this story and more, please “Like” us on Facebook today!
Tags: Carbon Monoxide, Disclosure
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 27th, 2010 at 7:30 am and is filed under Health and Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
26 Responses to “New Law Regarding Carbon Monoxide Detectors”
-
A friend of mine’s carbon monoxide tester keeps beeping for no reason, what should she do? | Siberia Mining Says:
[...] New Law Regarding Carbon Monoxide Detectors | Home Inspector San … [...]
-
agentnewswire.com Says:
New California Law Regarding Carbon Monoxide Detectors…
California Home Inspectors will start checking for CO detectors after passage of new Disclosure Laws. California Senate Bill 183 was signed into law which requires the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors in rental units, and dwellings that are be…
-
Ewan Sheriff Says:
November 26th, 2010 at 12:27 am
How the commercial and residential properties are treated differently by the real estate law.
-
pheller Says:
November 26th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Since people don’t typically sleep in commercial properties, they have not yet required Carbon Monoxide Detectors to be installed there. The danger is mostly associated where people sleep.
-
Ken Chastain Says:
December 9th, 2010 at 10:32 am
This bill requires that a carbon monoxide device be installed in existing dwellings intended for human occupancy that have a fossil fuel burning appliance, fireplace, or an attached garage. So why are they required in rental if the rental unit has none of the above.
-
Hi Ken,
They are only required in dwellings that have an attached garage or gas burning appliances. The requirement to install them kicks in on January 1, 2011 for houses being sold (with garage or gas appliances) or rentals (with garage or gas appliances), even if the rentals are not being sold.
It will be required in all dwellings with a garage or gas appliances (including those that are not for sale) starting in 2013.
-
s. Peroff Says:
Does the law specify where the detectors are to be installed, how many, and are combination smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors allowed.
thank you -
Unfortunately the law does not specify installation requirements. You can follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Ideally you would install a CO detector near the furnace, and in each sleeping room.
-
Tony Says:
How do we know which ones are approved by the state.
-
Not exactly. No one cares if you put one in your own house. Just like smoke detectors. You won’t be fined if you don’t have one.
It is required as a safety device when you rent a house to someone, and when houses are transfered to a new owner.
You also have a choice whether or not you want to take on the responsibility of owning a house/rental property or not. -
Palvin Says:
So, who is going to come to my house and check to see if I have a work CO detector installed in the dwelling that I own and occupy? What ever happened to private property rights?
-
49erDan Says:
I purchased a CO2 detector, the laws of physics show that CO2 is heaver than atmospheric air. So someone tell me why they recommend that the detector be installed high on a wall (not within 4″ from ceiling) instead of near the floor where CO2 hangs out?
-
One small correction. It is CO, not CO2. And you are correct. I would buy the plug in units or mount them lower on the wall. I think that the manufacturers believe that when a forced air unit is on, the CO will be detected anywhere. However many people get poisoned because they use a heating source such as a BBQ or fireplace.
-
No one. No one cares if you poison yourself. They are trying to get them into houses when they transfer ownership just like smoke detectors.
-
Damon Salinas Says:
LOL @ “no one cares if you poison yourself”!! Im a property manager, I have heard a few different conflicting statements about what kind of CO detector is required. Does it have to be one with a battery back up AND wired? What if the house is not wired for it…?
-
It is my understanding that rental properties require hard-wired detectors.
-
GettingBy Says:
I don’t think existing construction requires hard-wired devices. New construction, yes. Just like smoke detectors.
-
Cap Says:
Most people can see where this will go. My bet is that no two FD’s will require the same install
requirements unless the State Fire Marshall already has published one. Think about it, CO is colorless, odorless and heavier than air and will settle in all low areas. Basements and multi-story homes may, by definition, require/need more units than a one story single family dwelling. In addition to bedroom locations, gas appliances are the primary targets of this legislation. Ignorance of other sources, since most are portable, will still get people….and their children, killed. Let’s educate in the schools as we regulate. -
Time to get a Carbon Monoxide Detector – new California law | Your trusted resource for Marin County real estate and community information | Your trusted resource for Marin County real estate and community information Says:
[...] is a new law regarding carbon monoxide poisoning: The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in each “dwelling unit intended for human [...]
-
CO detectors installed in rentals are supposed to be hard-wired.
-
Joe Says:
Battery or hard wired? Either one is fine. Here is what the SB 183 itself says:
“13262. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:
(a) “Carbon monoxide device” means a device that meets all of the
following requirements:
(1) A device designed to detect carbon monoxide and produce a distinct,
audible alarm.
(2) A device that is battery powered, a plug-in device with battery backup,
or a device installed as recommended by Standard 720 of the National Fire
Protection Association that is either wired into the alternating current power
line of the dwelling unit with a secondary battery backup or connected to a
system via a panel.”ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0151-0200/sb_183_bill_20100507_chaptered.pdf
-
Hil Says:
I manage a mixed-use (commercial/residential) building with underground parking, gas appliances in all, etc. Does the Carbon Monoxide Detector have to be in stalled in the parking garage, if so, how many? Also,
-
No, the CO detector needs to be installed in the living space near the sleeping rooms. That is where the poisoning hazard is the greatest.
-
K Says:
How many people died in california last year from CO2 poisoning? Is this yet another thing to allow self justification for bigger government?
-
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1304855/
27to 58 people per year over a 10 year period. 31% of those alcohol was involved. A high percentage a motovehicle, hibachi or camping stove / tent was involved. Who is profiting from this law? Politicians, regulators and the industry making these devices. Is there no limit to what they can impose on the masses? -
KennyC Says:
Some statements in this article conflict with what I see in the SB 183 and the Cal Fire news release. The references below state that CO detectors are required in *ALL* single family home July 1, 2011, whether being sold or not.
From http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0151-0200/sb_183_bill_20100507_chaptered.pdf
“[...]in each existing dwelling unit having a fossil fuel burning heater or appliance, fireplace, or an attached garage, within the earliest applicable time period as follows:
(1) For all existing single-family dwelling units intended for human occupancy on or before July 1, 2011.
(2) For all other existing dwelling units intended for human occupancy on or before January 1, 2013.
”From http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/newsreleases/2011/CarbonMonoxideDetectors.pdf
Though previous laws only required newly-constructed homes to have CO alarms, the state’s new Carbon
Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) requires owners of all existing single-family homes with an attached garage or a fossil fuel source to install CO alarm devices within the home by July 1, 2011. Owners of multi-family leased or rental dwellings, such as apartment buildings, have until January 1, 2013 to comply with the law.Please correct the misleading information in your site.
above article from: http://sdinspections.com/new-law-regarding-carbon-monoxide-detectors
Monday, June 20, 2011
If its to hot to sleep in your bedroom you need an Airscape Whole House Fan
Across the country the words “It’s too hot to sleep!” are heard every summer.
The long hazy, hot days of summer turn a two-story home into a heat trap. Why? Hot air rises. HVAC systems were designed to optimize heating for all weather climates, with inadequate ducting to move cool air into hot bedrooms. Add to that attics that have been poorly insulated which dramatically accelerates heat build-up during the day.
The unhappy result is upstairs bedrooms that do not cool off until dawn is approaching, thanks to the combination of tremendous heat buildup and inefficient A/C. So you find yourself often lying in bed, sweating, even though the outdoor temperature has become very pleasantly cool. It's frustrating. And it's expensive to fight this problem by running AC and turning the basement into a refrigerator.
An AIrScape Whole House Fan and Solar Attic Fan will not only solve your problem, but save you money as well. Our engineered fans work to bring in the cool outdoor air, and circulate it through the house, moving it out through the attic. Turn on your AirScape after the sun goes down, and by the time you are ready for bed, the upstairs air is fresher and cooler. Our recommendation, when outdoor temperatures are below 82 degrees and the relative humidity is less than 75 percent, an AirScape Whole House Fan can cool a house quickly and run throughout the night to start the next day with a pre-cooled space.
Paired with an AirScape Solar Attic Fan, which runs from dawn to dusk and effectively lowers the attic temperature, gives you a running start on your evening cooling. Without extra energy costs.
Experience energy efficient natural cooling with AirScape, the commonsense solution for comfort.
Read More: How An AirScape Whole House Fan Can Improve Indoor Air Quality
From-http://airscapefans.com/learn-about/fix-hot-bedrooms.php
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The handyman's electrical work
You can see there is an electrical splice without a Junction Box. This is why electrical fires burn down homes. Why would anyone pay money to have their electrical system butchered like this. I found this way in the back part of an attic in Paso Robles. The home is worth well over 500K.
This is the type of work done that people don't see when they chose a low price.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Non-contact voltage detector.
If you are a Do It Yourselfer, and you want to work on electricity, you must have one of these!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)