How much ventilation is enough and what rooms are most important to ventilate? Today’s houses are so tightly-sealed to conserve energy that ventilation anywhere is usually an improvement. However, it’s also true that certain interior spaces benefit more from venting and the right type of ventilation may differ from room-to-room. Here’s a rundown of what works best where.
- Kitchens and bathrooms.These rooms can generate humidity, odors, cooking fumes and excess heat, all of which degrade indoor air quality and comfort. Both spaces should have exhaust fans that discharge air through dedicated ductwork which runs all the way to the roof. One drawback to one-way exhaust fans is that they may be left running and depressurize the interior of the house, causing cold or hot outdoor air to infiltrate through structural gaps. Avoid this by installing kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans on a timer to turn off automatically after a preset period.
- Bedrooms and living spaces. Because you spent the most time in these spaces–and take the most breaths here–venting with fresh filtered outdoor air is important. Supply-only vent systems that utilize your existing HVAC ductwork intake outdoor air through a dedicated duct, circulate it through the system air filter and disperse in into living spaces. While supply-only systems may slightly overpressurize the interior, it usually isn’t a problem unless excess indoor moisture is present.
- Balanced ventilation. For a comprehensive whole-house approach, a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery ventilator (ERV) exhaust stale indoor air through dedicated small-diameter ductwork while inducting filtered fresh outdoor air and dispersing it throughout all living spaces. Because the exhaust/intake air volume is identical, neutral air pressure inside the house is preserved. A heat recovery ventilator also extracts indoor heat from the outbound exhaust stream and transfers it to the incoming fresh air to avoid loss of furnace heat in winter. An energy recovery ventilator adds still more functionality by removing humidity from incoming outdoor air in summer.
Contact Paitson Bros., your indoor air quality specialists since 1922, for more information about proper ventilation.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Terre Haute, Indiana about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 812-645-6859.
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Jeff Paitson is a third generation business owner who continues to run the business with the same values that have been passed down from previous generations since 1922.
Jeff’s belief is that the business belongs to Jesus Christ; therefore 10 percent of the company’s profits go toward the Maryland Community Church.
Jeff is a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce member and in his spare time, he enjoys 
Ethan Rayburn is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute and a 2005 graduate of Purdue University.
An Eagle Scout, Ethan spent four years as a non-profit executive with the Boy Scouts of America before joining Paitson Bros. as a comfort advisor and later General Manager. In that role, Ethan has brought a renewed enthusiasm for customer care, integrity, value, and service to Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ethan enjoys singing and was a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. He also enjoys playing and coaching soccer, spending time with his family and two young boys, and volunteering his time and resources with his church, Terre Haute First Baptist Church, which he has attended from a very young age.
Paitson Bros
1 (812) 232-2347
Serving the Wabash Valley, IN Area Since 1922