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A Healthier Way to Ventilate Multi-Family Homes
Reading time: 3 minutes
Comfort
Modern multi-family homes including apartments and condos have little natural air flow like single-family homes. And this means occupants rely on mechanical exhaust systems to avoid stale, polluted indoor air. But there are significant differences in how those exhaust systems are designed and function.
Bringing Fresh Air Into Multi-Family Homes
Despite regional code requirements, there are two typical methods for incorporating fresh air into apartment and condo units.
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Method 1 – Fine, But Not the Best
The most common method is to rely on bathroom exhaust. Which stale, bathroom air will be replaced by indoor air coming in through the gap at the bottom of the entry door from the hallway outside.
This method works OK. But it provides the bare minimum of fresh air. It also is less likely to disperse fresh air throughout the unit because typically bathrooms are located closer to the entry—which means much of that fresh air is heading right back out via the exhaust fan rather than reaching the bedrooms.
Method 2 – The Easiest & The Best
Using a fresh air appliance is a more sophisticated option to yield a healthier, more reliable fresh air exchange. The bathroom exhaust isn't running on a bath fan in this method. Instead, the bathroom exhaust duct is connected to a remote energy recovery ventilator or heat recovery ventilator.
The fresh air appliance runs continuously at a low speed, such as at 30 CFM for a 70-CFM appliance, to ventilate the entire apartment. When the bathroom is in use, the user turns on the bathroom switch to boost the air exhaust for 20 to 60 minutes.
In addition to providing a continuous and larger volume of fresh outdoor air, using a fresh air appliance ensures fresh air is dispersed throughout the unit, including where the occupants sleep and live.
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Best Solution
FIT 70E ceiling-mounted energy recovery ventilator is an ideal option for multi-family applications such as this. It features a slim, lightweight profile, and the core, filters, fans, and electrical panel are easy to access for servicing. The unit's energy recovery core transfers heat and moisture from the outgoing exhaust air to the incoming fresh air reducing the energy required to condition it. In summer, the appliance removes humidity from the fresh air, while it retains humidity in winter.
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