Ventilation for basement
I recently insulated my basement with rigid foam and have begun framing. My house is heated and cooled with minisplit units and I was thinking that it might be good to have a way to ventilate my basement since I live in New York and opening the windows during summer would introduce a lot of moisture into the basement. The basement consists of only about 500sqft so I was hoping to find something fairly reasonable in price. I saw that Panasonic has a whisper comfort model for around $300 but it looks like that system can only remove and return air from the same point. I was concerned that this would also be returning some moisture with the outside air (although less than the ambient humidity) so I was wondering if there was an inexpensive way to exhaust air from my basement and return air to a room upstairs? Any ideas? Should I just go with the whisper comfort? Thanks for any suggestions.
Kevin
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Replies
Kevin,
There's no reason you can't install a Panasonic exhaust fan in your basement, with a duct that exits your home at the rim joist. If you cut a floor grille in the floor above the basement -- choose an inconspicuous spot -- the makeup air for the exhaust fan will come from upstairs.
I think the panasonic whisper comfort was an erv that exhausts and returns air from the same spot. I think you are suggesting that I just install a normal exhaust fan and cut an open grill so that air can circulate more easily between the basement and the upstairs so that when I exhaust air from downstairs makeup air will seep into the cracks of the house and the air from upstairs will be forced through the vents and back into the basement?
Kevin,
You understood my suggestion correctly. It's one of many options.
You asked, "I was wondering if there was an inexpensive way to exhaust air from my basement and return air to a room upstairs?"
I'm not sure what you meant by "return air." But if your upstairs is cooled by air conditioning, and you want to introduce some of that dry upstairs air into the basement while simultaneously exhausting air from the basement, my suggestion would work.
Right. Thank you!
Hello Martin,
I am also interested in installing an exhaust fan in my basement that would exit at the rim joist. I have a 32" door with 1" bottom gap that separates the main level from the basement stairs. Would this gap under the door help provide makeup air? Should the floor grille be located at the opposite end of the basement from the exhaust fan to help create cross ventilation?
Would enough makeup air be pulled from upstairs so it would not create negative pressure in the basement? My basement floor slab has been sealed with caulk and painted.
Thank you and appreciate your help.