The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #90096   Message #1706237
Posted By: robomatic
29-Mar-06 - 11:39 PM
Thread Name: BS: any ideas on this Damp Control system ?
Subject: RE: BS: any ideas on this Damp Control system ?
JohnInKansas reaction sounds more believable to me than anything in the website.

In simple terms, it sounds as if they are using ventilation to remove moisture, because modern homes are so well insulated they have limited ventilation.

The problem is, then, that in bringing back ventilation to remove 'damp' (dehumidify the atmosphere), you are reversing what you put all that insulation and vapor barrier for, to save heating energy. You spend most of your heating budget heating air. The term I've heard for the amount of air moving through a room is 'air changes'. You need enough air changes to keep the atmosphere clean and comfortable. However, you are heating and then losing all that heated air to the outside (in the cold months of temperate climates).

The device that can counter the loss of energy would be a heat-exchanger unit, this is some kind of metallic baffled system with a fan to blow your 'old' air out but transfer as much heat as possible to the 'new' air coming in. The trick is to make something that will do the job efficiently without wearing out, collecting condensation, and costing too much. They exist, and are still pretty rare in new housing.

So, the Schjriver system may or may not work, but without more information it may work at a great cost.

And does it work in warm muggy environments like New England summers?