Ventilation below ground level, cinema room, best options

[grandfortune]

Hi all,

been to a house today and the owner is complaining that the cinema room and office is stuffy and would like ventilation

the rooms are below ground and there is vent pipes in the rooms that go to a central point.

i wondering whats best to put in, heat recovery one or just inline fans and i assume that it will draw fresh air from the door, also the vent out will have to go up and out about a foot.so looking for some advice.

Cheers
Grand

 

[Pete999]

Hi all,

been to a house today and the owner is complaining that the cinema room and office is stuffy and would like ventilation

the rooms are below ground and there is vent pipes in the rooms that go to a central point.

i wondering whats best to put in, heat recovery one or just inline fans and i assume that it will draw fresh air from the door, also the vent out will have to go up and out about a foot.so looking for some advice.

Cheers
Grand

Split A/C unit?

 

[Marvo]

Your ventilation should be providing around 5 air changes per hour depending on the number of occupants. Work out the volume of the basement in cubic meters and multiply that figure by 5 to determine your hourly air requirement. It might be possibly to just provide extraction if the door to the area has a louvre installed in it. You say there's already ventilation ducts going to a central point, is there a fan already installed?

 

[PEG]

Hi,also determine whether "stuffy" is code for the odour of a failed tanking or drain system.

Your post reminded of such a job,where everyone had tried to ventilate,and eventually,a dissection revealed the peripheral drain,inboard of the moisture barrier,outfalled to a standard "P" trap,and then to the soil.

The minimal outfall had allowed the trap to dry,and a recently fitted extractor fan,added to the issue,by increasing the odours drawn from the waste,and into the basement.

A very slight odour of this nature,can be judged as only "stale".

...Just a thought :goofy:

 

[grandfortune]

no fans at the moment, i think it was going to one but owner never got round to it, hes extending the back of the house and asked me to do the vent also, will tell him about the odour and he can decide,

thanks for the reply's guys

cheers
grand

 

[grandfortune]

funny enough the pump power pack has no power to it, im investigating it at the moment, seems strange as we have been doing electrics there, he said it was beeping but now has no lights on it, neons are on the fused spurs so it looks like the power pack has gone.

it does look strange thing, like an inverter you put in a car for 240v. then a big battery of it also, will update once ive looked further

 

[PEG]

Hi dude,it sounds like it might be a pumped outfall,which is usually installed when the soil invert is not usable via a trap/non-return.

This is not always the case,as some developers do this as it is easier than the proper route...and BC allow them...

The unit will probably have an alarm,to indicate mains failure or sump level too high.

It may also have battery back-up and charge control.

These units have inspection and service intervals,and bearing in mind the expense of a basement flood (or worse still,back-bleed of sewerage) they never seem to be given the respect due.

I have done a recent inspection and report on one such system,and as usual,a poor standard of fitting,by probably the ground workers (bless em) has precluded the correct operation,of any new pump fitted.

If it has such a unit fitted,it will draw from a sump,which will have a reservoir. If the pump is not working,and ingress is minimal,(so no flooding),the stagnant remains may be what can be detected.