Customer Reviews

Understanding Ventilation: How to Design, Select, and Install Residential Ventilation Systems

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I recently went "house-hunting" with some relatives and quickly realized that they were focused exclusively on floor plan issues like the number of bedrooms, the square footage, and the presence of trees on the lot. It disturbed me that they were neglecting any consideration of the critical role that ventilation plays in creating a healthy home environment. Like so many other homebuyers, they were adhering to a philosophy of "ventilation by default." Then and there, I decided to give them a copy of John Bower's extraordinary book UNDERSTANDING VENTILATION, as an early house-warming gift.

Bower understands how houses breathe and he communicates his expertise succinctly and authoritatively. He take a holistic approach to a house, viewing it as an organism consisting of interconected parts. He equates the ventilation system with the lungs of the structure. Houses built without a stratgically designed ventilation system are like sleep apnea patients, who breathe erratically and unevenly. Bower's approach teaches us how to build systems that have controlled, efficient, intentional ventilation.

In the theatre, the term "triple threat" describes someone who can sing, dance and act. In the area of building science, John Bower is a quadruple threat. He is a building ecology expert of very high calibre; he is a skilled writer; he is a talented teacher; and he is a compassionate 'sick house doctor' who can diagnose and prescribe strategies that heal.

Bower's style is masterful, clear, concise and very readable. The diagrams are illustrative and demonstrate the author's welcome sense of humor. The information is easily accessible for those who would prefer to use the book as a quick reference. The numerous appendices (abbreviations, glossary, bibliography, organizations, equipment sources) alone, make the price of the book a bargain.

If you are a homeowner (or a prospective one) and if concepts like infiltration, air exchange, positive / negative air pressure, source control and ventilation make you roll your eyes in the back of your head, then this is a 'must have' book for you.

Over-hyped. If your goal is to come away with the ability to design and install actual ventilation systems, i.e. ductwork, try again. Little accurately re-design or modify my existing ductwork. I actually spoke with the publisher before purchasing this book, and was assured this topic was covered!

If you know of a book which addresses duct sizing and layout for the layperson, please email me!

Proper housing ventilation, the kind that helps maintain healthyindoor air quality (IAQ)is a poorly understood subject. John Bower's book is an excellent "teacher" for the layperson as well as a "continuing educational seminar" for the industry insider. It breaks down the concept of proper ventilation in an easy-to-read format while it presents a new paradign for industry workers familiar with installing ductwork but who may not have time to keep current with trade magazines. This book illuminates aspects of proper ventilation that are often overlooked such as how pollutants get into your house in the first place and provides workable guidlines to achieve solutions. It would be ridiculous to assume that any book would have the concrete answers to every possible IAQ problem, but where this book succeeds is in its ability to involove the reader in the solution to his or her own home's individual IAQ problems. END

I read this book and found the answer I was looking for. My 1957 home had been upgraded and insulated so well that it was acting as a bottle. Basically my indoor humidity was up at past 65% RH and my poorly insulated exterior walls were getting down to the low 50F in the colder months of the SF Bay area. No one could explain why I was getting mold in my closets. I found this book at an architectural book store and everything clicked. I may be the first person to install a ventilation system on my type of home but I had the confidence to do so after reading this book. Now I have a well ventilated home and no more mold. Thanks you!!!

The author has explained technical details and physics of ventilation. This book is fun to read and informative. The appendix on Equipment Sources saves a lot of time in trying to find equipment. It turned out that ventilation was not precisely what I was looking for, but the book is so thorough that it is very helpful for understanding how pressure changes can affect a house in good ways or bad ways.