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

by John Bower (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Air systems have become more complicated, houses have become tighter, flue temperatures are getting lower and lower, and new contaminants are being introduced into living spaces...John Bower's Understanding Ventilation addresses these problems from both a consumer's and a builders perceptive like no other book I've seen. If your immune system or lungs are impaired, this information is priceless. And, if you have anything to do with the inside of a house--designing, building, manufacturing equipment or materials, or simply trying to live well indoors--it should be equally valuable...The book is easily worth twice the ridiculously low, giveaway price, so order it before Bower and his publish come to their senses. -- Fine Homebuilding, Nov. 1997

Product Description
At last...a book that takes all the mystery out of ventilation! Understanding Ventilation is the only book that covers all aspects of exchanging the air in houses: infiltration, equipment selection, design, heat-recovery ventilators, sizing, costs, controls, whole-house filters, distribution, and possible problems that a ventilation system can cause--all in easy-to-understand language.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Healthy House Institute (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963715658
• ISBN-13: 978-0963715654
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,005 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Administration & Medicine Economics > Public Health > Environmental
  #27 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a duct design or sizing manual, June 15, 1999

By A Customer

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!

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Holistic Approach to VENTILATION, February 13, 2001

By	Irene Wilkenfeld (Cheyenne, WY United States) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Understanding Ventilation" Not Installing Ductwork, March 29, 2000

By	Melanie Sue Reed ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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