AirScape Engineer's Blog

Often a WHF will not easily install in the traditional horizontal position. In some instances trusses or other obstructions will interfere with a normal installation. More often there is not enough clearance between the attic floor and the roof. One solution is to create a plenum box which the WHF will attach to. The plenum box can easily be constructed out of plywood and 2×4′s.  The red line in the photos represents the plenum box constructed for an AirScape 4.4e installation. The flexible ductwork and fan can then be mounted straight off of the damper box (the ductwork may have to angle slightly upward so that the fan does not touch the attic floor). A 90 degree bend in the ductwork is not necessary for sound attenuation in this application.

Installation Notes:

- Line the inside of the box with a layer of sheetrock to maintain any required fire ratings

- Use a sound attenuating duct liner for maximum sound reduction

- Seal all framing joints with latex caulk to make the box air tight

- Insulate the outside of the box to minimize heat loss

- Support any sags in the ductwork with additional chain

Resistance is futile.

We joined Facebook.  Look for us under ‘airscape whole house fans’.

The Kohilo Whole House Fan is designed to be more financially available (yes, that is a genteel word for cheaper) than our flagship units. How did we do this ? We replaced the motorized damper unit and electronics board with a backdraft damper.

A backdraft damper is pushed open with airflow and falls back (by gravity) when the fan is off. This provides a basic seal (nothing like our motorized dampers), but has no insulation.   In severe climates the Kohilo grille will have to be manually insulated at the end of the season.  We do provide an upgrade path for customers so that they can upgrade to the full AirScape functionality and convenience.

Even though railroads are much more energy efficient and deliver lower transportation costs without federal subsidies, why are trucks the preferred mode of transportation?

I think that the answer lies in the fact that the highway truck combination is effectively open source.  The term open source is commonly used in the software world, but it applies here as well.

The platform is a highway, which just about anybody can use, provided they obey rules for weight, size, and safety of their modules (trucks in this case). This gives a tremendous amount of freedom to truckers and shippers to control their own destiny.  Ask anybody who has used the railroads for shipping and you will see that a rigid central planning department controls how and when your freight arrives.

How about this for an idea. Let’s make the railroads into a regulated monopoly. (It works for electricity, water, and gas BTW). The railroad makes its income by maintaining the infrastructure.

We have always been a bit miffed that whole house fans are not eligible for an Energy Star rating. It was always our impression that the feds were too busy to find the time to recognize and certify one of the best energy saving technologies around. (That’s a Whole House Fan, BTW) So it came as a pleasant surprise, to see that one arm of our government (the GAO Government Accountability Office) was doing its job.

The folks at the GAO submitted several bogus products to test just how carefully the EPA (administrators of the Energy Star Certifcation) examined products and claims. Now, this is where it would be funny if it wasn’t true. Here is one product they submitted:

So that's how you save electricity... make it gas powered ? DUH !

As if this wasn't enough, they also submitted an "Air Room Cleaner". Yes, that is a duster attached to what is apparently a fan/filter unit. (It was also approved.)

What are the lessons to be learned:

• Make real standards for energy efficiency.
• Verify performance is to those standards.
• Fire somebody !

Hats off to the GAO people !  Not so much for the EPA.

See the whole report at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10470.pdf