Room-to-Room ducting. . .

[Jedo_03]

Vaguely heard of this system where you can 'pump' hot/cold air from one room to another using fans and ducting. . .
Ya-know... Hot kitchen with a wood fire - duct the air from there to a cold bedroom. . .
Or
Cool air-con sitting room - duct cool air from there to a hot bedroom. . .
Just wondering if there's an el-cheepo way to do that?
Buy yr own ducting?
Buy yr own fans? - What kind? - How powerful?
Anybody done this? - On the cheap?
Looking at 2/3 rooms.
Quanta Costa?
Thanks
Jedo

[namtrak]

Your talking about heat shifting systems.

The basic principal is that you duct the latent air out of the warm room into the cooler rooms. Just ducting alone does work to a degree, but you are better off with a small fan to suck the air through.

It is either a DYI job (cutting holes for vents, laying the ducting etc) or a pro job.

My only advice is to use small ducts and only over small distances. The bigger the distance and the bigger duct the more the air cools down.

Cheers

[Jedo_03]

yeah - thanks for that
but how small do you mean - ducting, 8", 10"
What kinda fans - I imagine something 'inline'
distance is not such a prob - only talking 'next rooms' - see the g'kids rooms are on the outside face of the house - facing south - so they get frozzen in the winter and boi-oh-boiling in the summer. Happens that the wood fire is central in the kitchen and so's the cooler duct.
thanks for help in anticipation
Jedo

just thought - would a kitchen vent fan mounted up in the ceiling work - extract hot air at ceiling level and pump it along a duct to the kid's b'room ceilings? - noisy though. . .

[Big Shed]

I have done this with computer fans I bought dirt cheap at a garage sale, bought 10 for $5. Used small flexible ducting as used for ducted gas heating. Take off point is in air space between wood heater flue and wall/ceiling and exit point is in next room. Started with only one fan at wood heater, then added another about 2/3 of the way to the other room (family room).
Works well, has the advantage of using heat that would otherwise go to waste and keeps family room comfortable. Fans are quiet and cost peanuts to run.

There is a commercial system on the market that does the same thing and from memory cost about $200.

[Jedo_03]

computer fans eh? - now there's a thought
I'll have a gander at the commercial sysyem since they're only 200
cheers
Jedo

[outback]

I use a couple of these things, We just brought the kit from the hardware shop and whacked them in. I reckon the're good, saves me freezing my butt off in winter.
I couldn't see why you can't do it yourself with bits, as namtrak suggested the ducting in the kits is only about 200mm, and then there is a lil' fan in the middle of the run.

I don't know if it would be cheaper this way, or if you'd be better off buying a kit. The first one we got was before they were popular and we got it for a song as it had already been sitting around for a few years, the second was much dearer, can't remember exactly, about 22 sheckles comes to mind.

[Jedo_03]

what's 22 shekles converted to Iraqi dinars?

thanks very much everyone
cheers
Jedo

[echnidna]

ask Abraham the moneylender

[outback]

22 sheckles = $200AUD




I could admit to a typo, but I won't :q

[Jedo_03]

might wait til the aussie dollar is a bit stronger against the sheckle. . .

Nah - truly - what do you call these things - so I can do a search

thanks
Jedo

[ptrott]

Jedo,
everything you need to do the job properly is here. http://www.universalfans.com.au/inline.htm

You can save money by using stormwater pipe (90 or 100mm) for ducting if you only want a small volume of air flow. Make sure you get the appropriate sized fan for the ducting size that you pick. You can tape fibreglass batts around it if it is a long run or a low volume and you are loosing heat.
I made an el-cheapo system 15 years ago from an exhaust fan above the tile-fire and used proper insulated ducting and because of the length of the run another exhaust fan mounted upside down at the outlet end and it worked OK. I would not bother again as the bits are all there to do it properly and at reasonable cost if you choose well.

Phill.

[OBBob]

http://www.edmonds.com.au/html/products/airxchanger_air_transfer.htm

[clairdar]

I've installed many heat transfer systems over the years and found the best DIY kit to be manufactured by Hydor www.hydor.com.au (http://www.hydor.com.au) .

Most kits sold in hardware shops are a waste of money and should be avoided at all costs.