Please help - make-up air question

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Help... we are buying a 48" professional range with oven with a 1400 cfm vent. My husbands says we don't need a make up air system. He says we can just open a window. we live in the northeast. i think this is crazy. Isn't it required by law? Our HVAC guys said it's up to us. It's $3500 extra and I think we should do it by my husband disagrees... (it was his idea to spray foam the whole house to have a tight envelope!) who is right?

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Gene Calabrese Home Remodeling and Renovations

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hi Albspam, so your in a rental now because your home is being renovated ?

Make up air is required for a bunch of safety reasons. Back venting on a fire place and or water heater (and yes even on a tightly vented gas water heater it will happen). Most building inspectors are unaware of the requirement, but they are coming around. Most homes today are built to air restricted. But that's an answer for another question. Here is a very short quote...

"Exhaust hood systems capable of exhausting in excess of 400 cubic feet per minute (0.19 m3/s) shall be provided with make-up air at a rate approximately equal to the exhaust air rate. Such make-up air systems shall be equipped with a means of closure and shall be automatically controlled to start and operate simultaneously with the exhaust system."

There are a lot of different types of make up air systems out there. From simple... point of exhaust to more complicated. Combined with HVAC.

Also, dont forget going through your HVAC will bring in heated or cooled (conditioned) air back into the kitchen and your home. If its brought back in through a vent in the wall or roof it will be the temperature outside.

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Comments (8)

jmarino19
9 years ago
What does your local code require?
smm5525
9 years ago
It's probably required by code. Will u open the window during the winter?
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albspam
Original Author
9 years ago
I can't find the local code, I'm in Westchester County, NY. Didn't see anything in the NY State code book... I only see it for commerical right now. Anyone in NY know who has been through this? even still, if code doesn't require it, I'm still worried about general safety. We are in a rental now and I do open the window in winter because I have to and it's not the worst thing in the world, but I can't imagine forgetting or my sitter or grandparent cooking and not opening a window and something bad happens...
smm5525
9 years ago
$3500 seems excessive. Get another quote
User
9 years ago
Call your building department to get the code requirements. Are your contractors (not you, I hope) pulling permits? In my city, 400 CFM is the max without make-up. That is a lot of CFMs on the hood and I wonder if opening a window would be enough if you were running a bath fan or using a fireplace at the same time.
jmarino19
9 years ago
Local code means your village or town. I lived in Westchester County previously. The code varried from town-to-town. But, where I lived, 400 cfm was the cut off for requiring make-up air. And the inspectors enforced the code.

If you have natural gas to the house you dont want the vent hood pulling carbon monoxide into your living space, thats the back-venting mentioned. Maybe your DH will always open a window but what about a grandparent, babysitter, the next homeowner? Thats a very powerful vent hood.

unfortunately, that quote isnt that high given the area and if the system will run through your hvac so you have conditioned air, as explained above.
albspam thanked jmarino19
albspam
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you Gene and jmarino19. I agree with you both. Trying to convince DH. With all the money we're putting into this house, this is one area I don't want to skimp but he says its just easy enough to open the window. I made the argument about a GP or sitter not opening a window but he doesn't hear me.... It will help to show him these comments.

He also says the Heat Recovery Systems don't put back in as much air as a vent would take out - is that a consideration?