Whole House Ventilation

tomcollins · Post by **tomcollins** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:32 pm

Has anyone thought of connecting a PC to an in house ventilation system?

We've got a very noisy bathroom fan, another bathroom with no fan, and a kitchen rangehood which just recycles air ... so we're thinking of ventilation in our house. I was considering a whole house ventilation system (haven't done research yet) and thought this might be a quiet option.

I had a quick search of the forums but didn't find anything.

stevenkelby · Post by **stevenkelby** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:49 am

If you're doing it, it would be cool to have a full size AC vent ducted into your case, where the side panel should go, then venting out the rear and top. Imagine refrigerated air flooding your PC in the middle of summer.

Make sure you close the vent when it's winter and you have the heating on

tomcollins · Post by **tomcollins** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:55 am

I've only got as far in my research as tramping around my attic and realizing that my one noisy bathroom fan is a result of the fan and that I'll have to replace that to fix anything. It has what looks like a 4" (or was it 6"? I'll have to check again) pipe venting to the outside wall.

I had heard that a fan could be mounted inline in that venting pipe so that the noise was farther from the room with the vent, and of course that a quieter fan could be used. I thought this would be a neat idea for a computer ... especially if perhaps one were to build a custom case.

It may remain only a dream for me at the moment since all our walls are finished at the moment and swmbo probably wouldn't go for tearing apart a wall for that reason considering that this would probably push time/money to the point where I could pick up a Zalman TNN case.

However, if I were renovating or building it would be an interesting thought. I just wondered if anyone else had had it.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:54 am

I haven't had exactly the same dream because I didn't realize you could do that! I've been ducting exhausts into closets and whatnot, but have been dreaming about a pipe into a wall... but with aircon I could have it sucked away!

I'm living in an apartment right now, so no DIY.

I wouldn't think the idea is impossible to make true though: there are central vacuum cleaners, so why not use similar pipes for computers! I've liked vacuum cleaner hoses and those large tubes you attach to tumble driers the best. They have the flexibility for free mounting and offer standard-size locking pieces and interfaces.

I wouldn't use an open vent. Even if you use a diffuser(?) there might be a noticeable draft. A sealed duct sounds best. Let us know if you sketch up some blueprints, or rig up a working prototype!

Capsaicin · Post by **Capsaicin** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 2:06 pm

I've read the product manual for a high end video projector that required a cooling duct connection. That was designed to be run through the ceiling, but I'm sure you could do something similar if you're enthusiastic/rich enough.

rjhythloday · Post by **rjhythloday** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:04 am

Capsaicin wrote:I've read the product manual for a high end video projector that required a cooling duct connection. That was designed to be run through the ceiling, but I'm sure you could do something similar if you're enthusiastic/rich enough.

I considered it, not that I have the time or money mind you. But w/ heat in the winter I think I'd use a stand alone ac unit that could run all year regardless of the climate needs of the rest of the house, and then exhaust through a duct similar to a dryer vent outside the house.

tomcollins · Post by **tomcollins** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:24 am

That's what I was thinking: a dryer sized pipe running up through the wall with an inline fan somewhere far away in the attic, and an outlet on the side of the house like a dryer vent.

I don't think it would cost the world. The cost of the ducting, fan and a bit of wiring. Mind you, I am a bit clueless about such costs (I bought a 4 foot section of dryer pipe a year ago but the cost made no impression on my memory).

I thought this would be a neat idea for a HTPC solution where the PC was built into some furniture, like a TV bench, with the air venting out the back and whispering into the never never without a sound.

Well, I'm personally at least 6 months away from an HDTV. Then another 6 months or more from an HTPC. And a project like this one? Who knows?

I just hoped perhaps someone with experience could point to information in this, the most planning of stages. (I may ask some projector installation people and see what I can find out .. that's a good lead).

CoolGav · Post by **CoolGav** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 7:05 am

I don't have any direct experience of this, but the idea is similar in some respects to people building a small music studio and require quiet ventialtion for themselves and gear. You can get all kinds of in-line fans that can be put anywhere in the system, and once enclosed in a suitable box will be pretty quiet. Also airflow noise should be factored in, so pipes in the wall that have rockwool inside will be better than plain plastic pipes.

tomcollins · Post by **tomcollins** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:27 am

Rockwool huh? An important point, though it sounds like that might be a wee bit more expensive than a regular dryer vent pipe.

I bet once I really have time to look at it the cost will be more than buying a high end htpc premade from Hush or someplace. However, I won't give up yet.

CoolGav · Post by **CoolGav** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:02 am

If you were going to use a standard fixed plastic pipe (not a flexible one), then oversize it and line with rockwool, which shouldn't cost more than Â£30 for a large pack (which could be used for other quietening/damping/acoustic treatment. The flexible dryer vent should be OK, but with a fan that's moving a lot of air there will be turbulence noise from the edges. I was just trying to point out a possible better solution that shouldn't cost a whole load more.

Avalanche · Post by **Avalanche** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 9:26 am

tomcollins wrote:We've got a very noisy bathroom fan...

Isn't the point of a bathroom fan to be noisy?

Also, would you run your ventilation system continuously? Otherwise the computer would have to be designed to operate under different cooling conditions.

rjhythloday · Post by **rjhythloday** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 7:09 am

Avalanche wrote:
tomcollins wrote:We've got a very noisy bathroom fan...
Isn't the point of a bathroom fan to be noisy?

Also, would you run your ventilation system continuously? Otherwise the computer would have to be designed to operate under different cooling conditions.

Well I think if this was a dedicated a/c system for the pc only it would have a thermostat inside the case to keep it around 60f, otherwise condensation would start.

scdr · Post by **scdr** » Wed Jul 04, 2007 3:08 pm

Unless you live someplace where you never have to do heating,
wouldn't it make more sense to keep your PC ventilation system inside?
It may be fine to vent your PCs heat outside in the summer, but
remember that in the winter you will be blowing a lot of warm inside air outside. (Expensive and waste energy.)

With an outside vent you also have to deal with problems of bugs, dust and condensation from outside getting into your computer. (i.e. need screens/covers, how are you going to clean them, etc.)

One could use the remote fan/ducting idea but keep the outlet someplace inside the conditioned area of the house. Might keep things quieter without being as expensive (also gives more flexibility where to put the duct).

I have experimented some with using a dryer duct to vent a box for a PC
(just running the vent to a screened window) - not for silence but for
somebody with multiple chemical sensitivities. (She is bothered by the chemicals emitted by PCBs, hot plastic, etc.) Haven't gotten it going well enough to have much to report.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Thu Jul 05, 2007 2:18 am

If a dedicated duct that is connected directly to the outside is built, then you'll run into problems with particles and condensation. If it's connected to a proper central extraction unit with filters and condensation disposal, then there shouldn't be a problem. Stove fans(is that what they are called?) have electrical equipment connected almost directly to the outside air through an extractor hood, and they do okay. Modern central units can also do heat-exchange to cut down on wasted energy, recycling the exhausted air's warmth.

My closet-ducting experiments in the past worked pretty well. The sound and heated air left the room and got stored in a big wardrobe that had a passive exhaust vent near the ceiling. Heat dissipation from the case made things worse in the summer, so it wasn't a total cooling system, but it helped considerably. So just venting around inside works, but a proper assisted ventilation should make things even better.