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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthorBoreas
    • CommentTimeJul 9th 2016
     
    Hi,
    Anybody had any experience with solar-powered fans? I'm looking at getting one from Solarshop. It has a battery backup and I'm wanting to ventilate a ground floor room with a 130mm ducting already installed leading directly up to the terrace where I plan to mount the panel.
    The property is in Spain.
    Thanks.
    • CommentAuthorjon
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2016
     
    I used a solar powered setup for the bathroom. 4" fan (can't remember extraction rate but it's several hundred percent higher than required under regs and the actual consumption is 4.5A.. rated at 6A from memory). This was rigged up with a movement sensor incorporating a time delay.

    Delay needs to be set as high as possible (ie 10mins for mine). It doesn't extract well enough for a power shower but would suit almost all other bathroom applications.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2016
     
    Any reason why you want to use a solar powered one, it is an expensive option.
    • CommentAuthorBoreas
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2016
     
    Yes, it is expensive (and they retail at around 90-100 pounds) but I just fancy the idea of having something that can be always on and not drawing from the mains.
    How long it would need to run to pay for itself I really don't know!
    I guess I want to know if it would last 5 plus years and not conk out in 2 months....
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2016
     
    Really depends on the quality of the battery and fan.
    You could make yourself one, then you know the quality. Would cost a lot more than £100 mind you.
    • CommentAuthorgyrogear
    • CommentTimeJul 10th 2016
     
    Do you actually need a fan for the ventilation ?

    Maybe natural ventilation would work - for free !

    gg
    • CommentAuthorjon
    • CommentTimeJul 14th 2016
     
    Made our system myself Steamy (Nick?). About £300 all in. But it's point was to power the pumps in the basement and some other low power stuff (backup internet etc). The spare power used for the extraction fan. So adding the extraction fan only cost about £100 (and £50 of that was the duct which fits into the tiles).

    To make it work UK, you have to mount almost vertically to get max winter power. Batteries and solar units largest costs.
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeJul 14th 2016 edited
     
    Posted By: BoreasHow long it would need to run to pay for itself I really don't know!
    If it uses a large proportion of battery power (e.g., 18 out of every 24 hours) then probably never as battery power tends to be as about as expensive as mains electricity even if the recharge is free because of the depreciation of the batteries for each cycle of charge/discharge. For larger well-managed batteries it's not quite so fierce but it's still a challenge to match grid wholesale electricity prices.

    That's why you don't hear much of people charging batteries on E7 then using them to run things during the day.
    • CommentAuthorBoreas
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2016
     
    Many thanks for your comments and thoughts guys. The property is in Spain so I'm banking on getting the most out of it year round and the panel will be in a great spot. Gyrogear, you mentioned why use one at all and not just natural ventilation for free? Well, it's a good point but I guess you'd have to see the room as it's a basement and windows are not an option. I've got natural light in there which is good but I want to make it a guest room and need to get rid of that musty smell (at least get the air moving).
  10.  
    Could you get air movement via a passive stack? (100mm soil-pipe running in a boxing up through the house and out?). I have used this method to vent a number of cellars.
    • CommentAuthorgyrogear
    • CommentTimeJul 23rd 2016 edited
     
    Posted By: Boreasyou'd have to see the room as it's a basement and windows are not an option.


    OK, I get that no windows, but a decent-sized low-placed air intake grille would suffice to let cold (dense) air in, and a high-placed offtake grille would let the warmed air out... Natural (passive) ventilation thru air buoyancy... If required, make it active with a simple PC fan (12 V) on the latter, to extract or expel the air.
    If you can get your intake air to come in over a water feature, so much the better...
    If it is on the colder side of the property, so much the better, and if the extraction is on the warmer side, better even more ! You really can do air conditioning with the sun...

    gg

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