Venting AV Exhaust

[8888]

I could use some feedback on options to terminate an AV closet exhaust fan.

It’s an inline fan located in the attic, and since it’s only venting warm dry air I don’t think I need to worry about moist air such as from a bathroom.

Guesstimates:

- the exhausted air from the AV equipment 90º-95º when on.

- interior house [fan intake] air temp winter 68º [coldest], summer 84º [warmest].

- attic temp winter 50º [coldest], summer 120+º [warmest].

Vent it right back into the house into another room? Maybe a guest bedroom or exercise room.

- I like the idea of not dumping conditioned air outside of the living space.

- Should I be concerned about toxic fumes or unpleasant odors from the AV equipment?


Vent it into the attic?



Thanks

 

[Dana]

Vent it into conditioned space, not the attic. Even though it's not a bath, come CA locations are cool enough in winter to run into moisture problems if it's vented into the attic when the average temp at the roof deck dwells for weeks below the dew-point of the conditioned space air. Even if that's not an issue, passive convection & active venting into that space depressurizes the house, driving outdoor air infiltration into the house via unknown paths. The more exhaust vents you have running, the more likely it is that combustion equipent will backdraft into the house too.

While it's possible that nothing bad will happen if you vent it into the attic you don't really know that a-priori. But you DO know that nothing bad will happen if you vent it into the conditioned space, and let the normal AC and ventilation equipment handle the loads.