Cigarette Smoke coming in from fresh air vents


  #1  
Old 12-15-07, 04:53 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Cigarette Smoke coming in from fresh air vents

Hi,

I'm facing this problem in my office where cigarette smoke comes in from the fresh air vents outside. The smell is extremely strong, and it's quite disgusting.

The reason we need fresh air vents is because we have no windows that can be opened.

Is there any 'filter' I can buy to stop the cigarette smoke from entering the fresh air vents?

We've complained to the building manager and they need to first track down the source of the smoke, which at the moment is unknown.

Thanks in advanced.
 
  #2  
Old 12-15-07, 05:03 PM
airman.1994's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: VA
Posts: 5,491
Upvotes: 0
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
yes you can buy charcoal filters to do this but they cost$$. Id put no smoking signs around the freshair intakes.
 
  #3  
Old 12-15-07, 05:19 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I'm willing to pay for the carbon filters. How much would they be around?

Thanks
 
  #4  
Old 12-15-07, 06:48 PM
airman.1994's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: VA
Posts: 5,491
Upvotes: 0
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
What size and how many?
 
  #5  
Old 12-16-07, 05:04 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I don't know what size, what would a fresh air vent normally be for a unit that's about 80 square meters?

I'm guessing that I'd need two, one for each unit. I'm also guessing that I'd need a filter to filter the dust from the outside, or would a fresh air vent already have a dust filter?

Thanks for your replies.
 
  #6  
Old 12-16-07, 05:09 PM
Jay11J's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 16,984
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Is this at work? I would share this with your boss and tell him you are bothered by the smoke, and would like the smoker to move to another area.

Around here smokers have to be 15' away from doorways, windows, or venting system of public buildings, and work.
 
  #7  
Old 12-16-07, 05:33 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
This is in my personal office. I am my own boss. My office is located in a high rise building.

The smoke however seems like it's difficult to track because my fresh air duct is on my next door's balcony, and they don't have anyone that smokes. So I don't know where the smoke is coming from.
 
  #8  
Old 12-16-07, 05:36 PM
Jay11J's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 16,984
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Mini
This is in my personal office. I am my own boss. My office is located in a high rise building.
Each office has it's own system?

Most high rise I am aware has one system for all office space. Do they allow smoking in the building?
 
  #9  
Old 12-16-07, 06:16 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Each office has its own unit (air handler + compressor).

And no, they don't allow smoking in the building, even on the balconies.
 
  #10  
Old 12-16-07, 07:17 PM
Jay11J's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 16,984
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
How's the air filter?
 
  #11  
Old 12-16-07, 09:55 PM
H
Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: California
Posts: 26
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Mini
Each office has its own unit (air handler + compressor).

And no, they don't allow smoking in the building, even on the balconies.
A lot of things don't add up here.

First of all, you are a tenant in a high rise building so there is absolutely nothing you can do to solve your problem unless you have the as built mechanical plans of the HVAC system.

I doubt you have a fresh air vent as you describe it anyway. Most high rises have an air handler on each floor with a common return shaft up the middle of the building. If it is a an airtight design, you are probably only pulling in 5% outside air, which means 95% of the air on all of the floors is being recirculated throughout the building.

It sounds like someone is violating the no smoking policy and smoking in their office. The return is pulling the smoke into the common return and spreading it throughout the building.

What you describe as a fresh air vent is actually your supply vent which is air that is heated or cooled as needed and recirculated throughout your space. If you have only one supply vent then you can filter the air with charcoal at the supply. If you have multiple supply vents you have to filter each one. The charcoal will restrict the airflow so it is important that you get the proper V-bank of charcoal. I can tell you where to get them if you can confirm how many supply ducts there are and what size they are.

Do you have a thermostat in your office?
 
  #12  
Old 12-17-07, 05:10 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Hi,

First I own the suite that I am in, so no I'm not a tenant.

What exactly is a 'supply' vent? All I know (and can see and have read) is that I have my own Mitsubishi split/ducted system unit, that I can fully control using my remote control (fan speed, temperature, timer, on, off, etc), which has its own compressor, that I have seen on the balcony.

When I turn my aircon on, I know that air is being drawn from outside the suite because the air pressure increases and food smells appear to disappear.

However, when the aircon isn't on I do feel a little bit of air coming out underneath the door (sometimes there is no air being blow out underneath my door, but often there is), but not as much as when the aircon is actually on. They do not appear to be coming out of my aircon vents, and I do not have ANY other vents or windows in the suite (and I only have 1 door).

Also, I do have return ducts in my office, with filters that only suck when the unit is on.

Therefore I am indeed under the impression that my suite's aircon has a fresh air vent.

What could you suggest here?
Thanks
 

Last edited by Mini; 12-17-07 at 05:35 AM.
  #13  
Old 12-17-07, 07:11 AM
O
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 495
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by HVAC Man
If it is a an airtight design, you are probably only pulling in 5% outside air, which means 95% of the air on all of the floors is being recirculated throughout the building.
By law, that should be 10%.
 
  #14  
Old 12-23-07, 04:03 PM
Grady's Avatar
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Delaware, The First State
Posts: 12,682
Received 41 Upvotes on 39 Posts
Cigarette Smoke

If you are that sensative to cigarette smoke I suggest you bulid your own building out in the middle of nowhere so you can possibly control your own environment.
 
  #15  
Old 12-23-07, 04:29 PM
M
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SouthEast
Posts: 168
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
ole Grady must be one of those frustrated smokers that can no longer fire one up anywhere they want to to. Its probably exactly as stated, someone is violating the law and smoking in the building but obviously not out in the open, they have found a hidden area that affects your space. It is highly likely that all the fresh air is in fact drawn thru a building sidewall louver and it probably has a large plenum box with a walk thru access door. This will be in the Mechanical room area That is the very first place that I would be looking for cig butts, Problem is that it may actually be the building maintenance man so you maybe can have the building maintenance MANAGER secure the door and take the key away from the known smoking fanatic (preferably when they are in there smoking lock the door LOL) hopefully your little lungs are not exposed to the horrors of second hand smoke for too long. Good Luck
 
  #16  
Old 12-26-07, 05:06 PM
S
Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Vagrant
Posts: 204
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
That was pretty funny Mr Fixit, the sad part is that you are probably correct. No way that I would be spending my hard earned dollars for a expensive filter system to correct a problem from the wrong end, lets find out who the offender is and have them arrested and fined, heck maybe we can have a public horse whipping of the individual? maybe 10 lashes would be sufficent? maybe a lot more, maybe everyone that was exposed to that ole dangerous second hand smoke might want to put in a couple of lashes? heck it might end up a hundred lashes or more? Be sure to post back the ultimate solution please, totally fascinating stuff here.
 
  #17  
Old 12-31-07, 07:17 AM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Hi,

Well so far, as I reported the smoke smell to the building manager, there has been no more smoke coming through the vents for a while, so I don't think I need to buy a filter. If it does continue though, I will be writing a letter to body corporate, demanding them to stop the smoke from entering the suite or for them to provide me activated carbon filters.

Also, I had a peak by unscrewing the return vents, and the fresh air seems to be coming from a "passage" above the ceiling. It's not even a proper vent made out of metal, just bricks and concrete, so maybe someone is smoking in their suite and it is somehow leaking into the "vent".

Furthermore, I notice that the fresh air supply doesn't seem to be filtered at all, is this normally the case?

Thanks for all your help.
 
  #18  
Old 12-31-07, 10:36 AM
Jay11J's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Rochester, Minnesota
Posts: 16,984
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
is the air filter in the return vent in the office, or in the air handler?
 
  #19  
Old 12-31-07, 05:09 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: elsewhere
Posts: 29
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
In the return vent, "attached" to the grills.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: