I have a roughly 2.5 by 5 meter workshop with 2.5m high ceilings in which I work on electronics (so lots of soldering), do some occasional painting, and which houses a 3D printer. I want to add some ventilation in the ceiling, but I'm unsure what kind to put in. How much air should it move, and is it worth adding multiple "openings" (for instance, one over the 3D printer and one over the soldering station) in a space of this size?
What kind of ventilation do I need in the workshop
ventilation
Related Solutions
This entirely depends on the refrigerator and where the coils and fans are. Older refrigerators were cooled with fins on the back, and depended on convection (heat rising). The heat of the coils would draw air through the lower grille, up the back, and over the top. A modern unit might do all it's cooling with a fan pushing heat out at the front bottom plate.
Samsung's current models require 1" on top, half inch each side. See : http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00021650/21818/Y/RB197ABPN/XAA
Keep in mind your cabinet is now built to fit just one size refrigerator: just hope that size is available in fifteen years when your current model is no longer repairable due to planned obsolescence. Front venting units are also somewhat less efficient, all other factors held constant.
It's common to have the cabinet above the fridge a bit less deep than the others, to allow for airflow.
Relevant: In what year did venting bathroom exhaust out of the house become a code requirement?
I am NOT a lawyer or an inspector. The relevance of these codes and CA law are my own interpretation.
Going all the way back to IRC 2000: (Italic emphases; mine)
R303.3 Bathrooms Bathrooms, water closet compartments and other similar rooms shall be provided with aggregate glazing area in windows of not less than 3 square feet (0.279 m²), one–half of which must be openable.
Exception: The glazed areas shall not be required where artificial light and a mechanical ventilation system are provided. The minimum ventilation rates shall be 50 cfm (23.6 L/s) for intermittent ventilation or 20 cfm (9.4 L/s) for continuous ventilation. Ventilation air from the space shall be exhausted directly to the outside.
IRC 2006:
M1501.1 Outdoor discharge. The air removed by every mechanical exhaust system shall be discharged to the outdoors. Air shall not be exhausted into an attic, soffit, ridge vent or crawl space.
NACHI -Dryer Vent Safety:
M1502.2 Duct termination. Exhaust ducts shall terminate on the outside of the building or shall be in accordance with the dryer manufacturer’s installation instructions. Exhaust ducts shall terminate not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in any direction from openings into buildings. Exhaust duct terminations shall be equipped with a backdraft damper. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination.
"Dryer box"? According to google that's a giant, recessed cover plate for the exhaust duct. They told you to make a bong for your dryer? WTF...
The building itself may be grandfathered, but any dryer installed E.g., since 2006 must have met the 2006 IRC (and possibly codes preceding that date). What's the year of manufacture on the dryer and the exhaust fan? It doesn't matter when the building was built. What matters is the install dates on those items.
What can you do? Have a hole cored and run a dryer vent: (Note- The amount deducted cannot be more than one month's rent. You should discuss this with your landlord. Proceed rationally; no one wants to pay lawyers money. And if you decide to push, and they shove back: If laundry is not stated in your lease, removing the unit solves the landlords liability -and removes your ability to clean clothes.)
Before renting a rental unit to a tenant, a landlord must make the unit fit to live in, or habitable. Additionally, while the unit is being rented, the landlord must repair problems that make the rental unit unfit to live in, or uninhabitable.
implied warranty of habitability - a legal rule that requires landlords to maintain their rental units in a condition fit for human beings to live in. A rental unit must substantially comply with building and housing code standards that materially affect tenants' health and safety. The basic minimum requirements for a rental unit to be habitable are available in the Dealing With Problems section.
Introducing water vapor into the building that can cause mold and the build-up of dryer lint are both health and safety concerns. I highly doubt these installed items substantially comply with code.
In most locations through-out the US, the law is more on the side of the tenant. But if you choose to invoke them, your landlord will not be on yours anymore.
Best Answer
If you are doing a lot of soldering then a dedicated soldering fume extraction unit would be a good idea. You can put the end of the hose right next to the soldering operation.
For an example on YouTube of someone who does a lot of soldering using one and showing how much gunk they stop you from breathing:
Loius Rossman: A word on soldering and fume extraction