Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does it help to keep the smell down? which model is best for this?

Save your money! np

I agree, save your money. I have one and it helps a little bit, but rats smell bad either way.

Kyle

Hey,

I thought about the ionic breeze, then I tried a febreeze plug in- noooo! I'm buying a gable fan with auto shutters tomorrow to stick in the side of the room set on a digital timer to run a few times a day, keeping the smell out, bringing in fresh air, and I'm going to put a few drops of vanilla in the water bucket!

Good luck!

Steve Harrison
J-ville!

There is a product that we used when we needed fresh air in a hog confinement that lost 2 degrees between the outside air and the inside air. It is called an air exchanger unit, we also used them on homes that where way to air tight to bring fresh air in without losing heat or cooling.

About This Product
Essentially, the Aprilaire Energy Recovery Ventilator is an efficient, effective way to exchange stale inside air for fresh outdoor air. In winter months, the exclusive EnergyMax Transfer Core uses the heat of indoor air to warm up the incoming cold fresh air, recovering about 77% of the energy. In summer, warm fresh air passes near outgoing conditioned air, cooling it down. The beauty of the EnergyMax Transfer Core is its use of enthalpic technology. This technology enables the transfer of moisture as well as heat.

The popularity of the enthalpic-type ventilator has increased all over the country because of its superior ability to control humidity levels in both winter and summer. The result is greater indoor comfort at the lowest possible cost. Noise is also reduced, since you can enjoy fresh air without leaving windows open. Plus, a fresher, safer home is a home with greater value. While the ideal time to install Aprilaire is during construction, the Energy Recovery Ventilator can be added to any existing heating/cooling system.

Useful in homes up to 3,600 square ft.

Included in the Aprilaire 8100 Perfectair Air Exchanger Box:

* (1) Aprilaire 8100 Unit
* (1) Set of Mounting Brackets
* (1) Safety and Installation Manual

http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewproduct.cfm/productID/206/p/Aprilaire__8100_Perfectair_Air_Exchanger

else tried this type of equipment?
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Alice Cobb

haha, I will let you know in about a month, we are starting a 1000 rat colony and I will be using air exchangers in the room, I will only run it for a week or so because we are in CA and I just want to exchange air with cooler outside air in the winter. In the summer will be the real test when its 100 degrees out side and 69-72 inside then is when you do not want to lose your cool air and most air exchangers are very efective. The air outside gets cooled by the cool air getting sucked out of the sealed room and by the time its done there is about a 2 degree differance so 100 degree air will be 73 coming in and 72 degree air will be 97 going out. We allways called it a heat and air exchanger. It is so cool when you walk in a house that is sealed like a ice chest and the air is so fresh inside and no mold problems and heat or cooling cost increase. A good one will exchange all the air in a 4000 sf home in a couple of hours.
I will try to rember to make a post about it this summer.
here is a good example of a fluid heat exchanger and it works the same with air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_exchanger

another example

http://us.tranterphe.com/phe/superchanger/super.htm

Some have filters which might be a pain.
http://venmar.ca/upload/384847372/ProdSheet_HRV2500-v1.pdf

I use one in my Reptile room 2000 sqft and rodent room 150sqft. They work great on getting fresh air in to the building and making sure none of the heat or AC is lost in that transaction. Mine are a 70 cfm model that runs 24/7 365.

John Piro
John Piro Reptiles

They are the best when it comes to odor and fresh air!!

in hearing how it handles hot air since I live in Central Florida. It is a huge investment but if it removes the odor from a large rat colony it may be worth it in the long run.
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Alice Cobb