Radon gas ventilation pump system and method

An air exchange apparatus for exchanging air inside a cavity with air outside said cavity wherein said cavity is subject to an influx of gas into the cavity, comprising:

• exchange means for actively circulating and exchanging air inside said cavity with air outside said cavity, said exchange means including exhaust blower means in the outtake flow of air tending to contain the gas from said cavity and intake means for inducing outside air into said cavity and an air to air heat exchanger for transferring heat between said inside air prior to being exhausted from said cavity and said outside air prior to being vented into said cavity;
• and
• means for controlling said exchange means to regulate an intake and an outtake flow rate to create a higher air pressure within the cavity than an air pressure immediately outside the cavity so as to minimize the influx of said gas into said cavity, wherein said air to air heat exchanger comprises an air duct having first and second ends and comprising an exhaust air path and a separate intake air path separated from said exhaust air path such that air does not communicate between said paths, both said exhaust air path and said intake air path extending essentially an entire length of said air duct wherein heat is allowed to flow between said exhaust and intake air paths, wherein said exhaust air path and said intake air path are serpentine paths along a length of said air duct.

A method of reducing a radon gas concentration in a dwelling subject to an influx of radon gas comprising the steps of:

• actively circulating air inside said dwelling with air outside said dwelling by inducing an outtake flow of air tending to contain radon gas from said dwelling and inducing outside air into said dwelling;
• transferring heat between said inside air prior to being exhausted from said dwelling and said outside air prior to being vented into said dwelling, without mixing the inside air and outside air;
• variably controlling said circulation step to regulate an intake and an outtake flow rate to create a higher air pressure within the dwelling than an air pressure immediately outside the dwelling so as to minimize the influx of radon gas into said dwelling;
• and
• said controlling step further comprises the step of detecting the presence of radon gas and controlling an exhaust air flow rate out from said dwelling in response to detecting radon gas.

An air exchanger apparatus for exchanging air inside a basement of a building with air outside said basement where said basement is subject seepage of gas into said basement, comprising:

• exchange means including an air exhaust path to exhaust air from said basement to the outside and an air intake path to bring outside air into said basement, said air exhaust path and said air intake path each including an air blower to respectively force air out of and into said basement, said exchange means further including an air to air heat exchanger for transferring heat between said inside air prior to being exhausted from said basement to the outside and said outside air prior to being vented into said basement from the outside without mixing said inside air and outside air, said exchange means including means for expelling condensation from the air to air heat exchange caused by the heat transfer occurring within the heat exchange;
• power supply means to provide power to said air blowers;
• air flow control means to control said exchange means so as to regulate the rate of air exhausted from said basement to the outside and the rate of air vented into said basement from the outside;
• and
• air flow control means regulates air flow responsive to detecting a gaseous contaminate inside said basement.