The basement is warmer and quieter after renovation. It also feels stale when the bedroom door stays closed. The old ventilation setting did not receive the renovation drawings.
Treat ventilation as a system
Health Canada's ventilation guidance describes mechanical ventilation and maintenance of heat-recovery equipment. Filters, intakes, exhausts, condensate drainage, and controls all deserve attention. An operating fan does not confirm the intended room-by-room air exchange.
Ask for evidence you can keep
Explain which rooms changed and when discomfort occurs. Ask whether balancing, distribution, or control settings need adjustment and request the applicable commissioning information. Avoid turning duct valves at random. In a secondary suite, ventilation and fire-separation requirements must be considered within the approved design, not improvised after occupancy.
Before the next step
- List new rooms and altered ducts for the contractor.
- Check filters and accessible outdoor terminals as instructed.
- Keep airflow and control information with the house records.
Before the contractor leaves, have them show you the normal setting, the boost control, and the maintenance access. Save the checked settings with the house records so next winter's stale room doesn't start another round of guessing.