Expert: Bill Finck Jr. - 11/15/2008

Question
I'm in the process of designing a wine cellar/cigar lounge in my new house.  I plan to store wines in the subterranean room but would like to be able to enjoy a nice cigar and isolate the smoke & smell from the rest of the house.  Do you have any suggestions as to how I should ventilate the room, i.e. air cleaners vs. air circ. fans, carbon filters vs. HEPA filters, etc.?  Any websites that discuss what works for smaller rooms (400-500 sq./ft)?  If my wife smells the smoke, I'll probably be put in the penalty box out on the patio :^(

Answer
Mike,

My specialty is really cigars, not so much smoke ventilation... I can tell you that we use a Honeywell smoke eater in the smoking room at our retail store, and while it does a good job of cleaning and re-circulating the air it does not remove all of the smell. Check out www.smokeeaters.org - this company has a variety of smoke eaters and a comparison of the different types that may help you pick one.

Good luck with your search - sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Bill