New build ventilation standards state air must be drawn from outside. New PPV systems will offer this. Potentially increased moisture — according to the Energywise site , research has found that systems not controlled by humidity sensors can increase moisture levels in your house!
These systems work by pulling in fresh air while pushing out the old. Healthy breathing environment — the systems extracts pollutants from your home without letting in pollens and dust from outside. Helps with heat recovery - if you have a heat source the system will distribute fresh heated air around your house instead of just having the heat in one room.
Compliant — balanced pressure heat recover systems are in keeping with current ventilation building code standards. In fact, in some areas there are council bylaws that mean you must have mechanical ventilation if your home is near an airport, motorway or train line.
A balanced system will work in all of them. The colder the better - the larger the difference in temperature between indoor and out, the more heat the heat exchanger will recover. So, while appropriate for all climates, this kind of system performs at its peak in winter months in colder climates.
In this web forum a homeowner in Wellington discusses whether their issues could be addressed with a much more economical solution than installing a total ventilation system. Expensive — these systems are costly to install and more expensive to run than positive pressure systems.
May not remove moisture from incoming air — make sure it has a heat exchanger or it is not a true heat recovery system. You could also consider a dehumidifier. With a dehumidifier you are controlling the symptoms and not dealing with the problem.
While not the ideal solution, dehumidifiers have their place. An automatic ventilation system is a better way of controlling condensation. Whichever way you attack the problem, remember it's even more effective if the amount of water released into the air is reduced. If you don't have any insulation, get this installed first. If existing insulation has become dislodged, compacted or wet through roof leaks, it won't be fully effective. It may even be inadequate for your climate.
The building code has minimum requirements for ventilation: all the air in your house should be changed every 3 hours. It says the air in kitchens should be changed every hour; in bathrooms every 2 hours.
To achieve this, the code suggests extractor fans in kitchens and bathroom — and open windows elsewhere — to bring in fresh outside air. An option is to have trickle vents inserted into your windows. These can have insect screens and shutters to control pests and the amount of air flow. Examples are at www. Once you've taken steps to reduce moisture at its source, an automatic ventilation system is an effective way of reducing condensation. And it's much more convenient than having to open and shut windows.
There are 2 main types of system:. They suit older houses with wooden joinery better than modern houses with sealed aluminium joinery — unless windows are opened or additional vents fitted.
This can fully meet Building Code requirements. They work best in more airtight, modern homes. Which system is best depends on the design of your house, its floor area, the location, how much sun the house gets, the type of roof Before you install any system, do some homework. We've outlined below how the different designs work and some of their pros and cons which should help you decide whether your house is suitable for any of the systems available. Consider what you want to achieve against the types of system — and also look for any extra features you might need to meet your particular requirements.
For best results, a system should be designed specifically for your house and your needs. But this can be quite costly, especially if you choose a fully automated system with multiple outlets or other options. Consumer Powerswitch lets you check if you could save money on electricity and gas. Just enter your details into the calculator to find the cheapest energy deals. Compare power prices.
Always choose suppliers who are familiar with your local climate, and get at least 2 competitive quotes. Inline heaters are not required. For a number of years, the HRV company advertised products which claimed to recover heat from the roof space.
In our opinion, these were positive pressure systems. HRV was not alone in this approach; other makers used similar advertising. Positive pressure systems can undoubtedly extract warm air from the roof space when it's available on sunny summer days, for example. But often when warmth is most needed, on cold grey winter days, the roof space is also very cold. A study from the University of Otago shows that in winter the air in the roof space is usually colder than inside the house, and on winter nights can be colder than the outside air.
This site uses cookies to help us understand how visitors engage with our website. Essentially the system works by taking air from the attic or roof space and pumping it into the main living areas though ducts or vents. The air is trapped at this point and relies on gaps in the building structure to allow it to move. This system is specifically designed for modern homes with fairly airtight construction and they work best with outlets in multiple rooms so air can flow through the whole house.
The performance is also affected by the temperature difference between air inside and out. Add to that the fact that air from the roof or attic space will be significantly less fresher again. And because there is so little air movment in that part of a home the build up of dust, dirt, mould and insect and rodent droppings makes this air dirty and diffitcult to clean by just filtering it. Bathrooms and kitchens generate huge amounts of moisture so a little extra help to get air moving in these rooms is needed.
Extractor fans and rangehoods should be placed as close to the moisture source as possible and must be vented to the outside NOT the roof space. And because they only suck air out think about having vents installed across the room from it or slightly opening a door or window in a nearby but not too close part of the home to get air moving.
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