ᐅ But should you install a controlled residential ventilation system?
Created on: 25 May 2015 00:14
U
Uwe82
Hello everyone,
We are in the final stages of planning our house; the floor plan is set, and the detailed construction planning will take place soon. It is a prefabricated house built with a timber frame construction and a prefabricated basement on a slope, meaning the front part of the basement is fully exposed above the slope.
So far, we have excluded the topic of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, partly due to planning concerns (we are doing everything ourselves from the rough plumbing and electrical installation stages) and partly for cost reasons. However, in recent weeks, we have started to reconsider this, mainly for comfort reasons.
Long story short: Our question mainly concerns the routing of the ductwork, which would partially be installed within the floor structure. So far, we have planned for a floor buildup of 15cm (6 inches) on the ground floor. However, if we were to increase this to 18cm (7 inches) as our house manufacturer suggests, the clear floor height would decrease from 245cm (8 ft) to 242cm (7 ft 11 in) on the ground floor. This would bother me a bit. We cannot change the floor-to-ceiling height due to the zoning plan restrictions (maximum eave height fully utilized).
Now the question is: Is it really necessary to plan for 18cm (7 inches) because of duct crossings, or are there alternatives? For a suitable floor plan (here is our current one: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/efh-in-Hanglage.12265/page-3#post-90366), could the ducts be routed only within the walls? And which mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery would you recommend for a living area of 180m² (1,938 sq ft)?
Thanks in advance for all the information!
Uwe
We are in the final stages of planning our house; the floor plan is set, and the detailed construction planning will take place soon. It is a prefabricated house built with a timber frame construction and a prefabricated basement on a slope, meaning the front part of the basement is fully exposed above the slope.
So far, we have excluded the topic of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, partly due to planning concerns (we are doing everything ourselves from the rough plumbing and electrical installation stages) and partly for cost reasons. However, in recent weeks, we have started to reconsider this, mainly for comfort reasons.
Long story short: Our question mainly concerns the routing of the ductwork, which would partially be installed within the floor structure. So far, we have planned for a floor buildup of 15cm (6 inches) on the ground floor. However, if we were to increase this to 18cm (7 inches) as our house manufacturer suggests, the clear floor height would decrease from 245cm (8 ft) to 242cm (7 ft 11 in) on the ground floor. This would bother me a bit. We cannot change the floor-to-ceiling height due to the zoning plan restrictions (maximum eave height fully utilized).
Now the question is: Is it really necessary to plan for 18cm (7 inches) because of duct crossings, or are there alternatives? For a suitable floor plan (here is our current one: https://www.hausbau-forum.de/threads/efh-in-Hanglage.12265/page-3#post-90366), could the ducts be routed only within the walls? And which mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery would you recommend for a living area of 180m² (1,938 sq ft)?
Thanks in advance for all the information!
Uwe
S
Sebastian7925 May 2015 11:26Axo, I had understood that these are now in the unfinished subfloor.
Bauexperte schrieb:
Is that a wise decision? I think we should definitely direct water away from the house, not towards it. BeHaElJa schrieb:
Get a good natural disaster insurance policy (not trying to scare you) – unless your plot is already situated higher up. The single-family house is set at elevation 402.5, but the street in front of the house slopes slightly down from 402.39 to 402.26. The finished floor level is therefore at 402.45, and there will be a small step in front of the house. I know this problem from acquaintances who also live on a slope and ended up with a stream flowing through their house after a dry summer when there was a heavy downpour. However, according to the architect, the water should be able to drain off sideways without any issues, and there is an additional drain in front of the main entrance.
Lexmaul79 schrieb:
Ah, I understood that these are now incorporated into the raw floor slab. Our ground floor ceiling is only 18cm (7 inches) thick, so I find that problematic as well. That’s why I would like to include this in the floor construction. But I would need to discuss this with our basement builder.
S
Sebastian7925 May 2015 12:59With an 18cm (7 inches) concrete slab, this is already possible – which I have done myself. However, you will need to bend the reinforcement slightly; otherwise, the pipes won’t fit through. But it was just a short section that required some force...
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DerBjoern26 May 2015 08:17Lexmaul79 schrieb:
With an 18cm (7 inches) concrete slab, this is already possible – I have actually done it myself. However, you need to bend the reinforcement a bit; otherwise, the pipes won't fit through. But it was just a small section that required some force...I hope your structural engineer has approved this...
S
Sebastian7926 May 2015 08:19Yes, of course – why do you ask?
Returning to the main topic...
Whether a mechanical ventilation system should be installed must always be determined or calculated by the planner, architect, structural engineer, or other specialist consultants. The minimum requirement for a ventilation system is to ensure moisture protection (FN). The system must at least be designed to meet this standard.
For comfort, the system should then also fulfill the required nominal ventilation rate (NF). NF refers to the volume of air necessary to achieve a complete air exchange within a specific time without relying on window ventilation.
This is at least how I plan my systems.
Whether a mechanical ventilation system should be installed must always be determined or calculated by the planner, architect, structural engineer, or other specialist consultants. The minimum requirement for a ventilation system is to ensure moisture protection (FN). The system must at least be designed to meet this standard.
For comfort, the system should then also fulfill the required nominal ventilation rate (NF). NF refers to the volume of air necessary to achieve a complete air exchange within a specific time without relying on window ventilation.
This is at least how I plan my systems.
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