ᐅ Preparation for Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR)

Hello everyone,

We would like to plan a controlled residential ventilation system from Zehnder for our planned single-family house, which will be installed by a family member (plumbing professional). However, we want to keep the option open whether to install it right at the beginning. The reason is that we first want to see if we can stay within our budget.

So initially, we would only lay all the ductwork. We plan to install it in a suspended ceiling. Is there any reason against this? How much space would be needed? Or would it be better to install it in the raw concrete?

If, after the house construction, we find that we still have about €6,000 (?) left over, we would of course install the controlled ventilation system then. Otherwise, we would wait until we have saved up the money again.

The planning must of course be done in advance and everything else prepared.

Is there anything we might have overlooked?

I don’t think it’s worth it. You had to do the piping anyway, so you’ve already paid for most of the materials and especially the labor. Just Google the price of your ventilation unit on the open market – it’s not more than €2,000-3,000.

I have installed all the pipes in the ceilings, and all the valves are built into the ceilings, so basically everything except for the silencers and the mechanical ventilation unit is already prepared.
I would definitely do it this way again; it has cost me around 2,500 (currency) so far, with a lot of personal effort.
If you want to install everything under suspended ceilings, you should allow for about 15cm (6 inches) more space. Depending on the size, it can get quite tight.

@Mat91
There is no problem with installing the ventilation ducts in suspended ceilings. However, you will need to do the additional drywall work yourselves; otherwise, you won't save anything and may incur extra costs due to increased floor-to-ceiling height.

Also keep in mind that if a mechanical ventilation system is installed, it must be included in the energy performance certificate, and a blower door test will be required.

Where is it stated somewhere about the blower door test?

AOLNCM schrieb:
@Mat91
There is no problem with installing the ventilation pipes in suspended ceilings. However, you would then have to do the additional drywall work yourselves; otherwise, you won’t save anything, plus there may be extra costs due to increased floor-to-ceiling height.

Also keep in mind that if you have a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, it must be included in the thermal insulation verification, and a blower door test will be required.

Thanks for the feedback. We will probably install the ducts in the floor after all. Is it common for a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery to have an air intake element installed under the slab in the garden? I hadn’t come across that before and heard it from my heating specialist recently.