ᐅ Decentralized ventilation system and 4-Pascal pressure switch

Hello forum members,

I have an open kitchen directly connected to the hallway, dining room, and living room. I want to install a fireplace there, and the chimney sweep would actually like me to install trickle vents in the windows (though they are open to alternatives). However, I find these vents undesirable because I constantly get cold drafts on the back of my neck when the fireplace is burning. Due to the position of the fireplace and the fact that it’s an old building, a room air-independent air supply is very difficult.

Therefore, I have been considering installing a decentralized ventilation system in the kitchen through an external wall, which would also allow me to exhaust cooking odors outside. My idea is that, depending on demand, I could activate it at the push of a button or using a 4 Pascal switch so that when the fireplace is burning, fresh air is brought in from outside. This would simultaneously solve three problems:

- Ventilation of the old building
- Removal of stale air from the kitchen
- Supply of combustion air for the fireplace

For all this to work properly, the unit would need to be controllable to a large extent. Ideally, the fan could also be closed at the push of a button (it would be installed in the kitchen above cabinets, which are difficult for me to reach), and of course, it should be very quiet and as efficient as possible in terms of heat recovery at low temperatures (an old building is already an energy nightmare, so I want to minimize necessary thermal bridges as much as possible).

Unfortunately, there are almost no ventilation specialists in Hannover who can provide detailed advice on decentralized ventilation systems. Therefore, I hope you can recommend a system that meets my requirements.

Regards,
constantin_w

A "standard" decentralized fan will be of little use here. These fans alternate the airflow direction, meaning they first exhaust air and then blow air back in.

What you need is a "reversed" exhaust unit. However, with this setup, no odor removal occurs since only air is being supplied. There will also be no energy recovery.

Additionally, ventilation systems and chimneys are generally only permitted with a pressure monitor or as a room-air-independent chimney. Therefore, you must first get approval from your chimney inspector.

Hello Markus,

thanks for your response. I was hoping there are fans that can still be switched accordingly. Basically the all-in-one solution. The 4 Pascal switch is exactly the safety device you mentioned. Once I have that, the chimney inspector will give his approval. The device can then also cost more than 300 EUR.

Regards
Constantin

Hello Constantin,
there are decentralized fans that can simultaneously supply fresh air and exhaust air to the outside. There are also ones that you can set to "supply air only" or turn off completely if you want.
Best regards

Umbau17 schrieb:
Hello Constantin,
there are decentralized ventilation units that simultaneously supply fresh air and extract stale air to the outside. Some of these units can also be set to "supply air only" mode or turned off completely if desired.
Best regards

Could you recommend a system that offers this functionality? Ideally, one that can be connected to a compatible switch or sensor.

There are fans like that from Inventer. Our neighbor has one.