ᐅ Planning a Controlled Residential Ventilation System through a Local Heating and Plumbing Company
Created on: 3 May 2022 21:31
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Hausmax123
Hello, after a long back and forth, I’ve almost convinced my wife that we need a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Her main concerns are the dry air in winter and noise levels. Today, we had a conversation with the local heating/plumbing company that works with our general contractor. Unfortunately, the plumber reinforced my wife’s worries, saying that dry air is indeed a bigger issue and, in response to my question about the possibility of an enthalpy heat exchanger, he said it would barely make a difference and would just be an unnecessary expense.
My biggest fear is actually a poorly planned mechanical ventilation system (noise, drafts, etc.), and I feel there is a real chance of that happening with this company. They offered us a Helios EC 370w ventilation system. From what I’ve found about this unit, it seems to be an older model and probably undersized for our house (202m² (2174 sq ft) over 2 full floors). When I asked, the plumber said there is enough capacity and that we definitely wouldn’t hear any noise. The design of the exhaust and supply air ducts will be done by the local company. According to the plumber, they have a lot of experience with mechanical ventilation systems and have never had issues with noise so far. I had understood that the planning is usually done by major companies (Zehnder, Helios, etc.) and only the installation is handled by the heating/plumbing company, which I would prefer much more.
How was it handled in your cases? Who planned the system? Does anyone know the Helios unit, and is it adequately sized for our house if you want to avoid noise?
My biggest fear is actually a poorly planned mechanical ventilation system (noise, drafts, etc.), and I feel there is a real chance of that happening with this company. They offered us a Helios EC 370w ventilation system. From what I’ve found about this unit, it seems to be an older model and probably undersized for our house (202m² (2174 sq ft) over 2 full floors). When I asked, the plumber said there is enough capacity and that we definitely wouldn’t hear any noise. The design of the exhaust and supply air ducts will be done by the local company. According to the plumber, they have a lot of experience with mechanical ventilation systems and have never had issues with noise so far. I had understood that the planning is usually done by major companies (Zehnder, Helios, etc.) and only the installation is handled by the heating/plumbing company, which I would prefer much more.
How was it handled in your cases? Who planned the system? Does anyone know the Helios unit, and is it adequately sized for our house if you want to avoid noise?
Gecko1927 schrieb:
Many HVAC installers have their mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery designed by the manufacturer, but apparently, manufacturers are reluctant to work directly with private homeowners. I find that completely understandable.
Gecko1927 schrieb:
There is a lot that can still go wrong during installation, especially if the design comes from a third party. The original poster’s mindset seems similar, and indeed that is precisely the reason for not wanting the specialist planning done by the general contractor’s subordinate. HVAC and indoor climate systems are generally not a favorable area for those with limited knowledge. Although the number of houses built with mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery is increasing, general contractors still tend to have significantly more experience with conventional, proven technologies.
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Hausmax12326 May 2022 12:38Gecko1927 schrieb:
I personally consider it disadvantageous to have planning and execution done by two different companies for a small trade like mechanical ventilation systems.
There is still a lot that can go wrong during installation, especially if the planning is done by a third party.
Is it not possible to find an HVAC contractor who can handle or oversee the planning as well?I would also prefer if planning and execution came from a single source, but so far I haven’t found any company nearby that I feel truly has expertise in ventilation. The standard HVAC/plumbing contractor from our general contractor (GC) does install mechanical ventilation systems, but they themselves are not convinced of it and actually advised us against it, which for me is a deal-breaker. Since the installation of mechanical ventilation systems is sometimes carried out independently by some members in this forum, I actually thought that at least this part could be done by the standard HVAC/plumbing contractor from our GC. Can so many mistakes really be made if there is proper planning behind it and everything is clearly specified? Our GC was quite relaxed about it and said that it is actually common in larger projects for ventilation planning and installation to be done by different companies.
I have already contacted several HVAC/plumbing companies and what really surprises me is that they all said they only install mechanical ventilation systems in about 10% of single-family homes. I thought by now this would be standard in new builds?!
Hausmax123 schrieb:
Our general contractor was actually quite relaxed and said that especially on larger projects, it is common for ventilation planning and installation to be handled by different companies. Yes, in my opinion, this is absolutely seen as a specialist planner topic; and I also agree that it is best understood by system designers. The installation companies also like to get the plans directly from the supplier. Who the specialist planner gets their files from doesn’t really matter.
Hausmax123 schrieb:
I have already been in contact with several heating/plumbing companies, and what really surprises me is that they all said they install controlled mechanical ventilation in only about 10% of single-family homes. I actually thought this was standard practice in new builds by now?! “Standard” are floor-to-ceiling windows. Homeowners usually think technologically with subsidy incentives in mind and would only include controlled mechanical ventilation where it helps raise the building’s overall equipment to the next funding level. Controlled mechanical ventilation is really “in demand” mostly among pollen allergy sufferers; other homeowners tend to regard it more or less as something like a motorized shutter for the tedious task of airing out the rooms (and therefore a topic that can be cut when keeping the budget on track).
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