ᐅ Practical Experience with Controlled Residential Ventilation

Hello!
We are planning to build a single-family house next year with about 200m² (2,150 sq ft) of living space. We are considering installing a central controlled residential ventilation system with heat recovery. I am generally familiar with the pros and cons of controlled residential ventilation. What I would really like are some personal experiences from those who already have such a ventilation system. I hope there are still some people here with one.

• Can you hear any noises from the system? If yes, is it a constant sound or does the system switch on and off as needed?
• Can you feel any drafts in different areas?
• How often do the air filters need to be changed, and how expensive are they?
• Do you personally find the ventilation comfortable or unpleasant? What bothers you and what do you appreciate about it?
• Which manufacturer made your ventilation system?
• Did you have any specific problems during installation, defects, or unexpected issues?

Additionally, I have two technical questions:

• Does the system only push air into the rooms, thereby creating a slight overpressure, or does it only extract air, thereby creating a slight underpressure, or is the air actively moved both at the intake and outlet?

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Hello,

no idea if this is still of interest:

• Do you hear any noise from the system? If yes, is it a constant noise or does the system turn on and off as needed from time to time?

As I understand it, hardly any noise should be audible. However, our system can be heard because some parts were installed carelessly. My advice: have it installed only by an experienced professional company and pay close attention to all connections and careful installation.

• Is there a draft felt in different areas?

No, unless you hold your hand directly in front of a ventilation grille.

• How often do the air filters need to be changed, and how much do they cost?

Around 2-3 Euros per filter, you always need two. If I remember correctly, every 2 months. You can also buy them on a roll, which is significantly cheaper.

• Do you personally find the ventilation pleasant or unpleasant? What bothers you, and what do you appreciate about it?

Never without it again. Always fresh air in the house, no issues with humidity, aside from the energy-saving effect. The air can get a bit dry in cold winters. We placed many plants in the rooms to help with this.

• Which manufacturer is your ventilation system from?

Tecalor.

• Did you have any specific problems during installation, defects, or unexpected events?

As mentioned before, the system is clearly audible in some rooms.

• Do you hear any noises from the ventilation system? If so, is it a constant noise, or does the system turn on and off intermittently as needed?
With normal air exchange and proper planning and execution, a ventilation system should be silent. In practice, however, there are often comfort issues and disturbing airflow noises due to insufficient sound insulation (such as telephone silencers, branch silencer ducts, etc.), causing noise from the ductwork and from the ventilation unit or compact system.

• Can you feel drafts in different locations?
If correctly installed, the answer is "No"! To clarify, if you hold a burning incense stick 25cm (10 inches) next to the supply air vent, the smoke will not be disturbed or swirled by the outgoing airflow.

• How often do the air filters need to be changed, and what is the cost?
Most ventilation systems detect the filter dirtiness through the fan’s resistance and provide an error message. We change the filter once a year at the outdoor supply air grille of the earth-to-air heat exchanger, and three times a year the filters before and after the heat exchanger within the ventilation unit. The total cost is about 10 euros, using self-cut filter material. We only use our ventilation system during the heating season; during transitional seasons and winter it is turned off.

• Do you personally find the ventilation comfortable or uncomfortable? What bothers you, and what do you appreciate about it?
There is nothing better than keeping the windows closed during subzero temperatures and having fresh air in the house without needing to open windows for ventilation. Typically, the air in energy-efficient, well-insulated buildings tends to be drier. By reducing the air exchange with dry cold air, the humidity level can be improved. Moreover, a ventilation system offers effective building protection.

• Did you have any specific problems with installation, defects, or unexpected incidents?
None! I installed the entire system myself. With technical expertise, this can be done independently.

• Does the system push air only into the room, thus creating a slight overpressure, or does it only extract air, thus creating a slight underpressure, or is air actively moved both at the supply and return sides?
There is no overpressure or underpressure. Two fans are installed in central mechanical ventilation systems—one for the supply air and one for the exhaust air—and both operate simultaneously.

T.H.

T.H. schrieb:
We only use our ventilation system during the heating season; it is turned off during transitional periods and in winter.

Huh? So do you use it only in winter (heating season) or only in summer and not in winter?!

Thanks for the note!
The correct wording is, of course: "We only use our ventilation system during the heating season; during the transitional period and in summer, the ventilation system is turned off."

Regards,
T.H.