ᐅ Question about the Helios ventilation system and whether it requires regular maintenance
Created on: 23 Sep 2025 04:39
L
Lüftikus
Hello, I’m new here and have the following question:
I have been living in a house for 7 years, which has been standing for 10 years. It is equipped with a Helios ventilation system with three air vents in the living room and one in the bedroom, as well as an intake grille and an exhaust grille on the outside.
However, this system has never been used. There is dust from 10 years inside the ducts, and probably some construction debris as well. It has also never been serviced. Now the landlord wants to have it serviced. I have a dust allergy and am very worried about this, so I have refused.
Therefore, my question to the forum: Can anyone tell me if servicing such a system is necessary if it has never been used? Also, does anyone know if servicing can be done without running the system and covering the interior of my home completely in dust?
I would be very grateful for any advice, including reading recommendations.
Best regards
I have been living in a house for 7 years, which has been standing for 10 years. It is equipped with a Helios ventilation system with three air vents in the living room and one in the bedroom, as well as an intake grille and an exhaust grille on the outside.
However, this system has never been used. There is dust from 10 years inside the ducts, and probably some construction debris as well. It has also never been serviced. Now the landlord wants to have it serviced. I have a dust allergy and am very worried about this, so I have refused.
Therefore, my question to the forum: Can anyone tell me if servicing such a system is necessary if it has never been used? Also, does anyone know if servicing can be done without running the system and covering the interior of my home completely in dust?
I would be very grateful for any advice, including reading recommendations.
Best regards
Lüftikus schrieb:
This system has never been used. There is dust from 10 years inside the ducts and probably construction debris as well. It has also never been serviced. Now the landlord wants to have it serviced, but I am allergic to dust, very afraid of it, and therefore refused. Hello,
How does construction debris and 10 years’ worth of dust get inside the ducts? We are currently building a new home, and our ducts are tightly sealed until the plastering is done. I could imagine that a few bits of plaster might get into the vents when installing the covers, but construction debris? If filters are installed, dust should not enter the ducts.
As far as I know, people with a "dust allergy" are actually allergic to dust mite feces, not the dust itself, and mites usually do not thrive in "inorganic" dust, such as that produced during construction. Therefore, it should not be dangerous for you if the system is cleaned now. After several years of operation, it might be different.
Lüftikus schrieb:
For me, it is a subjective discomfort when I feel air movement. I always have to keep all the windows closed. Then I ventilate several times. That is my preference. I completely understand your sensitivity to drafts. However, in central ventilation systems in houses, the airflow is usually so low that, in my opinion, it is not noticeable.
That is why I think you should have the system serviced and enjoy the increased comfort.
Thank you for your response. However, I’m probably just too confused to understand it. When I moved in, I was told I didn’t have to use the system, and I have never used it. There are grilles in the floor with thin filters inside, similar to a fly screen. When you remove them for cleaning, the ducts below are completely dirty.
I don’t want such a system, and when I rented the place, I was told I don’t have to keep it running. I don’t want to use it and definitely don’t want all the dust blown around when it is turned on. That’s why I’m feeling quite unsettled now.
But maybe it’s hard to understand this if you are used to such a system. I, on the other hand, feel every slight air movement and don’t want that.
Best regards
I don’t want such a system, and when I rented the place, I was told I don’t have to keep it running. I don’t want to use it and definitely don’t want all the dust blown around when it is turned on. That’s why I’m feeling quite unsettled now.
But maybe it’s hard to understand this if you are used to such a system. I, on the other hand, feel every slight air movement and don’t want that.
Best regards
I feel like you are focusing on the problem rather than the solution.
As someone with allergies, you actually have the perfect tool in your home, which for some reason has not been used so far.
The advice from everyone here: involve a professional and the landlord, and have the system brought into proper working condition so that you can use it to your advantage as an allergy sufferer. A technician can do that!
...which is a counterproductive attitude for an allergy sufferer.
Of course, no one is forcing you to do something sensible.
I read two positions here, but above all the undeniable one: I don’t want it.
Whether and how you would actually feel that in detail, you don’t know yet because of your categorical rejection. Perhaps the allergy-related suffering is not significant enough.
I wish you good decisions.
As someone with allergies, you actually have the perfect tool in your home, which for some reason has not been used so far.
The advice from everyone here: involve a professional and the landlord, and have the system brought into proper working condition so that you can use it to your advantage as an allergy sufferer. A technician can do that!
Lüftikus schrieb:
I don’t want a system like that
...which is a counterproductive attitude for an allergy sufferer.
Lüftikus schrieb:
I also don’t have to run it.
Of course, no one is forcing you to do something sensible.
Lüftikus schrieb:
On the other hand, I feel every breath of air movement and don’t want that.
I read two positions here, but above all the undeniable one: I don’t want it.
Whether and how you would actually feel that in detail, you don’t know yet because of your categorical rejection. Perhaps the allergy-related suffering is not significant enough.
I wish you good decisions.
Lüftikus schrieb:
There are grilles in the floor with thin mesh filters like fly screens inside. And when you remove them for cleaning, everything down in the ducts is dirty.
I don’t want this kind of system, and when I rented the place, I was told I don’t have to keep it running. I don’t want to use it and definitely don’t want dust to be blown out when it’s turned on. That’s why I’m feeling quite uncertain now. I understand. I only know systems with wall outlets, where dust naturally has a harder time getting in. Maybe the floor outlets have different or better filters? Cleaning them probably makes sense. A professional company should be able to handle that without filling your apartment with dust.
Lüftikus schrieb:
But probably you can’t understand this if you use such a system. I, on the other hand, notice every slight airflow and don’t want that. Actually, I do understand that—I’m very sensitive to drafts too. In the car, I always turn the vents away from me and keep the system running as low as possible. On the train, I avoid sitting by the window because the ventilation is there. In open-plan offices, I’ve changed desks several times to avoid sitting in the airflow from doors or vents, and so on.
So, I would call myself sensitive. However, I have honestly never perceived a mechanical ventilation system as a noticeable airflow. Of course, it’s a personal feeling, but maybe you could give it a try or test a mechanical ventilation system somewhere else?
A
Allthewayup25 Sep 2025 14:15If you can feel the airflow of a well-designed and properly installed mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery running at low power, then you can also smell colors.
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