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Recommended MVHR unit features?


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Based on your experience what features would the panel recommend a buyer look for when choosing a MVHR unit?

 

Eg: Pre-heater?  G4 filter? F7 filter? Humidistat?  Summer bypass? Low db levels? Manual boost control ?   Anything else?

 

Comments invited.

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Factor in the cost + availability of filters.

Ours at €42 + €10 postage twice a year is expensive. 

 

Being tight I discovered that cabin pollen filters from a Corsa at €8 each can be made to fit with a supporting MDF frame. 

 

We didn't bother with any boost switch, or humidistat, or summer bypass or pre heater. Can't say I miss them but then I've never know any different.  

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I like top filters on supply, extract can have more basic filters, summer bypass is useful, I take my heat exchanger out and replace it with a dummy box.

 

0 to 100% speed control for each fan is good , programmable is nice and I use mine which has four preset speeds including boost, lots of time slots. 

 

noise attenuation, I have EAHP but very low power 60W input, no humidistat and zero humidity problems, 

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16 minutes ago, Iceverge said:

Factor in the cost + availability of filters.

Ours at €42 + €10 postage twice a year is expensive. 

 

Being tight I discovered that cabin pollen filters from a Corsa at €8 each can be made to fit with a supporting MDF frame. 

 

We didn't bother with any boost switch, or humidistat, or summer bypass or pre heater. Can't say I miss them but then I've never know any different.  

With no humidistat and no boost switch does that mean yours just runs at the normal rate when the hob is being used or someone is having a shower?

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We have a normal through the wall kitchen extractor hood fitted with 2 x magnetic anti draft shutters. It works but in hindsight a good recirculating fan with a carbon filter might have been fine too.  

 

For the shower we just leave the MVHR run on normal and it seems to clear quickly enough anyway. Much quicker than previous houses with a dedicated bathroom fan. After 8 months the bathrooms are as dry as the rest of the house. If clearing steam is urgent we just open the window. 

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Unless you go for "rate of change' humidity sensor I would stick with manual switches at each wet room.

 

We have managed for 2 months without kitchen extractor.  But resisted frying.

 

Put filters on each extract point, to keep ducts clean.

 

We didn't fit cold weather pre heater's we have g4 filters, but would have been better going f7.

 

We also installed a combined directional inlet outlet on the outside wall as other stuff got in the way of pipe runs.

 

 

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16 hours ago, Iceverge said:

Being tight I discovered that cabin pollen filters from a Corsa at €8 each can be made to fit with a supporting MDF frame. 


Did that with a load of clearance carbon pollen filters from a Ford Transit..! £2 each on eBay ..  

 

16 hours ago, iansr said:

Pre-heater?


Some of these are counter productive as they can heat the air past the outgoing temperature and the heat exchanger can start to cool the incoming air rather than warm it. 

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Proportional humidity sensor is great - identifies a running shower pdq.   Summer bypass never seems to do much, but to be fair, I haven't experimented without it.  Our boost switches never get used. Filters get changed twice a year at £15 a set plus delivery (regular subscription with Filtermate - saves me remembering)

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1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

Cabin filters there's a good idea - will have to do some research


just used a standard filter box from Blauberg and then adjusted the support grille to allow a standard cabin filter to fit across the corners - keeps all the fine stuff out of the main HeX filters. 

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41 minutes ago, Roundtuit said:

Proportional humidity sensor is great - identifies a running shower pdq.   Summer bypass never seems to do much, but to be fair, I haven't experimented without it.  Our boost switches never get used. Filters get changed twice a year at £15 a set plus delivery (regular subscription with Filtermate - saves me remembering)

I like the sound of £15 a set - which MVHR unit do you have?

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Out Titon unit uses plastic framed filters that they sell direct for £12.75/pr:

 

HRV1_1.25_A_G3_Filters-1024x786.jpg

 

However they can be easily refilled with other filter media so I bought 1 sqm of 10mm G3 media for £8 which should do me for about 10 swaps. Not only will it save a lot of money but at 80p/service I figured it might make me less stingy about how often I do it too!

Edited by MJNewton
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I’m considering 2 Nuaire units which going at a good price.   Anybody any experience of the brand?   They don’t seem to be programmable and I’m just wondering if most people set their MVHRs to run at a lower fan speed at night?

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Once set up, apart from boosting when required for steam or smells, it runs 24/7 at the same setting.    If you unit has a setback setting, you could use that when away from the house or on holiday.

 

As the mvhr is the only ventilation in a house if you reduce at night, unless you have the window open your CO2 levels in bedroom may be too high.

 

But if you run two units one for bedrooms the other for the rest of the house, then you could run at setback for bedrooms in the day and normal speed at night, the other way round downstairs.

 

Set back is normally controlled by a volt free contact, so a simple timer could be used.

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Because

1) You can make a proper comparison - they're independently tested using identical criteria that model 'real usage', rather than relying on the manufacturer's claims.

2) It's the go-to resource for choosing high-performing MVHR units. if a manufacturer has chosen to avoid assessment, why might that be?

3) Your energy bill will depend on your choice.

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21 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

 

 

Why?

I had the same thought.  No doubt a Zehnder would be better built and have more functionality, but the price difference is HUGE vs what I can get these 2 units for . . . 

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