newhome Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Thanks! After almost 9 years I suspect that no air is getting in at all. It would certainly explain the silence around the intake vent vs the clearly working outlet. I’m still trying to decide whether I can board a path to the unit myself. It seems straightforward using pre cut boards but maybe I’m missing something. At least if I put a path in so I can reach the middle of the loft I should be able to locate the thing. I can’t even see it currently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Well worth doing. I've been changing the intake filter every six months, but have noticed today (as it's very hot again) that the house cooled down very quickly after I'd changed the filter (our MVHR has a built-in air-to-air heat pump, so in hot weather it pumps cold air into the house like an air con system). Looking at the filter I took out it's very clogged indeed after just six months of use, so I'm guessing that it probably needs changing more frequently. As these filters are expensive, even when bought in quantity from a cheaper supplier (I use Jasum Envirocare) I'm seriously investigating getting a re-usable metal frame made up so I can use much cheaper washable foam filters. Right now I'm sitting here designing a metal or plastic frame to fit the MVHR that can take a reticulated foam filter, as you can buy large sheets of that sort of filter foam relatively cheaply and it's easy to wash clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 4 hours ago, JSHarris said: This photo shows what an intake F7 (pollen) filter looks like after 6 months use, compared with the new intake filter below: That is a lot dirtier than mine was, mine was just a slightly darker colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 4 hours ago, JSHarris said: As these filters are expensive, even when bought in quantity from a cheaper supplier (I use Jasum Envirocare) I'm seriously investigating getting a re-usable metal frame made up so I can use much cheaper washable foam filters. Right now I'm sitting here designing a metal or plastic frame to fit the MVHR that can take a reticulated foam filter, as you can buy large sheets of that sort of filter foam relatively cheaply and it's easy to wash clean. I tried Jasum Envirocare but the salesman was hopeless. He quoted a price for five sets of filters including VAT and then went back on it saying it was excluding VAT. The new price ended up virtually the same as Total Home Environment, so I bought them there. I've contacted a lot of places but couldn't find anywhere significantly cheaper. I am also thinking about getting a metal frame and fitting my own filter medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I have used Tops Filters www.topswtwfilters.nl . They are in the Netherlands but their service is pretty good. I have been changing inlet filters every 100 days but the extract filter stays relatively clean and doesn't need changing for a year or more . I use a F7 filter in the inlet and G4 in the extract. The inlet filters look exactly the same after 100 days as the photo posted by @JSHarris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 1 hour ago, PeterStarck said: I tried Jasum Envirocare but the salesman was hopeless. He quoted a price for five sets of filters including VAT and then went back on it saying it was excluding VAT. The new price ended up virtually the same as Total Home Environment, so I bought them there. I've contacted a lot of places but couldn't find anywhere significantly cheaper. I am also thinking about getting a metal frame and fitting my own filter medium. I think I was lucky, as I bought five pairs of filters from them before they reorganised and changed their online outlet. They were a lot cheaper than THE, looking back I paid £124.14 for five F7 intake filters and five G4 extract filters. With hind sight I should have purchased twice as many intake filters as extract filters; as @HerbJ rightly says, the extract filter doesn't really get anywhere near as mucky as the intake filter. Looking at the itemised prices on the invoice from Jasun Envirocare, they list the F7 intake filters at £12.19, plus VAT and carriage, and the G4 extract filters at £5.50, plus VAT and carriage. They charged £15 carriage for the whole lot of ten filters. IIRC, THE wanted over £25 per filter at the time, which seemed expensive to me. I'm trying to find someone to make up metal frames that will take washable foam filters. When I originally spoke to Jasun Envirocare they offered this service, but now don't seem to. Rolls of filter material are relatively cheap, and it seems a lot better to be able to just wash and reuse a filter than have to throw it out. I have tried using the vacuum cleaner to clean up dirty filters, and it sometimes works, but I found it easy to accidentally damage the pleats in the filter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Do you clean the in room extract filters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 I found this video on You Tube and it implies that you just vacuum the filters in the one I have (if you can reach it of course ). Even if it needs replacing it looks like I could just cut the foam to fit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 After 9 years, I hope you have an industrial vacuum cleaner! Ours can be vacuumed, and we got about 18 months of out the filters (vacuuming every 3 months or so) before they started going fluffy and didn't seem to clean up that well. I bought a couple of replacements and will buy some filter media to cut and attach to the original frame when I remove the old filter media. I now have three pairs, so each time I can put in a new/reconditioned one, and still have a spare to tide me over until a recondition the one I've just taken out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, jack said: After 9 years, I hope you have an industrial vacuum cleaner! Lol, I have a central vac - another unused relic here! I was thinking I would be able to buy a couple of new filters and rotate them if I ever get near enough to the bloody thing to remove them! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 14 hours ago, PeterStarck said: 19 hours ago, JSHarris said: This photo shows what an intake F7 (pollen) filter looks like after 6 months use, compared with the new intake filter below: That is a lot dirtier than mine was, mine was just a slightly darker colour. But do yours work when there is a poison attack by the Russians. I don't think my vacuum cleaner filter is that dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 18 hours ago, newhome said: Do you clean the in room extract filters? Do you mean the filter on the kitchen extract grill, which is a grease filter and, at least in our system? This is the only room grill with a separate filter on our system and we change this filter at the same time as the MVHR inlet filter. It is only 200mm approx square and is in a metal farme, so standard filter material can be cut and fitted to suit -in fact, we saved a load of such material used for packing the G7 filters delivered from the Netherlands. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 23 minutes ago, HerbJ said: Do you mean the filter on the kitchen extract grill, which is a grease filter and, at least in our system? I meant what they were suggesting in this video. I’ve never touched the in room vents but unlike the MHVR at least I could get to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 The room terminals don't usually have filters, and the main problem area with MVHR is the intake filter, where air is drawn in from outside before going through the heat exchanger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I changed my MVHR inlet filter, which is a G7 pollen filter, today after 100 days. I didn't change the extract filter , which is an F4 filter, and has been installed for about 9 months or so. - but it getting a little dirty - main reason, I didn't have a spare F4 filter to make the change...... See picture of inlet (LHS) and extract filter (RHS) The inlet filter is the dirtiest condition that I have seen it after 100 days. It may be because we normally only run the MVHR at the lowest setting but with the very hot temperature in the past 2/3 months we have been running at the higher setting, continuously to get some minimal cooling effect, especially at night. So, if any of you have been doing something similar, it may be worth checking the condition of your inlet filter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted August 15, 2018 Share Posted August 15, 2018 I am using G7 and changing every 30 days in this hot weather. I have a hay field next to me and it is just dust. Think thats why mine are getting so bad. I am changing the extract less often but still more than yours partly because I have had to have the windows open so much due to the overheating and the place gets full of dust. Its windy here and it blows in. I have room filters on all extract and intake outlets too and they are getting filthy but I wash those! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Can the main MVHR inlet be ducted to a remote filter housing, located conveniently for regular access / maintenance? Just thinking for future installs if the filters can be mounted where they're easily accessible without dismantling the main unit then that would be preferential. Obviously not miles away from the unit, but as long as the duct wasn't in excess of the length of inlet stipulated by the manufacturer, or was enlarged to have the same ( equal or < ) resistance then I think that would be a good discipline to adopt. @JSHarris, any further thoughts on your downwards 'inlet snorkel' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 2 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Can the main MVHR inlet be ducted to a remote filter housing, located conveniently for regular access / maintenance? Just thinking for future installs if the filters can be mounted where they're easily accessible without dismantling the main unit then that would be preferential. Obviously not miles away from the unit, but as long as the duct wasn't in excess of the length of inlet stipulated by the manufacturer, or was enlarged to have the same ( equal or < ) resistance then I think that would be a good discipline to adopt. @JSHarris, any further thoughts on your downwards 'inlet snorkel' ? I'm still working on it, in slow time as our priority is selling the old house right now. I believe that fitting a washable pre-filter where it's easily accessible may well reduce the amount of crud that builds up in the G7 filter. These G7 pollen filters are expensive, so anything that extends their life has to be a good thing. I'm working on lowering our intake from just under the eaves down the outside of the house to a box that will house a water to air duct cooler as well as a washable foam pre-filter. For us this is easy and out of sight, as the intake is on the North wall, in the alleyway between the house and the big retaining wall, so having a boxed duct running down the wall isn't going to be an eyesore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 21 minutes ago, JSHarris said: I'm still working on it, in slow time as our priority is selling the old house right now. I believe that fitting a washable pre-filter where it's easily accessible may well reduce the amount of crud that builds up in the G7 filter. These G7 pollen filters are expensive, so anything that extends their life has to be a good thing. I'm working on lowering our intake from just under the eaves down the outside of the house to a box that will house a water to air duct cooler as well as a washable foam pre-filter. For us this is easy and out of sight, as the intake is on the North wall, in the alleyway between the house and the big retaining wall, so having a boxed duct running down the wall isn't going to be an eyesore. Best to go an lay some larch out now so it can be conditioned to match when you box it in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 18 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Best to go an lay some larch out now so it can be conditioned to match when you box it in? Already done, I have half a dozen boards already stacked up against the North wall of the house, left over from when we did the cladding. They weren't specifically put there for this - it's a happy coincidence that it was a convenient place to stack them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I plan on adding a couple of cheap inline filter boxes and using car pollen filters as they are reasonably priced and disposable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now