Home Ventilation Systems
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
Forum Description: For mums, dads, parents-to-be, grandparents, friends -- you name it! And you name the topic you want to chat about!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=27946
Printed Date: 02 May 2024 at 6:30am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Home Ventilation Systems
Posted By: pepsi
Subject: Home Ventilation Systems
Date Posted: 06 August 2009 at 7:08pm
|
We have decided to go ahead and install one of these systems, and have just started looking into the numerous different types available. I never knew there were so many companies selling them, although I haven't properly compared what the differences are yet.
Lots of research to be done of course, but I am interested to know what other people have done as well.. If this applies to you, and you don't mind answering.. My questions are: 1. What type of home ventilation system do you have? 2. Why did you decide on that particular one? 3. Any complaints? Wish you could have had a different one? 4. Approx how much did it cost and what sort of sized home do you have (i.e. 3 bedroom..) Thank You :) |
Replies:
Posted By: KH25
Date Posted: 06 August 2009 at 7:51pm
Ohhh we just got one a week ago 
1. What type of home ventilation system do you have? HRV 2. Why did you decide on that particular one? Did a bit of research and got recommendations from different people. HRV was by far the favourite. 3. Any complaints? Wish you could have had a different one? Not so far, it is awesome! 4. Approx how much did it cost and what sort of sized home do you have (i.e. 3 bedroom..) We have a 3 bed, 2 living house so have 2 fans and 6 vents. It cost $3800. ------------- Kelly, mum to DD, 19Jun06 (26wks 1lb15oz) DS1, 24Oct10 (32wks 4lb11oz) and DS2, 31Dec11 (32wks, 4lb11) http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: Red
Date Posted: 06 August 2009 at 7:52pm
|
1. What type of home ventilation system do you have?
HRV 2. Why did you decide on that particular one? We had other family members who had one installed and were happy with them 3. Any complaints? Wish you could have had a different one? Don't think so 4. Approx how much did it cost and what sort of sized home do you have (i.e. 3 bedroom..) $2.8K for small 3 bedroom house |
Posted By: sadie
Date Posted: 06 August 2009 at 8:09pm
|
1. What type of home ventilation system do you have?
We have just installed Moisture Master in our new home. In our old one, we had HRV put in. 2. Why did you decide on that particular one? MM was best suited for our house - relatively new (7 yrs old), and it has an optional heat transfer kit. We got this, so the gas fire in the living room will help heat the whole house, not just that room. 3. Any complaints? Wish you could have had a different one? So far, no. HRV was great in our old house - draughty bungalow - but MM is better (IMO) because of the heat transfer option. 4. Approx how much did it cost and what sort of sized home do you have (i.e. 3 bedroom..) HRV was around $2.8k or so, can't remember exactly. That was 3 years ago for a 3 bed house. I think we had 4 vents. MM cost us just under $4k, but that includes the heat transfer ($900). We have a 4 bed house, but 3 vents as they prefer to install them in the hallways. They will come back and put in a 4th in our walk in wardrobe for free if we find we need more. So far it's great though. |
Posted By: ellen
Date Posted: 06 August 2009 at 8:18pm
|
1. We had HRV installed about 6 weeks ago.
2. Didn't look at any other options. 3. No complaints so far - it's certainly dealing to the condensation and I have noticed on sunny but cold days that the temperature in the house rises. 4. $3500 for fan and vents in lounge, dining, rumpus and three bedrooms. |
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 07 August 2009 at 9:34am
| I also have some concerns about the noise.. is it noticeable? I'm sure someone told me once that some people are more sensitive to it than others. I assume it's like the noise of an air conditioner or something? |
Posted By: Red
Date Posted: 07 August 2009 at 10:49am
| I do hear the fan going sometimes - but is not annoying or anything. |
Posted By: KH25
Date Posted: 07 August 2009 at 12:35pm
HRV is thermostat controlled. So you set your house temp to whatever you want it to be (we have it at 22). Once the roof temp is hotter than house temp the fans kick in to warm the house up so like right now our roof is 29 and house is 19 so the fans are on full. You can definately hear them but I don't mind during the day. It kinda sounds similar to our heatpump. At night the roof is obviously cold so the fans are on their lowest setting and to be honest, I can't hear them at all when in bed and we have a very very quiet neighbourhood  ------------- Kelly, mum to DD, 19Jun06 (26wks 1lb15oz) DS1, 24Oct10 (32wks 4lb11oz) and DS2, 31Dec11 (32wks, 4lb11) http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 07 August 2009 at 2:07pm
|
1. What type of home ventilation system do you have? HRV 2. Why did you decide on that particular one? DH looked into it in some detail, he went on lots of nerd forums etc, and he decided this was the best one. 3. Any complaints? Wish you could have had a different one? No, best thing we ever bought, is far better than I thought it would be, wish we had got one four years ago when we first bought the house. 4. Approx how much did it cost and what sort of sized home do you have (i.e. 3 bedroom..) It cost $3500 (would have been $3950, but if you pretend you don't know whether to get it or not they will give you a prompt decision discount  to get you to make your mind up). We have a 3 bed plus study, so they put in a two fan system with 6 outlets. There are two in the lounge/dining, one in each bedroom and one in the study. ------------- 
 
|
Posted By: Kristy82
Date Posted: 18 August 2009 at 10:39am
|
*Bump*
Interested to know what system you have decided to go with and why? We are building and trying to make a decision! ------------- 
|
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 18 August 2009 at 11:12am
|
Well we decided on a SmartVent after all the quotes were finished. It didn't come down to just the price in the end, it was more that SmartVent had a combination of all the good features of the HRV and DVS. We know a number of people who have installed SmartVent and are 100% happy with it!
SmartVents are installed by electricians, so these are the guys who come and do the quotes. DVS and HRV have their own inhouse installers and then have dedicated salesmen come out to do the quotes.. We got a lot more honesty from the SmartVent guy and lots of pushy sales garbage from the others. The SmartVent guy said that all the systems from the various companies work, the other companies were too busy bagging the others to admit they were all really the same kind of thing. The 'basic' control panel for the SmartVent is much better than the 'basic' control panel available with both HRV and DVS. The HRV and DVS guys really try and push you into the more advanced control panel which obviously costs more $$. SmartVent and HRV have the same type of flat F7 "Hospital grade" filter, we weren't too keen on the "sock" filter which came with the DVS which is not as good. The SmartVent and DVS systems are expandable at any time if you decide to add features later. The HRV would involve you having to pay big bucks to get the "special" control panel which enables you to do this, unless of course you pay for it up front. For anyone also looking around and comparing prices.. Here are our quotes (GST and installation included). 3 bdrm single level home - 1 fan, 4 vents. HRV - $3060 (Filter: around $200 every 2 years, they must replace it) DVS -$2555 (Filter: around $75 per year, you can change it yourself) SmartVent - $2355 (Filter: around $100 every 12-18 months, you can change it yourself) Intelivent - $4300 Not really comparable to the others, but you probably know that from looking ino it (Filters: Washable, $70 every 2-3 years) We are paying an additional $1k for some add-ons which we feel will work well for our house. These being a 1kw heater which takes the chill out of the air being blown out of the vents. Also, the summer kit which brings fresh air from outside in the warmer weather. The other companies also have these add ons at extra cost. |
Posted By: Wolfman
Date Posted: 22 June 2010 at 7:42pm
|
For those wondering about servicing of HRV/DVS units - New Zealand HRV units require the F7 Box type filter ( if you have a twin fan model HRV, you will require 2 x filters - one for each fan). DVS units are also simiple to maintain and require the G4 Filter Bag, which clips directly over the fan. Whilst HRV distributors prefer to maintain your HRV unit ($285 for a twin fan unit), you DO have the option of replacing the filter/s yourself (which will take around 15mins - very simple to do). See installation details on the link below (copy/paste into your browser). Current price for the F7 Box Filters are NZ$90ea incl. gst Current price for the G4 Bag Filters start from NZ$31.50ea incl gst. Both filters can be purchased from Filter Corp. NZ. For filter details and easy installation instructions, refer to this link (copy/paste into your browser): http://www.filtercorp.co.nz/Default.aspx?PageID=2161932&A=SearchResult&SearchID=1432924&ObjectID=2161932&ObjectType=1 If you're not afraid of some basic DIY and have access to some duct tape, i'm sure you'll be surprised how easy they are to replace. Hope this helps... |
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 22 June 2010 at 8:53pm
|
Interesting you say that, because we were told on no uncertain terms by the guy from HRV that they would have to do all filter changes, and this is built in as basically a contract for them to do so.
Just goes to show how pushy they were with trying to unnecessarily enforce the extra costs onto the customer.. |
Posted By: Wolfman
Date Posted: 22 June 2010 at 9:24pm
|
Yes, HRV will always insist on their installation cost....but if you stand your ground, tey will eventually 'suggest' that you allow them to do it. Honestly, once the unit is outside the standard warranty period, it is solely up to the owner to exercise their right to maintain the unit themselves. 
|
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 4:13pm
|
It has been about a year since we had the Smartvent installed, and we have come through our first winter with it, so I just thought I'd do an update to the thread since I have had a few PM's over time asking more about this..
I can still say I'm completely happy with the decision we made to get a ventilation system put in, and have had no issues with condensation since it was installed. A common question I am asked is about the power usage and I can honestly say I haven't really noticed an increase in our power bill since we have had it. I was bracing myself the month after we had it in, thinking we'd get this whopper of a bill but it just didn't happen.. Might have been a few dollars more but that was it. I think the trick to this is based on what our installer told us, and that is to just make sure you run the fan speed on only the required level.. So, in warmer weather we run it on the slowest setting, and for winter we cranked it up to the next level to accomodate the change in temperature when we noticed a slight bit of moisture on the windows. After that it was perfect again.. we'll slow it down again once the weather warms up. Also, in Alyssa's bedroom she had this 1 wall which had a damp feeling when you touched it, like moisture was coming in from somewhere.. This is totally dried up which is a relief. So yeah, excuse the novel.. I figure if someone reading this has been through a miserable damp winter in their home with condensation every morning, they may be interested in getting something sorted for next winter. Regardless of which company you choose to go with, they should technically all do the same job. |
Posted By: 4thtymlucky
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 6:04pm
|
After reading these posts I wish I had one installed when we bought our place 4 years ago. I've just got one qn. Do any of the companies offer finance or a payment plan for a heat pump/ventitalion system?
I'm definitely going to look at getting one for next winter as my wee man is suffering from bronchiolitis and I don't want him to go through it again next winter, plus we are having another baby and I really don't want the new bubs to have to go through what our 8 month old is going through. |
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 7:09pm
| I guess some of them may do? Not sure if you would with getting a Smartvent, because it's installed by an electrician, but the other outfits sell and install so may have their own finance side of it.. The information would be on their websites I imagine.. |
Posted By: bun_in_the_oven
Date Posted: 02 September 2010 at 9:18pm
|
i have recently had HRV, DVS and Smartvent to our house for quotes...
I found HRV & DVS very pushy - regardless of this we came away believing that smartvent was the best option and value for $$ also with the smartvent we liked the idea of having the heating source (heatpump in lounge) pumped through to other rooms in the house.. this was not an option with the other two. We are hoping to get finance together to purchase our 1st home in October and want to get the smartvent installed for summertime - and use our heatpump as aircon total cost around 3.8K our house is very damp in the front bedrooms.. watch this space ... |
Posted By: Kazzle
Date Posted: 03 September 2010 at 7:48am
OMG Ditto almost word for word...we love it...warmer, drier air and im still fasanated by the roof temp and house temp. We rang HRV, DVS, and Smartvent...HRV is who we went with, DVS didnt try and sell his product and was just rude...and Smartvent never contacted us back after 3 calls to them editting to add, i didnt realise this was over a year old...but its still word for word...lol ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
KH25 wrote:Posted By: nicca
Date Posted: 03 September 2010 at 1:58pm
| I know hrv definetly do finance (at a reasonable rate too) - dont know about the other ones. We are also looking at getting one of these installed before next winter. This has given me something to think about - didnt even know about the Smartvent option. Thanks all. |
Posted By: 4thtymlucky
Date Posted: 03 September 2010 at 8:33pm
Thanks heaps for that. Sorry if this is a dumb question but..do we need insulation as well? When we bought the house we didn't check and, well, now we know we don't so would we need to get insulation before the HRV or can we just have the HRV without it? sorry if this sounds so dduuuhhh
|
Posted By: Kazzle
Date Posted: 05 September 2010 at 7:41am
|
When our HRV guy came in the first thing he asked was if we had underfloor and ceiling insulation and he said that if we had said NO he would have told us to get that first.
But the others that came in never mentioned it...but imo you need to get the floor and ceiling insultated regardless of getting an hrv or not ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 05 September 2010 at 1:57pm
It's not a dumb question at all, our insulation was something we were asked about by all the companies who quoted us so it's obviously important
As per the http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/ventilation-systems/controlling-condensation - consumer.org website website, it also states you should address insulation issues before looking at home heating and ventilation options.. |
Posted By: Wellybaby86
Date Posted: 10 September 2014 at 10:06am
|
This is a great thread albeit 4 years old. Is there anyone out there who has recently installed any of the above and could update costs? We have a single level 3 bed in Wellington with a great woodburner in the lounge. We want something that will transfer the heat from the lounge to all other bedrooms but when the fire isnt going we also want something that will keep the chill off in Winter in the mornings. What can ppl recommend plz? Also what is difference between DVS and HRV? ------------- Hoping to add to our family of 3 in 2017!! https://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
|
Posted By: Charlie6
Date Posted: 10 September 2014 at 12:57pm
| Hi, we have had a smart vent installed in our house recently, with a heat transfer system too. 3 bed, single level with a wood burner and a heat pump in the lounge/ dining. It was around $3500 and has been great so far- house is drier, no condensation and feels warmer, and more of an even temperature... Well worth looking into. My husband researched them all and felt like smart vent were the better option, all their pipes are insulated so you're not losing heat as it transfers from room to room. He were also willing to drastically drop their price once we told them we were going with a competitor- seems like they've got a lot of room to come down in price! |