August 20, 2015

Detail Every Duct and Help Prevent MVHR Failure

Good indoor air quality is essential to the health of the building fabric and the wellbeing of the occupants. Normal everyday living generates a high amount of indoor pollutants such as particles shed from pets, moisture from bathing, cooking and washing, toxins from cleaning supplies, perfumes and deodorants, and dust mites. With research to link poor indoor air quality with serious health issues such as asthma, heart disease and lung disease, it is essential that these pollutants are diluted and removed.

In new energy efficient, airtight houses, good indoor air quality is reliant on the ventilation system. A popular system for very airtight, low energy houses is Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), which uses a heat exchanger to combine, supply and extract ventilation. Fresh air is introduced into habitable rooms via grilles attached to a series of ducting.

Of the four ventilation systems available in the Building Regulations Part F, MVHR has attracted the most press in recent years due to international and UK studies showing its link to poor indoor air quality. Research by the NHBC and Zero Carbon Hub task group highlighted key areas for improvement which are now covered in Chapter 3.2 of the NHBC Standards.

With MVHR, more than any other system, design and specification are essential. The detailing of every duct, bend and grille will help ensure that correct, compatible products are purchased and installed, fault free commissioning and efficient use by the homeowner.

As background ventilation specialists Rytons offer a comprehensive range of ducting to suit many MVHR installations. The RytDuct range consists of flat channel ducting and circular ducting plus a wide selection of compatible connectors, bends and adaptors for design flexibility.

Externally you can choose from a selection of grilles available in a variety of designs and finishes. Rytons Multifix® Air Brick with Flat Channel Adaptor comes with a full size external air brick offering extra strength and rigidity over other air brick style façade plates. This air brick also features water baffles for greater protection against water transfer, U.V. protection to slow down the effects of sunlight and is available in seven colours to maintain the aesthetic appearance and match air bricks of other ventilation services.

For a robust specification use NBS Plus specifications for the RytDuct range of ducting and components which can be found on the product pages. They are free to use and easily cut and pasted straight into MVHR design documentation. NBS Plus specifications contain valuable information for use in the supply chain and are the crucial first stage to a successful and effective MVHR system.

RytDuct range of ducting and connectors

RD5MFAB Multifix Air Brick with adaptor
for 204mm x 60mm ducting

All information given is in good faith and to the best of our knowledge is true and accurate at the date of publication.  However, no guarantee regarding its accuracy is given, nor should Rytons representatives or agents imply any such guarantee. Customers should satisfy themselves that the products are suitable for the intended purpose.

Ducting News , , , , , , , ,