Good ventilation plays a key role in removing excess humidity, air pollutants, and household odors. With the rise of energy-efficient home construction and the modernization of older homes, it is even more important to ventilate the indoor air well. If you are going to do major renovations or are planning to build a house, this is why you need to ventilate with an air exchanger.
Using an air exchanger is now mandatory in new buildings, according to the Energy Efficiency Regulation, because they are so well insulated that it allows natural air renewal. This also helps prevent moisture and pollutants from trapping inside the home.
For the same reason, the insulation work of the house must be accompanied by the installation or renovation of the air exchanger.
Generally, the air exchanger should control the change of air in every room in the house. Particularly because of the air in the bedrooms, which are closed rooms where we spend several consecutive hours each day.
What is an air exchanger?
First and foremost, an air exchanger is a system that brings fresh air from the outside into the house, while at the same time discharging stale air from the inside to the outside. The benefit is the same as opening your car’s air vents to replace stale air with fresh air. If your HVAC system only recycles the same indoor air, your home will remain full of dust and other impurities, which will have consequences for the health of the occupants.
How does an air exchanger work?
An air exchanger consists of a container having two inlet ports and two outlet ports. Inside the cabinet, a fan extracts stale air from the house through one of the intake ports and expels it to the outside through the corresponding outlet. Meanwhile, a second fan draws fresh air from the outside through another intake port and sends it to the home’s HVAC duct system through the corresponding outlet.
Some systems use existing heating and cooling ducts in the house. In these systems, cool air passes through the heating and cooling system. Some systems are independent of the starting system and require the installation of dedicated ducts.
Why ventilate with an air exchanger?
The air exchanger eliminates contaminants such as smoke and all that comes from paint, carpets and cleaning products. It also helps control humidity. Here are the advantages of this system:
- A space without any odor
- Reduced risk of allergies, respiratory illnesses, and more serious illnesses.
- Decreased growth of molds and fungi.
In addition to being full of harmful and smelly VOCs, indoor air is generally full of animal dander, mites, pollen, and other allergens. If you’re allergic, you don’t want to recycle the air in your home all the time. Although outdoor air also contains allergens, their concentration is usually lower and they are filtered out by the air exchange system.
Your home also benefits. This is because your home is affected by humid air and product constantly while cooking, showering, using the dryer and dishwasher, and operating any appliance that burns propane or natural gas. . Moisture deteriorates paint, promotes mold, which rots wood and makes your home more vulnerable to pests.