What are the differences between Systems 1, 3, and 4?
System 1 – Requires trickle vents in all rooms with external walls, with intermittent fans in all wet rooms.
Advantages:
- Low price, cost effective.
Disadvantages:
- High heat loss.
System 3 – Trickle vents in all habitable rooms, with a centralised unit extracting from all wet rooms to outside, or decentralised units in each wet room.
Advantages:
- Flexible, either one air pathway through building, or multiple units to avoid ducting issues.
- Continuous extract, for constant air renewal.
Disadvantages:
- Can be more expensive than System 1.
- Heat loss through trickle vents.
System 4 – Requires heat recovery unit, with no trickle vents within dwelling. Ducting will be required for extract system from all wet rooms to atmosphere. Ducting will be required from atmosphere (outside of building) to habitable rooms.
Advantages:
- Heat recovered from habitable rooms reduces heating costs.
- Suitable for more air tight houses.
- Gives a controlled air path through dwellings.
Disadvantages:
- More expensive than both system 1 and 3.
- Need space for heat recovery unit and ductwork to be run through the house.
- System will need to be installed and commissioned by a qualified engineer.
What is the difference between axial, centrifugal and mixed flow fans?
Axial fans move air from the front of the fan to the back, in a straight line. They are designed to move relatively high amounts of air at a low pressure. An example of an axial fan would be a typical desk fan.
Centrifugal fans pull air in from one direction, and push it out at 90o (perpendicular) to the in-flow direction. Due to this they are capable of moving air at a higher pressure than axial fans are typically capable of.
Mixed flow fans incorporate elements of both types of fan, and as such can overcome higher pressures in a system than axial fans, but less than centrifugal fans.
Do you do any IPX5 fans?
Yes. Both the Punto Evo and Punto Evo Flexo are IP45 rated.
Does Vortice have a dark room fan?
Yes. The Vario 230/9" AR (12452) can be used with the Dark Room Cowl Kit SA 230/9" (13004) to make it suitable for dark room use.
Do you do a panel fan?
Yes our Vario range.
Can I have separate intermittent extract fans from kitchen, bathroom and utility being ducted together, so there is only one duct run?
No, each room requires its own fan and ductwork to atmosphere. If a single outlet to atmosphere is desired with a single duct run, MEV might be a more suitable solution.
Do you do a 4" fan to be installed in a window?
Yes. Any Punto M100/4" with automatic shutters (A) is compatible with the Punto Window Kit 100/4 (p/n 22131). This allows a fan to be installed in a window of up 20mm thick, requiring a hole between 123-128mm diameter for correct installation.
Do you do a 5" fan to be installed in a window?
Yes. Any Punto M120/5" with automatic shutters (A) is compatible with the Punto Window Kit 120/5 (p/n 22132). This allows a fan to be installed in a window of up 20mm thick, requiring a hole between 143-148mm diameter for correct installation.
Do you do a 6" fan to be installed in a window?
Yes. Any Punto M150/6" with automatic shutters (A) is compatible with the Punto Window Kit 150/6 (p/n 22133). This allows a fan to be installed in a window of up 20mm thick, requiring a hole between 178-183mm diameter for correct installation.
Do you do a destratification fan?
The Nordik range of ceiling fans may be used for destratification.
What does LL mean?
Long life bearings. Units with this code come with long-life bearings that are guaranteed for 30,000 hrs of continuous running. Please note that only the bearings themselves are covered by this guarantee.
Should there be trickle vents in wet rooms when dMEV is used?
No, this reduces the ability of extract fans to draw air through the house, which will result in air stagnating in the habitable rooms of a dwelling.
Do any of your fixed grilles have insect mesh?
No.
Do you do a fan with a mechanically operated backdraught shutters?
The Vario and Punto models that contain an "A" in the product name come with mechanically operated backdraught shutters. The backdraught shutters for any other fan supplied with them are spring-loaded.
Is there a minimum distance between supply and extract grilles to/from outside on MVHR systems?
The minimum distance between connections to atmosphere must be 600mm, but we recommend 2m where possible to avoid short-circuiting of the the system.
Can you have a wood burning stove in a room with MVHR?
You need to read and comply with Part M building regs. You shouldn’t really have an extract fan / grille in the room where an open flue fire or appliance is located.
What is a SAP Calculation?
SAP stands for Standard Assessment Procedure. This is a standard test carried out by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). It is a test designed to compare different energy saving methods, by comparing SAP values, you are able to get an idea of how well different approaches save energy. These test provide us with our SFP values, which give an indication of how efficient our units are per unit of air moved. The commercial equivalent of this test is BREEAM.
Does a cleaner's cupboard with no window require a fan with a timer?
Yes.
System 1 - Does the kitchen or bathroom need a timer if there is no window?
Yes, any wet room with no openable window requires a fan equipped with a timer.
DMEV - Does the kitchen need a fan installing in it?
Yes, it should be positioned at least 600mm away from cooker and the cooker hood should be on recirculation mode.
Where does an inline fan need to be situated on a duct run?
It can be located anywhere provided there is adequate access for maintenance.
System 4 - Can you put a fly mesh on an external grille?
No, a fly mesh will greatly reduce the equivalent free area of the grille. This will increase the pressure drop in the system and adversely affect the performance of the unit.
Can I mix system 3 cMEV and dMEV in the same property?
Yes, both cMEV and dMEV fall under system 3 and as such can be used alongside each other within the same dwelling.
Do your domestic fans need an earth?
All VORTICE domestic fans are double insulated and therefore do not require an earth.
Why does my humidity (HCS) fan keep running?
The appliance features a relative humidity sensor that is factory set at 60%. When relative humidity exceeds that level, the appliance automatically powers on. This threshold setting can be modified by the installer to one of 4 levels: 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90%. You can alter the humidity trigger point on the fan, which can be found under a wax seal, using the slider switch found underneath. If you change the trigger point and the fan keeps running, it is likely that the relative humidity in the room is higher than the set trigger point.
What guarantee do your products have?
All VORTICE products have a two year warranty from the date of purchase.
What is the maximum length of run you can do in flexible ductwork?
Part F of the Building Regulations stipulates that flexible ducting should only be used for final connections, and in lengths of no more than 1.5m.
Why am I getting condensate falling through my grille?
Condensate forms because the air travelling within the ducting is warmer than the air that the ducting runs through. Issues with condensation can be avoided in a number of ways, including:
1) Using insulated duct for any lengths that travel through unheated spaces.
2) Where ducting runs horizontally to outside, it should be on a slight downward slope, so any condensate that does form doesn't run back into the room.
3) Where ducting runs vertically to an outside connection, a condensate trap should be installed as low as possible in the run, to catch any condensate that does form. This should then be drained away to an appropriate location, such as an outside drain or overflow.
Which is the data code needed for remittance?
You will see a 7 digit number: XXXX/XXX on a white label.
Do you do a bifictaed fan (a motor out of the airstream)?
Yes either our QBK Sal or Diablo unit.
For system 1 do I need a fan in the bedrooms or living areas?
If there is no openable window in the habitable rooms then you will need a separate fan which will achive 4 Air Changes an Hour (ACH). You cam work this out by multiplying the volume of the room by 4. (This is the purge value in Part F). This fan replaces the purge ventilation normally provided by an opening window.
Abbreviations of fans
A = Automatic Shutters AT = Automatic Shutters with Timer P = Pull Chord AP = Automatic Shutters and Pull Chord T HCS = Timer and Humidity Sensor LL = Long Life.
Can you mount any of the HRUs on an angle?
No you cannnot.
Do we do HTM compliant HRUs?
Yes we do.
What ventilation would you put in a roof space with lots of roof lights?
You require a minimum of 12ACH to reduce heat within a space. If there are large roof lights, this will result in temperatures increasing within the room due to solar gain. Usually solar gain is higher than the volume of air which can be extracted by ventilation to cool the room. The best options are to install solar shading via installing film on the glass, blinds on the outside and inside of the glass and by opening roof lights. You could also install a Vario with a controller. Set the fan on natural ventilation mode to allow free movement of air inside/outside the room.
