Ventilation, EXTRACTION & HEAT TRANSFER

No, the ventilation systems PERL Electrical install use high-grade filters to greatly reduce harmful particles entering your home. All systems include a high quality F7 hospital-grade filter that captures 80-90% of fine pollens, dusts and allergens from the air, making it cleaner and safe to breathe. A high quality F7 filter is a must for families with asthma and allergy sufferers. F7 Carbon and F7 HEPA/Carbon filters are also available as optional extras.

Yes, most ventilation systems can be installed into your multi-level home, Outlets can be placed around your home by running ducts through wardrobes or other available voids to various levels. It is always best to have an accredited installer to assess your home for access.  PERL Electricians are accredited installers for amongst others SmartVent, EVOAQ, Weiss and BDV Air.

They are circular vents, for installation in the ceiling. We also have options for wall grilles, please contact our PERL Electrical branches for more information.

Some ventilation systems can include an option for a Summer feature. During the summer months, the temperature of the air in the ceiling cavity can rise significantly. With a summer feature installed, the system will bring in the cooler outside air instead of the hot ceiling cavity air. This provides a system that ventilates all year round maintaining a healthy living environment for you and your family. Summer feature is a must for hay fever sufferers.

The tempering heater add on helps take the chill off incoming air. Tempering heaters do not provide a home heating solution.

of excess heat, from a suitable heat source (heat pump or log burner), by transferring it from one room and distributing it to other rooms in your home.

By transferring the excess heat, you can efficiently use that warmth to reduce the chill in bedrooms, creating a drier, more comfortable home.

Please contact your local PERL Electrical who can assist you.

IAQ stands for Indoor Air Quality. The IAQ in a building is a measure of several factors, including temperature, humidity, and levels of harmful substances such as pollen, CO₂, and other VOCs. The better the IAQ is inside your house, the better it is for your health.

VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. It refers to organic chemicals that have a very low boiling point and are usually a gas at room temperature. This includes substances such as formaldehyde (caused by paint vapours) and car exhaust fumes. Most odours in your home are also caused by VOCs.

Not all VOCs are harmful to your health, but many can be. While they may not appear to have any immediate effects on your health, they can become very harmful to your long-term health if you are exposed to them over a long time. This is why it is important to continuously extract VOCs from your home. Some models of VOC extraction fans can detect many of the more harmful VOCs within your home, including formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and cigarette smoke.

The best answer to that is anytime of the year. Most people have systems installed over the winter months because that's when the moisture problem is clearly visible and evident however, during autumn, summer and spring, that is the best time to be conditioning your home for the following winter if moisture or damp is your concern. Autumn is when hay fever and allergies are kicking off and this is an opportune time to have your home ventilated with a good filtration ventilation system to filter out the bulk of impurities, pollens and pollutants in the air to help keep your home healthier.

No ventilation system can claim a 100% eradication of condensation or moisture. To completely eradicate condensation you need to remove all moisture from the home which would be unhealthy and dangerous, or heat the home 24/7 maintaining a high temperature, this would be extremely expensive and unpractical. By lowering the moisture content in the home to ideally maintain a relative humidity level averaging 50%, will drastically 'reduce' the moisture and condensation levels.

There is no reason why you would ever want to turn a ventilation system off. However if you do there is an on/off button on every system controller.  There is also an auto on feature on each system that will auto power back on after a time, just in case you forget to turn it back on again ensuring your constant protection.

By ventilating the home 24/7, all the ventilation systems conduct complete whole house air changes many times during the day in fact they will change all the air in the home at least 3 times in the space of 1 hour. Not many smells will linger after this. It is also very beneficial for the 'smelly teenager', those that smoke in their home or the renovator with painting fumes.

PERL Electrical knows that in every household, there are times when the bedroom door gets closed by the shy or private teenager, the noisy bedroom dweller or a multitude of other reasons, when the door is shut with no vent the good starts to be undone. If this shutting is frequent or longer the benefit of the system is reduced or even nullified, this could contaminate the rest of the home with stale, damp, polluted air significantly reducing the efficiency of the system. Having a vent in each bedroom and living area creates better positive pressure within the home forcing out the stale damp polluted air which has been accumulating through the day

Heat pumps are great. They are an efficient form of primary heating. Generally heat pumps will be placed in the main living area. To be truly effective most homes would need at least 2 heat pumps to maintain a consistent climate through out however cost in most cases prevents this. Although heat pumps are a very efficient form of heating, they still can be costly to operate. Most heat pumps do not remove sufficient moisture from the home, instead they heat the damp or moist air in the home which can promote the growth of mould and dust mites which thrive in warm damp conditions. Heat pumps do not introduce fresh filtered air, they recirculate the air already in the home. You do not run a heat pump 24 hours a day 7 days a week anyway, even if you did the running costs would be very high. Positive pressure ventilation has many benefits which can only improve the effectiveness of a heat pump.

You would be shocked at the amount of moisture which is introduced into your home on a daily basis by merely existing in it. An average family of 4 introduce on average 30 litres of moisture per day, that's water, imagine every day getting a large bucket of water and poring this all over the carpets, drapes, furniture, bedding, clothes in the drawers and wardrobes. Apart from running dehumidifiers in every room, 24/7, the average home has no systems in place to remove this moisture so believe us, your home is damp.

It is a start. Dehumidifiers remove the moisture from the air in any given room. To remove the moisture from a house using dehumidifiers you would have to run 4 or 5 for extended periods of time. This is an expensive, unpractical and unhealthy option. Dehumidifiers can over dehumidify the air and in doing so can dehydrate the occupants which can be unhealthy and dangerous.

All families still introduce moisture into all homes on a daily basis. In some cases new homes are more damp than older ones as they are so sealed up around the doors, windows and baffles on the exhaust fans (bathroom and kitchen) that nothing can get in or out. That nothing includes moisture along with all other pollutants and smells.

The dark rings are caused by static electricity and can be easily removed by using a clean dry brush. Do not use water or cleaning agents. The dust from the room sticks to the ceiling by positive and negative electrons. The dust does not come from the vents and has nothing to do with the filters. All ventilation systems can get these rings and it may affect 1 or more vents.

That's all the more reason for a ventilation system. All the outdoor pollutants will be coming and going as they please. A Positive Pressure Ventilation System will passively keep these pollutants out by gently flushing the house with fresh filtered air.

In an ideal situation if you did all three you would not need to do anything else but it is still a very expensive exercise so where is the best start. Before you can heat a home and make it a healthy place for your family you need to remove the moisture and pollutants, this is not a one off process, it has to be ongoing on a daily basis to be effective. Insulation is definitely a major factor in a healthy home however you still need to heat it up for the insulation to minimise heat loss. Insulation helps keep a home drier but first the home has to be dry to start with, insulation does not remove moisture. Heating damp polluted air is not just the answer to the heart of a healthy home. First you remove the moisture and pollutants and give your home a kick start using the solar energy available. This can only be done by a reputable and efficient positive pressure ventilation system. Then you maintain the heat or add to it with a primary heating source which job has been made easier and more cost effective thanks to the PPVS. Finally through efficient insulation, you minimise the heat loss again adding to the whole home efficiency making for a healthier happier home. Which system do you put in first? You do the math.

Even in the middle of June and July, the outside temperature may not get over 12deg, As the radiated heat from the sun hits the roof it heats the ceiling cavity unbeknown to you this temperature in most homes can reach 25 - 28 deg. This is even on a cold, damp overcast winters day. This is the free energy supplied by mother nature. It can also work detrimentally in reverse, this is why the controller has to be 'smart' and not merely an incremented fan speed switch or the like.

Ventilation systems are designed to switch from heating, cooling and ventilation modes, it does this automatically. In ventilation mode, the system is running anything from 5% to 35% of full capacity; this mode is not significant to change the climate in the home but is delivering fresh, filtered, healthy air.

There are limited changes that you can make, the system has been specifically designed so people only have limited options on changes, that way there is less chances of making the wrong decision and not running the system at is optimum. Only an authorised PERL Electrician can make significant changes to the programming. This has been designed this way for your benefit.

Under normal conditions the filter should work efficiently for up to  years depending on the model purchased and the local environment. We recommend the filter(s) be checked every 6 months and changed every 2 years. If you purchased your ventilation system from a PERL Electrician will notify you when the 2 years are about to be up. Alternatively your ventilation system often notifies you when the filter is requiring a replacement.

Either you can arrange for one of our PERL Electricians to change the filter or if you are moderately handy and don't mind getting down and dirty in the roof space you can do it yourself. We supply the filter as a 'kit' with detailed instruction. The latter would be a cheaper option for you.

A good ventilation system will significantly warm and dry your home during the winter months however it is not a primary heating source. You will need a primary heating source (but please, no unflued gas heaters for your family's sake). You will find the required amount of energy to heat the home will be significantly less, in some situations primary heating was reduced by over 50%, that's 50% off your heating bill, every home and location is different so results will vary from house to house. A dry warm 'whole' home is easier to heat, requires less heat for less time.

Every house is different, some big some small, as we custom fit each system to the house, installation times can vary. Expect on average an installation to take 3 to 4 hours.

Installation is generally mess free and our PERL Electricians clean up on completion. The only 'construction' required are the 150mm holes in the ceilings for our dual cone fully adjustable diffusers (vent outlets).

You will notice a difference within hours of installation and power up, there will be a noticeable fresher, cleaner smell in a normally locked up house. Depending on the particular house, you will notice improvements to the overall condition of the house as each day passes by. Your home will be going through a conditioning process over the coming weeks and months. As time passes, your home will be drier and healthier.

Just like any other system if you listen carefully, you will hear a very slight hum coming out if you are close to the vents, this is not intrusive and generally you will not hear it. Depending on the ventilation system some are suspended within the roof cavity to eliminate as much noise as possible.

There will be less draft with a SAYR than many other systems, you will only feel slight air coming through the vents. If you hold your hand up to the vent but do not be fooled, SAYR systems have one of the most powerful motors available in the market. The SAYR adjustable dual cone diffusers direct the air discreetly across the ceiling circulating around the room and also downward. The amounts and directions can be controlled independently on each diffuser for your total control and comfort.

PERL Electrical ventilation systems suppliers are so confident with the product, we offer a 5 year warrantee on all parts and workmanship.

We do not see the benefits in having to heat cold air from outside using expensive electrical heaters using a lot more energy than required, this goes against the whole principle of the system. It is far cheaper for you and efficient to heat the inside air, using a dedicated primary heat source. Why take 10degrees (outside) and heat it to 20deg for use indoors. That is a significant amount of energy used to do this. You have to raise the temperature by 10deg. You are better off to heat the indoor air already warmer than outside air, and heat it to 20deg, only having to raise 3 deg instead of 10 deg. This is a saving to you of 7deg, can you imagine the cost to heat your whole home 7 degrees. During this, you are still ventilating your home with fresh filtered air. If you are adamant you want an inline heater then we will supply and install one.

PERL Electrical assists many property managers to manage thousands of rental properties throughout New Zealand.   Through our vast experience we recognise the need for smart ventilation systems in rental properties. A lot of tenants don't open doors or windows. They frequently are not at the property hence keeping it closed up all the time. This makes the house smell, promotes mould, dust and moisture. The carpets, drapes, paintwork and wallpaper fade, discolour and deteriorate quicker. With a ventilation system, tenants we tent to find that they stay longer, are often prepared to pay more in rent (negotiate the fact with them). A fresher healthier house will get better tenants and get tenants faster than a damp, stale, smelly house. Having trouble finding tenants for a property? A ventilation system could be just the answer.

Most occupiers do not realise their house indoors has a unique smell. Some visitors notice this smell and can subconsciously find it off putting. This can be very detrimental if you have your home on the market for sale, especially if you have pets indoors or the 'teenage boy' in his cave. A good ventilation system will be your silent agent keeping your home fresh and healthy while you are away and out of the house. It will be ready for that unexpected or impromptu agent with the buyer. It also will add to the selling features of the home. Having trouble selling that damp smelly house? A ventilation system could be just the answer, realise the sale quicker and more profitable.

Most ventilation systems draw the air from the ceiling cavity and then put that air through a high grade filter. This filters dust, pollens and allergens however, these filters do not remove smoke particles from the air. In the event that smoke gets into the roof cavity, either by an outside fire or an internal fire in the house or the ceiling cavity, the ventilation system will pump this smoke to the bedrooms and living areas of the home, obviously this is bad and could be very unhealthy or dangerous. Recent fire department statistics have found that over 115 house fires start in the ceiling cavity annually. Many ventilation systems have the capability of detecting smoke in the ceiling and automatically shutting the system down until such time that the smoke has cleared. Make sure you choose a system with an inbuilt smoke detector.

Modern day bathroom fans, even in brand new homes are grossly under specified because they are cheap and not many people really understand the true value of an effective extraction system for bathroom, ensuite, laundries and kitchens. A poorly effective extraction fan will not remove moisture from service rooms and that moisture will eventually find its way into the remainder of the house contributing towards a damp, mouldy cold house. All extraction fans under law have to be vented outside and a lot of existing and new fans cannot handle the added strain of having to pump moisture laden air through ducting to the outside and the fan 'stalls', it still going and making a noise but no or little air is being moved. PERL Electrical will assess your current extractor and recommend upgrading to the most effective extractor fan while not breaking the bank. They are hung in the ceiling cavity and very quiet. You cannot buy these from hardware stores. 

If you had a ventilation system installed because of concerns with dampness, condensation and mould then please remember that this has been bought about by an over damp house. Everything in the house including ceilings, walls, floor and all furnishings will also be over damp. It is this dampness that over time evaporates out (dries out). The process is a conditioning process which takes time, you are not going to see a 100% immediate result, you will see an improvement, the level of improvement will be conditional on varying factors exclusive to your home. This improvement will gradually get better and better as time goes by, every house is different and responds differently to others. If you are seeing no improvement on a regular day to day basis then please call to speak with a technician as there may be underlying issues with the house which will need to be resolved.

Moisture Spikes' is a phenomenon which affects all ventilation systems regardless of brand, make or model. Typically around May when winter begins to get into the deepest coldest days, condensation in the home is prevalent. Mother nature throws the odd curve ball at us and we are confused whether it is actually autumn or winter. Typically this is experienced as excess condensation forming on windows and in some cases walls or even furniture. This occurs mainly during May and June.

Why does this happen? You may have done everything out of the book and made your home as dry and warm as possible and upgraded the heating, insulation and ventilation, yet there are still days where the windows are misty, wet or even running! This is what we call in the industry a 'moisture spike'. It has come about from having warm days that are not yet wintry cold days, the outside daytime temperatures may still be warmer, the air is laden with moisture which is commonly known as humidity, even the evenings are not that cold and could still be 10 degrees plus THEN overnight BAM we have a cold snap. All of a sudden that moisture laden air has no where to go as the warmer air cannot hold it, it drops out of the air onto any cold surface that will have it, typically this forms on glass as condensation. You may experience this once or twice after a warmer, wetter period followed by a cold snap, you may experience this 1,2 or three days in a row and notice that it will get better as each day passes.

This is happening as the daytime air gets cooler and the night time air gets cooler we then start experiencing a lower outside air humidity. Our home will then return to normal.

This is a common experience for many home owners at this time of the year. This can affect homes with good insulation, good heating and good ventilation systems regardless of brand. It does affect some houses differently to others depending on the particular designs, build and the habits of the occupants. Some may experience this moisture spike on a day when others dont and visa versa, some may experience it worse than others and some may not experience anything at all. No system can 100% prevent this from happening,, regardless of make or brand. it is mother nature showing her power and dominance. You can be rest assured that it will only be for a short time during the change in season and for those with good ventilation systems, it will clear quickly. 

The best way to handle this situation is firstly not to panic and think that something is wrong, it is common and is normal. In the case of ventilation check the settings, check that the settings are not still turned down low for summer. Give it a couple of days before you make hasty decisions and you will find it will return to normal. You can be assured you are not the only person who is experiencing this at this time. The warmer you make your home will also lessen this effect.

Winter condensation is a widespread problem. In winter we spend more time indoors, creating moisture from cooking, cleaning, washing and even breathing. When we're out of the house we leave it closed up for security.

Insulation adds to the problem. We trap the heat of living areas by keeping doors shut and using heavy curtains and carpets.

This all comes at a price. Warm air holds water better than cold air. Because it's sealed in, the moisture builds up then condenses on cold surfaces such as windows and walls.

The solution is simple - better ventilation. Making it happen is less simple.

If you're living in a draughty old Victorian villa, you shouldn't have too much of a problem with ventilation. But modern houses are much more airtight, so natural ventilation is minimal.

Extra heating is part of the solution, combined with water extraction near the sources. Rangehoods intercept steam from the kitchen; extractor fans are effective at drying out bathrooms. You could also consider a dehumidifier. While these can help control condensation, they're expensive to run (up to $2.50 a day), often noisy, and must be run constantly. With a dehumidifier you are controlling the symptoms and not dealing with the problem. While not the ideal solution, dehumidifiers have their place.

An automatic ventilation system is a better way of controlling condensation. Whichever way you attack the problem, remember it's even more effective if the amount of water released into the air is reduced.

• Fit extractor fans over the cooktop or stove, and in the bathroom. They must be ducted to the outside.
• Always use close-fitting lids on pots when cooking.
• Vent the clothes dryer to the outside.
• Close doors when cooking, showering or using the dryer, to limit the spread of moist air.
• Avoid using unflued gas heating.
• Limit the number of pot plants in the house.
• Check that the ground under the house is dry. If it's wet, cover with polythene (if this is feasible), taping the joints, and ensuring a tight fit around piles. Check that drainage systems are diverting water away.
• Fix any leaks in the roof or around windows.
• Remove open vented downlights or replace them with new downlights that don't leak your warm damp air into the ceiling.

The building code has minimum requirements for ventilation: all the air in your house should be changed every 3 hours. It says the air in kitchens should be changed every hour; in bathrooms every 2 hours. To achieve this, the code suggests extractor fans in kitchens and bathroom - and open windows elsewhere - to bring in fresh outside air.

Positive pressure/forced air ventilation systems work by blowing drier air into your house from the roof space above the ceiling or, in some types, from outside. They suit older houses with wooden joinery better than modern houses with sealed aluminium joinery - unless windows are opened or additional vents fitted.

Balanced pressure/heat exchanger ventilation systems extract warm damp air from living spaces and pass it through a heat-exchanger to heat up dry air which the system brings in from outside. This can fully meet Building Code requirements. They work best in more airtight, modern homes.

Any of the system types can be very effective. Your choice will depend on the type of house you live in, your location, and your budget.

• Balanced pressure systems are the best option, if you can afford it. They'll work in almost any situation, provided they're properly matched to your house and correctly installed but they are still an expensive option.
• Positive pressure systems will work in any house that has a suitably dry roof space, and sufficient air leaks past doors and windows. But if your roof is heavily shaded or you live in a colder part of the country, a heater will be essential for ensuring adequate airflow without cold draughts. You may also have to fit small vents to newer houses or leave windows slightly ajar on security stays to achieve sufficient air movement to fully control condensation.
• Solar-powered systems (a variation on positive pressure systems) will be effective anywhere that has enough sunshine - which means most parts of New Zealand. And they will always have the lowest running costs.

There is quite a lot of confusion over so called "heat recovery" systems.

The most effective type of "heat recovery" unit is the balanced pressure system, which extracts warm damp air from living spaces and passes this through a heat-exchanger to heat dry air which the system brings in from outside. Inline heaters are not required.

Positive pressure systems can undoubtedly extract warm air from the roof space when it's available (on sunny summer days, for example).

But often when warmth is most needed, on cold grey winter days, the roof space is also very cold. A study from the University of Otago shows that in winter the air in the roof space is usually colder than inside the house, and on winter nights can be colder than the outside air.

PERL Electrical supplies and installs both positive pressure and balanced pressure systems.