Diy a heat recovery system?

[Steve]

As per the title. Is it possible to DIY one of these systems? We're moving house next year and want it to be a healthy home because our present house is condensation and mould city. Do these units require building regs? Any warnings or watchouts when buying or fitting? The diagrams look fairly simple, extract from kitchen and bathroom and vents to bedrooms and living rooms.

Would you also have traditional extraction from kitchen and bathrooms? Or could you do away with this?

 

[bernardgreen]

Would you also have traditional extraction from kitchen and bathrooms? Or could you do away with this?

The humidity from bath rooms and kitchens are likely to overload a system sized to "ventilate" a domestic house. Do you want the odour of cooking and stale odours from the bath room filling the house ?. So I would keep it.

I have seen DIY heat recovery systems that work quite well. Fresh air from outside is essential for healthy living.

I looked at equipment from http://www.johnsonandstarley.co.uk/ventilation/overview.asp when considering a DIY system. It didn't go ahead as the buildings insurance bans electrical equipment in the loft of my thatched cottage.

 

[Steve]

The humidity from bath rooms and kitchens are likely to overload a system sized to "ventilate" a domestic house. Do you want the odour of cooking and stale odours from the bath room filling the house ?. So I would keep it.

that wouldn't happen though would it? Since the smells etc would be exhausted outside with just the heat transferred to the incoming air. And with an extract vent in the kitchen and inlet in the other downstairs rooms the overall movement of air would be into the kitchen causing smells not to spread.

However i take your point with the overloading issue and would retain extraction points over the cooker and shower and downstairs toilet.