MultiVent Stops Homes from Becoming Goldfish Bowls

Most of us have probably tried to keep a pet fish. For a low maintenance pet, fish can be a lot of effort to look after. Cleaning their tanks and filtering water is essential to keep them healthy, after all, it’s how they breathe.

So why is ventilation in our homes any different?

As homes are made more airtight to prevent heat and energy losses, they become more like goldfish bowls. Much like how water doesn’t magically clean itself in a goldfish bowl, a home must be actively ventilated to prevent overheating and keep it dry, healthy, and comfortable to live in.

An effective way to accomplish this is via continuous extraction with boost automation. This type of system will continuously bring fresh air inside, flushing the moist or overheated air out and bringing dryer and cooler air in, while also fulfilling the NZ Building Code's requirements for moisture extraction from wet areas.

It’s like a fully automated filter.

A MultiVent continuous extraction ventilation system is a fully featured, and cost-effective way to accomplish this. By using continuous 24/7 trickle ventilation in combination with passive air inlets, fresh air can be constantly drawn through a home before being extracted from wet rooms by a centralised system.

The constant air movement from continuous ventilation provides an effective defence against moisture build-up and minimises the risks of overheating during hot summer months. MultiVent also features humidity-based automation, detecting high moisture events such as bathing or laundry, and boosts the fan accordingly. The system operates at a quiet 35dB(A) at continuous speeds, and sound is only produced from the extraction points, further diminishing the system’s noise.

Because MultiVent features an automated and centralised fan unit, only a single power supply is needed, and no switches are required (although an optional switch can be fitted for overheated air purging). MultiVent also uses a high efficiency EC fan, which results in better performance and lower running costs for end users.

A MultiVent system is a smart solution for managing moisture and overheating in new builds, apartments, and most other airtight residential dwellings. The system is also BRANZ appraised and suitable for Homestar v5 homes between level 6 to level 8.

MultiVent Continuous Extraction Ventilation System

Simx

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The MultiVent continuous extraction ventilation system comes pre-configured as a fully automated, cost effective centralised negative pressure ventilation system.

Homestar / Green Star

The MultiVent continuous extract ventilation system is a flexible solution for residential dwellings. The system is suitable for meeting the Building Code and NZ Green Building Council's ventilation requirements for homes.

Extracts air from 'wet' rooms such as bathrooms, kitchens, and laundries.

The MultiVent unit can be installed in the ceiling space, or a cupboard for dwellings with space limitations.

This solution is ideal for regions with environmental conditions that necessitate closed windows. This includes medium to high background noise areas, or regions with dust or pollen issues (with a filtered passive air inlet).

Suitable for:

Standalone homes
Terraced homes
Apartments
Multi-unit dwellings
Retirement homes
Student accomodation
Up to 3 storey dwellings (design dependent)
All New Zealand climate zones

Simx offers a free ventilation design service for residential properties.

Provided condensate drain points for regions with very high ambient air humidity to prevent damp and mould growth in cavity spaces. These are provided with sealed knock-outs that allow the MultiVentunit to be mounted in all orientations.

Simx also offers a range of passive air inlets for different situations. Three options are available; a filtered option for locations with pollen or dust, an acoustically damped option for regions with high background noise, and a settable option with knock-outs for minimum settable non-closure applications.

MultiVent is designed to comply with NZ Building Code G4/ AS1, although correct design and installation is required in order to meet these provisions.

The acceptable solutions for G4 (G4/AS1) outlines specific extraction ventilation requirements in homes. If natural activities or environmental conditions produce any of the types of air pollution outlined in NZBC G4 3.3 , mechanical ventilation is required.

Additionally; as per table 2 in NZS4303:1990, private dwellings require 0.35 air changes per hour, but no less than 7.5 L/s per person.

For extraction ventilation, table 2 in NZS4303:1990 requires at least 50L/s intermittently or 12L/s continuously for kitchens, 25L/s intermittently or 10L/s continuously for bathrooms, and 20L/s intermittently for laundries.

AS1668: Part 2 2012 requires 40L/s for laundries with unvented non-condensing dryers.

In a typical installation, MultiVent is designed to meet these standards.

MultiVent also meets the NZ healthy homes ventilation standards.

BRANZ Appraised

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