Comparison Ballu ONEAIR ASP-130 vs Ballu BMAC-200W

The diameter of the holes intended for connecting air ducts to the ventilation unit. The more performant the air ventilation unit, the more air the ducts must pass and the larger, usually, the mounting holes. For wall-mounted models (see above), this parameter determines the size of the channel that must be drilled into the wall to accommodate the unit.

Additional functions provided in the design of the unit in addition to ventilation.

— Recuperator. A heat exchanger that prevents "blowing" heat from the room during the cold season. The principle of operation of the heat exchanger is that it takes energy from the blown air and transfers it to the incoming one — thus, ventilation sends relatively cool air out and supplies preheated air into the room. The use of a heat exchanger can significantly reduce heat loss and, accordingly, heating costs — the amount of heat returned in the most advanced heat exchangers can reach 97% (see "Heat exchanger efficiency"). At the same time, such systems are often passive and do not themselves consume energy (and where it is required, the consumption is still lower than the amount of saved heat). Naturally, this function is found only in full-size, supply and exhaust units (see "Type of ventilation"). Note that external recuperators are also produced, which can be supplemented with ventilation units that do not have this function; however, an integrated heat exchanger is often more convenient and efficient.

— Heater. The built-in heater intended for heating the air coming into the room. At the same time, in contrast to the heat exchanger described above, energy is used...for heating from a third-party source — an electric heater or a water heat exchanger (see "Heater type"). This method of heating requires additional energy costs, and water circuits are also quite troublesome to connect. But it is much more efficient: if the air supplied from the heat exchanger into the room cannot be warmer than the air blown out, then this is not a problem for the heater. This function is mainly used to raise the temperature of the supply air supplied from the heat exchanger (built-in or separate) to the temperature of the extract air and thus avoid unnecessary heat losses.

— Cooler. A built-in system that reduces the temperature of the air supplied to the room. Simplified, this function can be called a "built-in air conditioner" — because air conditioners are usually used to cool the air in hot weather. In fact, in some cases, installing an air ventilation unit with a cooler can eliminate the need for separate air conditioners. On the other hand, such systems are quite complex and expensive, and therefore they are used rarely, mainly among centralized units(see "System").

— Humidifier. A system that increases the humidity of the air supplied to the room. The peculiarity of the human body is such that the feeling of a comfortable climate depends not on the absolute, but on the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Relative humidity, on the other hand, depends not only on the actual amount of water vapour in the air but also on temperature: physical laws are such that as the temperature rises, relative humidity drops, even though the amount of moisture in the air remains unchanged. In fact, this leads to the fact that during the cold season, the heated outside air begins to seem dry. To avoid this effect in climate technology, including air ventilation units, humidification systems may be provided. Note that such systems usually require either a connection to the water supply system or regular refilling of the water tank.

— Ionizer. A system that saturates the air entering the room with negatively charged ions. The effect of such ions on the climate is positive — the air feels fresher, ionization contributes to the sedimentation of contaminants on the floor and walls and provides a bactericidal effect. In addition, it is believed that ionized air is good for health, improves immunity and recovers from injuries and illnesses.

Class of air purification, which corresponds to the supply and exhaust unit.

This parameter characterizes how well the unit is able to clean the air supplied to the room from dust and other microparticles. Most often it is specified according to the EN 779 standard, and the most common classes in ventilation units are as follows:

— G3. Marking G denotes coarse filters designed for rooms with low requirements for air purity and retaining particles with a size of 10 microns or more. In residential ventilation systems, such devices can only be used as pre-filters; additional equipment will be required for additional purification. Class G3 is the second most efficient coarse cleaning class, it means a filter that removes from the air 80 – 90% of the so-called synthetic dust (test dust on which filters are tested).

— G4. The most effective class of coarse filters (see above), which involves the removal of at least 90% of particles of 10 microns or more in size from the air.

— F5. Classes with index F correspond to fine cleaning, the effectiveness of which is assessed by the ability to remove particles from the air with a size of 1 µm. Such filters can already be used for post-purification of air in residential premises, including even hospital wards (without increased cleanliness requirements). F5 is...the lowest of these classes, suggesting an efficiency of removing such dust at the level of 40 – 60%.

— F6. Fine cleaning class (see above), removal from the air of 60 – 80% of particles with a size of 1 µm.

— F7. Fine cleaning class (see above), corresponding to the removal of 80 – 90% of dust from the air with a size of 1 µm.

— F8. Fine cleaning class (see above), providing the removal of 90 to 95% of dust from the air with a size of 1 µm and above.

— F9. The most efficient class of fine cleaning; the higher efficiency corresponds to the ultra-fine cleaning class H (see below). Class F9 achieves dust removal efficiency of 1 µm at 95% and above.

– H10 – H13. Classes H are used to mark filters of ultra-fine (absolute) purification (HEPA filters) capable of removing particles of the order of 0.1 - 0.3 microns in size from the air. Such filters are used in rooms with special requirements for air purity – laboratories, operating rooms, high-precision industries, etc. In filters corresponding to the H10 class, the efficiency of cleaning from the mentioned particles is 85%. H11 claims 95% absorption. And class H12 and H13 are the most efficient with particle retention of at least 99.95% and 99.99% respectively.

— Carbon filters. Created on the basis of activated carbon or other similar adsorbent. Effectively trap volatile molecules of various substances, thanks to which they perfectly eliminate odors. Carbon filters are subject to mandatory replacement after the resource is exhausted, since if the service life is exceeded, they themselves can become a source of harmful substances.

A lamp that treats passing air with UV radiation. This treatment provides a bactericidal effect: ultraviolet light neutralizes most bacteria, viruses and fungi. Although, in general, the efficiency of UV lamps is not particularly high; they are a great addition to an installed filter.

The lowest performance with which the supply-exhaust unit can operate.

For performance in general, see "Maximum air flow". Here we note that it makes sense to indicate the minimum flow only in cases where the amount of air passed can be regulated (see "Number of fan speeds"). And even then, for such models, this parameter is not always given.

The highest performance of the air ventilation unit; or, if the air flow control is not provided for in the design, the nominal capacity of the unit.

In this case, air flow refers to the amount of air that the unit can pass through itself per hour. The optimal air flow value for each room is calculated by the formula "room volume multiplied by the air exchange rate"; the air flow must not be lower than this indicator; otherwise, we cannot talk about effective ventilation. The volume is easy to calculate by multiplying the area of the room by the height of the ceilings, and the multiplicity indicates how many times per hour the air in the ventilated space should be updated. It depends on the type and purpose of the room: for example, a multiplicity of 1 is enough for a residential apartment, and at least 4 is required for a pool (there are special tables by which you can determine the multiplicity for each type of room). Thus, for example, for an apartment with a living area of 70 m², a ceiling height of 2.5 m and a kitchen of 9 m² (air exchange rate of at least 2), a duct of at least 70*2.5*1+9*2.5*2=220 m³ (excluding bathroom and toilet, they have their requirements for multiplicity).

It should be noted that a certain flow margin (about 10–15%) will not be superfluous, but it hardly makes sense to chase higher rates — after all, performance requires appropriate power, which, in turn, affects the dimensions, price and...energy consumption of the installation.

The number of speeds at which the fans of the air ventilation unit can operate.

The presence of several speeds allows you to choose the actual performance of the installation, adjusting it to the specifics of the current situation: for example, in a production room, you can reduce the ventilation intensity during the night shift, where there are fewer people than in the daytime. And the more speeds provided in the device (with the same performance range) — the more choice the user has, the easier it is to find the mode that best suits current needs.

Note that if the minimum and maximum of the air flow are indicated in the specs, but the number of speeds is not given, this does not necessarily mean smooth adjustment. On the contrary, most often such models are regulated traditionally, in steps, but for some reason, the manufacturer decided not to specify the number of speeds in the characteristics.

The noise level produced by the air ventilation unit in normal operation.

This parameter is indicated in decibels, while the decibel is a non-linear unit: for example, a 10 dB increase gives a 100 times increase in sound pressure level. Therefore, it is best to evaluate the actual noise level using special tables.

The quietest modern ventilation units produce about 27–30 dB — this is comparable to the ticking of a wall clock and allows you to use such equipment without restrictions even in residential premises (this noise does not exceed the relevant sanitary standards). 40dB is the daytime noise limit for residential areas, comparable to average speech volume. 55–60 dB — the norm for offices, corresponds to the level of loud speech or sound background on a secondary city street without heavy traffic. And in the loudest, they give out 75–80 dB, which is comparable to a loud scream or the noise of a truck engine. There are also more detailed comparison tables.

When choosing according to the noise level, it should be taken into account that the noise from the air movement through the ducts can be added to the noise of the ventilation unit itself. This is especially true for centralized systems (see "System"), where the length of the ducts can be significant.

The power of the main heater used in the air ventilation unit. For models with two heaters (see "heater type"), this item indicates the power of the main heating element; at the same time, in units with water-electric heating, the water heat exchanger is considered the main one, in units with a preheater and afterheater, the afterheater.

Power determines primarily the amount of heat produced by the heater. This parameter is selected by the designers for the performance of the installation so that the power is enough for the volume of air passing through the unit. Thus power is more of a reference parameter than practically significant: most likely, it will be enough one way or another for the effective use of the installation. We note only some of the nuances associated with particular types of heaters. So, in water heaters, the actual power depends on the temperature of the supplied coolant; in the characteristics, indicators are usually given for a temperature of 95 °C, at a lower value and power, respectively, will be lower. With electric heating, the power consumption of the heater and, accordingly, the requirements for its connection directly depend on the power.