Comparison VENTS VUT 200 G mini vs Electrolux EPVS-200

— Supply and exhaust with recuperator. Units that provide air movement in both directions — for supply and exhaust, and thus solve all the main tasks of ventilation. First of all, they are convenient when organizing a ventilation system from scratch, when any equipment is missing. On the other hand, ventilation recovery units turn out to be noticeably more expensive, heavier, larger and higher consumption than purely air supply units, which is especially noticeable on large centralized units (see “System”). However, even among them, this variety is found quite often. However, decentralized ventilation installations are mostly made of supply and exhaust units. First, they do not require a high air flow, and the device can be made relatively small and inexpensive. Secondly, when organizing decentralized ventilation, it is easier to entrust all tasks to one unit than to provide separate modules for supply and exhaust. The same type, in addition to working on the supply and exhaust, prevents the "blowing out" of heat from the room during the cold season. The principle of operation of the recuperator 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 the recuperator can significantly reduce heat loss and, accordingly, heating costs — the amount of heat returned in the most advanced hea...t exchangers can reach 97% (see "Heat exchanger efficiency"). At the same time, such systems are often passive and do not consume energy themselves (and where it is required, the consumption is still lower than the amount of saved heat).

— Supply and exhaust. Devices similar to those described above, but not equipped with a recuperator. They are less common and are quite rare.

— Supply. Units responsible only for supplying external air to the room; the air extraction must be provided either by additional equipment or in a natural way. This option is the most popular for centralized models: separate supply and exhaust units can be easier to place in a limited space than a powerful and bulky supply and exhaust unit. From the point of view of the general organization of air movement, such a “separation of roles” is also often optimal (not to mention the fact that in some cases special equipment for exhaust may not be required). However, there are very few decentralized supply models.

The regular way of mounting, provided for by the design of the installation.

— Suspended. Installation by hanging — usually under the ceiling, on hooks driven into it, elements of the internal frame of the room, etc. The advantage of this placement is that the unit does not take up space in the most useful space. In addition, the unit can be hidden behind a false ceiling. On the other hand, the installation itself can be quite troublesome. The vast majority of wall models are centralized (see "System"), but there are also decentralized ones; for the latter, usually, hidden installation is not allowed.

— Wall mounted. Mounting on the wall, often — right at the location of the ventilation duct. Installations of this type often look like a pipe with protrusions on the sides — the pipe is fixed in a channel punched in the wall, and the protrusions play the role of an indoor unit and an external stop. However, there are more traditional wall-mounted units. Anyway, this type of installation is practically not used in centralized models, but it is extremely popular in decentralized ones — this is due to the peculiarities of using one and the other variety.

— Floor. Floor-standing models are perhaps the easiest to install: a heavy device does not need to be raised to the ceiling, it is not necessary to drill walls, etc. — it is enough to bring the...installation to the location. At the same time, this requires free space on the floor — and, usually, quite a lot, since floor installation is popular mainly among centralized ventilation installations. In cramped conditions, this can be a problem.

— Suspended/wall. Models that allow both types of installation — suspended or wall, to choose from. Unlike "purely" wall-mounted units, they most often belong to a centralized type.

— Universal. Models that allow universal installation — floor, wall or suspended, at the request of the user. The most convenient, but at the same time, somewhat more expensive option compared to analogues. Note that brackets for some installation methods may not be included in the package, and you will have to purchase them separately.

Note that it is highly not recommended to install air ventilation units in a "non-native" way. The installation method determines not only the design of the mounts but also some features of the hardware and functionality — and non-compliance with the installation requirements is fraught with various troubles, up to breakdowns and even accidents.

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.

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 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 lowest outdoor air temperature at which the ventilation unit can be safely used; more precisely, the minimum inlet air temperature at which the unit can operate normally, without malfunctions, for an indefinitely long time.

It is worth choosing according to this parameter taking into account the climate in which it is planned to use the unit: the device should normally tolerate at least the average winter temperature, and it is best to have some reserve in case of a harsh winter. However, many modern models allow operation at -10 °C and below, and in the most cold-resistant ones, the temperature minimum can reach -35 °C. So choosing a unit for a temperate climate is usually not a problem. Also note that if an installation that is ideally suited for all other parameters cannot cope with low temperatures, the situation can be corrected by using an additional heater at the inlet of the ventilation system.

Note that if the minimum temperature is not indicated in the characteristics, it is best to proceed from the fact that this model requires a temperature not lower than 0 °C. In other words, in cold weather, it is worth using only the equipment for which this possibility is directly stated.

The electrical power consumed by the supply and exhaust unit in normal operating mode (for models with adjustable performance — at maximum speed) can help determine the connection requirements for the unit and estimate the cost of operation in terms of electricity bills. It should be noted that for models with an electric reheater (see "Reheater type"), this refers only to the power of the ventilation system, while the power of the reheater is provided separately (see above). Therefore, the total energy consumption during full operation will correspond to the sum of these power values.

The power consumption can also be used to some extent to assess the unit's performance: "power-hungry" units usually provide a corresponding airflow.

The country claimed as the "homeland" of the unit. There are many stereotypes associated with the "nationality" of products, but most of them are not justified. Firstly, the country of origin of the goods is most often indicated by the country of origin of the brand, and the latter may not coincide with the place of actual production. However, this cannot be called a deception: a conscientious manufacturer monitors the quality of their products, wherever they are produced. Secondly, the origin from a highly developed country is not yet a guarantee of quality, and in less "popular" countries, thanks to the development of technology, high-quality equipment may well be produced. Therefore, it is more worth evaluating the level of a product by the reputation of the brand, rather than the country, and it makes sense to pay attention to the origin if you fundamentally intend to support (or do not want to support) a company from a certain state.

Now the following countries of origin are represented on the market: Germany, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, China, the Netherlands, Sweden, Czech Republic, Japan.