say yes to dvs!

[victoria24]

we had dvs in our old house and it was ace!
thing is.. it was a brick and tile with aluminum windows (1970's? dont laugh yet!) , we now live in a weatherboard shack with some peachy 1940's autoexpander windows

not sure if the dvs will work as well or whether the type of window has any bearing whatsoever on the outcome

any reviews from other love shack dwellers?

[James 1077]

We're in a 1910s weatherboard cottage with a south facing living area. We put a HRV in (like DVS) and it works brilliantly. We've since put the heat pumps in but the HRV means that they aren't run all that often or for as long.

And our windows are drafty wooden sash and French doors with draft excluders stuck onto them!

[JandM]

I was about to Google, but I've got to go out... Go on, for the non-immediately-clued-up, what's DVS? What's HRV?

[victoria24]

not sure what it stands for but its a air circulation system that eradicates condensation etc

[Kanga]

You need a different system for a drafty shack than an airtight-ish modern place. And there's a lot of difference between the systems- have a Google for some of the 'robust' discussion out there! We currently live in a house with a moisture master (the version for newer homes that vents to the outside) that has a heater attached to warm the air when it's cold rather than having cold air blown round the house at night. I think it's the sort of thing that you could easily get ripped off by installing in haste.

[victoria24]

"dvs dave" will be cruising over next thursday, ill let you know what pearls of wisdom he imparts

[Kanga]

DVS Dave will no doubt tell you you need a DVS- have you ruled out an HRV? what sort of roof do you have?

[lin]

DVS Dave will no doubt tell you you need a DVS- have you ruled out an HRV?

Not necessarily so. The DVS rep was refreshingly honest and suggested we get the insulation done first, then if we still felt we needed the DVS to get back in contact with him. Not pushy in the least.

Personally, after the experience I had with the HRV rep, I wouldn't be getting them back in a hurry. The HRV rep managed to insult me within a few minutes of arriving by asking when my husband would be home so he could explain the HRV system to him! Silly man!

And no, we haven't installed either system yet - still weighing up pro's and con's and assessing what's best for our home.

[broadsword08]

is there really any wisdom to impart?

its a fan in the roof space that blows air down into the house... so it moves air around your home.

people with damp mouldy unventilated houses with cold southern sides to them see a benefit in the overal temperature of the house being lifted marginally... over time this helps dry out the house... i achieve the same effect with a heat transfer system in the north facing lounge... the lounge heats with solar radiation during the day and that warmth is vented to colder parts of the house. in the evening time it can move the heat from the wood fire to other parts of the home (cost to buy for 3 rooms $600)
if i want fresh air, i open the windows

the most important thing is to remember that insulation, heating and ventilation go hand in hand - if you are missing out on one you may as well not bother with the rest... deal to them in that order with insulation first, then heat your home to dry it out then ventilate it (which can just be opening all the windows for 30 mins a day) to keep it dry... you will be surprised how little heat you need when the place is insulated and dry.

make sure you cover any ducting in the roof space with a nice foot of insulation - otherwise you may as well not bother

unless you live in the soggy north island in which case you need a system of ducting and fans for about $4k to achieve absolution!

[victoria24]

is there really any wisdom to impart?

irony...