Farmhouse in Trins - Heating / Ventilation

There was no mechanical ventilation system in the building before renovation. The chimney effect in combination with leaky windows provided certain effect of natural ventilation. However this sort of natural ventilation was unregulated and created additional heat losses during the heating season. After the renovation, the house was equipped with a mechanical ventilation system with cascaded air distribution. This means that fresh air is directed into the bedrooms and living rooms. The exhaust air is extracted from the bathroom, WC and kitchen. One heat recovery unit for each dwelling unit with a nominal air flow rate of 150-250 m3/h each were used.

There were no monument protection or historical prescriptions available. However, the builder wanted the ventilation ducts and elements to be as invisible as possible so the air ducts were mounted within the ceilings, in order to avoid any visual impact of the historic interiors. The design of the supply air outlet was adapted to the historic wooden ceiling. An additional way to minimize the air ducts was the use of cascade ventilation. The air passes over from bedrooms and living rooms via the corridors to the bathrooms and kitchen. When the heating system was changed to floor heating, the originally negative pressure driven ventilation through leakages is substituted by mechanical ventilation to ensure the dehumidification and good air quality. The high heat recovery rate guarantees draft free supply air and the counterflow heat exchanger ensures high energy efficiency for heat recovery.