Q1. Many homes are unoccupied for long periods over the spring and summer. What can be done about stale odours and dry mould?
A1: Advances in technology enables us to offer simple, cost efficient and energy conserving solutions, e.g. the SolarVenti system.
Q2. What is SolarVenti and how does it work?
A2: It's a solar powered air panel. When the sun shines the fresh air in the solar panel it heated up, and a solar driven fan introduces huge amounts of fresh, dry air into your home. This air absorbs the humidity and replaces the stale, humid air.
Q3: Why is SolarVenti a better solution than a conventional dehumidifier?
A3.1: Conventional dehumidifiers can cease working in a number of ways such as the Bucket Filling Up, Power Failure, Fuse blown, RCB trips, Compressor Failure; the point being that any of these failures can invalidate the whole purpose of buying a dehumidifier and leave you with the cost and effort of restoring a damp environment back to normal once again.
A3.2: A SolarVenti unit manages itself in a fit and forget manner. It has ZERO running costs and is outside your property not inside it taking up space. It also has no cables and tubes across the floor for you to trip over.
A3.3: SolarVenti is the only Dehumidifier solution for people that feel strongly about Green issues. SolarVenti consumes no power and uses only renewable energy from the sun making it not just carbon neutral but arguably a carbon negative solution.
A3.4: Normal dehumidifiers do not work well below about 5°C as the condenser turns into a block of ice; so just when you really need it it packs in. Most have a defrost setting or even a cutout built in but the point is they are really inefficient at low temperatures so you need a warmed building for it to function properly - all very self defeating. Plus it is continually circulating stale air.
A3.5 A solarventi will maintain balanced temperture whilst drying your room/house though equalibrium of the air and with the surroundings. Natural dehumidification.
Q4: How does SolarVenti dehumidify?
A4: Warm dry air absorbs much more moisture than cold air. After a cold night all of the atmospheric moisture is lying on the ground as dew or frost leaving a very dry but cold atmosphere. SolarVenti takes in this cold dry air and warms it before pumping it into your house where it sucks out moisture from the fabric of your property and replaces the colder damper atmosphere.
Q5:. What are the benefits of the SolarVenti?
A5: First of all you can go away for a longer period, and just let SolarVenti keep the property dry and ventilated, without any running costs. Both summer and winter. And during the months where heating is required, it provides a free heat supplement. As it banishes mildew and mould, it offers all the health benefits associated with having fresh, warm and dry air introduced. It helps people with allergies, asthma, and of course, as the panel is 100% solar driven it also reduces our carbon footprint.
Q6: Is it a new product?
A6: Yes and no: The first solar air panels were invented over 20 years ago to keep holiday homes in Denmark free of damp. But over the latest years, the system has been improved, - it is now patented and is sold in more than 20 countries, and there are more sizes available. And especially in Australia which has far more hours of annual sunshine, it has been proved that SolarVenti provides a substantial heating supplement as well as it keeps the houses dry and ventilated. The Solarventi is the perfect solution in any Australian climate, whether it is the cold of Perisher, Threadbo, south Australia or for Radon reduction in the Great Dividing range.
Q7:. How much winter heat does a SolarVenti produce?
A7: This depends on the size of the panel, the intensity of the solar radiation that the panel receives and the ambient temperature. E.g. the SV14, which is the most popular size can produce more than 1000W, which is roughly equivalent to the output of a standard sized electric heater.
Q8: Is it difficult to install?
A8: For wall mounted installations it is very straightforward: All you need is a power drill, a hammer and chisel and 2-4 hours. Actually in Scandinavia many SolarVenti´s are sold as DIY-kits. If the panel is to be installed on a roof, most of our clients prefer to leave it to our installers.
Q9: What about maintenance?
A9: There are no connections to neither water or mains electricity. SolarVenti operates safely and requires no maintenance, even if you leave you home standing empty, which makes ideal also for holiday homes.
Q10:. Is the heating adequate for the long winter nights?
A10:. The warmth of the day is stored in the walls of your home, although when the sun goes down, the fan will stop. Also of course, when your home is dry less heat energy is required. SolarVenti is available from Solair.com.au
Q11:. What is the life expectancy for a SolarVenti?
A11:. Based on the experience of Danish customers with the early version of the holiday house pack, in which the solar cell was positioned next to the panel, we expect the life expectancy for the solar cell to be 10 - 20 years. This is the most critical component in the panel. Our new solar cells - which are placed inside the solar panel - will presumably last longer.
The fan is one of the best and quietest on the market - a Sunon with double-row ball bearings and, in theory, 30,000 hours of operation which corresponds to approx. 25 years of wear and tear.
SolarVenti Warm Air System
- Dehumidification
- Good indoor climate
- Extra source of heat
SolarVenti Solar air collector is suitable for holiday houses, family houses, work-shops, garages, cellars, storerooms, boats, caravans, annexes, museums and much, more..
- No running costs
- No emmisions
- Perfect for Solar 'off grid' installations
- Easy to install