User experiences of the MyVallox Cloud service
The residents of a log house completed in 2022 use the MyVallox Cloud service. The data collected by the service gives them information about the ventilation system and indoor air quality.
Heidi and Jasper, the residents of the detached house that was completed in Tapanila in Helsinki in 2022, are genuinely pleased with the good indoor air quality and the efficient supply and extract air ventilation of their home. They previously lived in older buildings with a very different indoor air quality.
-Their memories of living in a house with natural ventilation include the feeling of a constant draft. The supply and the outdoor air temperatures were the same. At some point, we also lived in an apartment building, where all the cooking smells remained inside the room. If you ordered an Indian takeaway, you could still smell it weeks later, say Heidi and Jasper with a smile.
Their new 109 m2 log house has mechanical MyVallox ventilation. They have been very impressed with the features and operations of the Vallox 101 MV ventilation unit, which include heat recovery and sensor technology.
-The fact that the supply air is heated is a big change for us in itself in the light of our previous experiences. An efficient ventilation system has a massive impact on the quality of the indoor air and, subsequently, on the comfort of living. The integrated humidity and carbon dioxide sensors that boost the ventilation automatically, based on the need, are also something that we couldn’t even have dreamt of in advance! We have been most excited about these, as they are simply amazing. Now we always have fresh and good indoor air – automatically.
A first-time builder’s amazement: building technology and its features
Heidi and Jasper built their house similarly to many others: without any previous experience. They have a good tip for first-time builders: learn about building technology and ensure that the ventilation system includes, at the very least, heat recovery.
-We knew next to nothing about ventilation when the construction started. With hindsight, I would ensure that the ventilation system includes, at the very least, heat recovery. The truth be told, we were lucky and the excellent features of the MyVallox ventilation system were a positive surprise to us, as we did not know enough to wish or require them. For first-time builders, voicing what they want and need can be a challenge.
Soon after they had moved into their new home, Jasper checked the operation of the ventilation system from the MyValloxCloud service.
-At first, I ensured that the ventilation was automatically boosted after a shower. And it was: the sensor technology is excellent. Thanks to the automatics, very little attention needs to be paid to the adjustment of the ventilation.
During the construction phase, the couple worried that mechanical ventilation would be noisy. They ensured that the system was insulated appropriately, in addition to which a silencer was installed inside the ventilation ducts of their home.
-Our worries were in vain, as the ventilation system operates almost silently!
The ventilation control is automated and the indoor air data is checked from the cloud service
Thanks to the automatics, the ventilation of Heidi ja Jasper’s home is boosted automatically, based on the need. For example, when the humidity level increases after a shower or the carbon dioxide level increases, the sensors of the MyVallox ventilation unit activate the boost function and keep it turned on until the level set for the unit has been reached.
They also have a wall-mounted MyVallox control panel and the MyVallox Cloud service that operates online. The main reason for choosing the cloud service was the visuality of the home, which is very important to them. For this reason, they wanted to install the control panel out of view. Subsequently, the control panel is located in the storeroom of the entrance lobby.
Heidi uses the wall-mounted control panel occasionally, whilst Jasper is more interested in the data collected by the cloud service. In his opinion, the cloud service is handy, because data is collected automatically online and can be accessed straight away on a computer.
-There are no wires to connect, but the data is available immediately. As an IT professional, I also appreciate the clarity of the cloud service’s user interface. In my opinion, the implementation is user-oriented and all essential data can be found easily.
Jasper uses the cloud service for the monitoring of the supply air temperature settings and the humidity and carbon dioxide levels of the indoor air. He also noticed in the cloud service that the time to replace the filters was approaching.
-After this, I took a peek at the current filters on my computer and saw that the replacement need was real: the filters had accumulated a huge amount of dirt. In a way, dirty filters are a positive thing, as they demonstrate the efficiency of the filtering: all that dirt was caught before it entered the indoor air of our home.
The data collected in the cloud service is, in Jasper’s view, relevant and also sufficient in volume.
-I cannot think of any other ventilation-related data that should be included!
The wall-mounted control panel has its uses
Occasionally, Heidi and Jasper have changed the ventilation mode manually. Sometimes, they have turned the At home mode on, and the Boost mode was activated, for example, during the naming ceremony of their son Onni, when the house was full of guests. The ventilation mode can be changed either by using the wall-mounted control panel or through a computer.
There is one situation, however, for which the wall-mounted control panel is more suited than the cloud service.
-We always turn the Custom mode on by using the wall-mounted control panel. This is because the control panel is located, handily, along the route we take when bringing in firewood, and, therefore, it is easy to use for this purpose. Using a computer or a tablet computer to do this would require more effort.
Basic details of the site:
A log-built detached house, 109 m2
Ventilation unit: Vallox 101 MV
Control method: automatics, MyVallox control panel, and MyVallox Cloud service