Ventilation ductwork is just as important for ventilation units as flue gas ductwork is for boilers

As legislation for the energy performance of buildings tightens to deliver low energy and comfortable dwellings, developers are required to apply increasingly energy-efficient building technologies, including air tighter building fabrics, better insulation, more efficient building services and use renewable energies to achieve the minimum energy performance required by legislation.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in older houses generally depended upon infiltration and airing, but purpose-provided ventilation is now necessary to create and sustain a healthy IAQ and comfortable indoor environment 24/7 in air tight buildings.

There are several ventilation strategies, which can provide such purpose-provided ventilation. Some use natural forces to displace air, others mechanical. Although the physical properties of the ventilation systems available can vary considerably, they are all designed to extract stale, moist air from wet rooms and supply fresh air to the habitable rooms.

Improved fan and heat exchanger technologies have made MEV and MVHR systems some of the most energy-efficient and comfortable ventilation systems available. As a result, they are being applied in an increasing number of buildings. However, and just like the boilers, they do have an Achilles heel; ductwork.

Every rigid and semi-rigid ductwork system is fit-for-purpose IF designed and installed correctly. However, poorly designed air distribution systems will waste energy through unnecessary pressure loss and a poorly installed air distribution system will waste energy through unnecessary air leakage because the ventilation unit will have to work harder to ventilate at the required rates, which may also cause unnecessary noise hindrance.

Applying best practise design principles will minimise pressure loss and sealing every ductwork connection will minimise air leakage. However, the latter is easier said than done and often not done in practise because it requires sealants and/or tape, which is time consuming, messy and of an inconsistent quality.

Both HM’s Domestic Ventilation Compliance Guide (v2.0) and the NHBC standards (3.2/D3/G) state that duct connections require sealing. However, Ubbink believes that high quality ductwork should not be solely dependent upon regulatory measures and highly qualified installers. That’s why Ubbink has launched its new Airtight rigid and Air Excellent semi-rigid ductwork, with purpose-designed and extremely airtight mechanical connections, which are extremely easy and quick to install, even for less experienced installers.

Ubbink’s Airtight ductwork uses exactly the same accessories as standard rigid ductwork, but with integrated air-tight seals, which means that installers don’t need to buy extra items or learn new skills to install them.

Benefits of Ubbink’s Airtight ductwork

• Quality: Purposed designed/manufactured connections means unmatched quality and consistency of connections.
• Speed: Purposed designed/manufactured connections, which can be installed in seconds, means unmatched speed of installation.
• Cost: Unit cost higher due to dual injection, but much lower labour costs.

If you would like to receive more information about our ductwork, please call us on 01604 433000 or send an e-mail to sales@ubbink.co.uk.