The Siber Ventilation System in My House vs. Coronavirus, Questions and Answers

For years now, SIBER has been characterized by highlighting the importance of the indoor air quality, which starts with good filtration and maintaining pure indoor air free from dust, pollen, bacteria, and all kinds of contaminants in general.

In this way, our body, living day by day in an indoor environment free of contaminants in our own home, can count on adequate well-being and excellent health conditions to optimally face any condition that may arise.

However, these days, a multitude of confusing and, at times, contradictory messages are reaching our homes. Our technical and commercial team also receives inquiries about the Coronavirus related to ventilation systems.

For this reason, we have compiled your most frequently asked questions, to which we provide answers below.

• Do I need to turn off my Siber ventilation system due to the Coronavirus? Absolutely not. On the contrary, it is recommended to ventilate as much as possible. By ventilating, we are cleaning the environment by eliminating stale indoor air and replacing it with fresh air from the outside. Thus, more ventilation means more stale air eliminated, and there is a broad consensus that adequate ventilation reduces the transmission of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

• Is it possible for the Coronavirus to enter the home from the outside through the ventilation system? Experts from Public Health Institutions of the European Union confirm that, in addition to transmission through contact, infection can occur through inhalation of droplets from an infected person who coughs, sneezes, or even through aerosols that are droplets released when speaking with some fervor. Most bacteria and viruses that may travel in them will be trapped by the air filter at the intake of the ventilation system, in the worst case, for up to 3 or 4 days, which is how long their active period would last. In the case of the residual nuclei from evaporation, they are considered a means capable of causing disease transmission only through direct contact, as they fall on surfaces and remain deposited.

• If I have a Siber heat recovery VMC DF system installed, can the virus colonize the filter? Given that a virus is unable to replicate outside its host, even if droplets with active viruses reached the filter, there it would find no organic material that would allow for its reproduction. Therefore, the virus cannot colonize the filter.

• Is including the barrier of a filter in a VMC DF heat recovery system (Residential Ventilation Unit) helpful in preventing the Coronavirus, or does it worsen healthiness? If the virus reaches the intake filter, it acts as a barrier that hinders its possible entry into any room of the house, as if it were a mask for the home with a retention capacity for airborne suspended particles depending on the type of filter. For retaining bacteria and a high percentage of viruses, we recommend the F9 filter in models where it is available, with the F7 also being effective for this purpose.

• Does having a Siber Mechanical Ventilation System increase the risk of contracting the Coronavirus? As has already been mentioned in the media, health experts from the European Union recommend ventilating as much as possible. By ventilating, we are eliminating the stale indoor air and replacing it with fresh air from the outside. Thus, more ventilation means lower risk of infection. There is broad consensus that adequate ventilation reduces transmission, not only of COVID-19 but of all types of infectious diseases.

If I have a Siber heat recovery VMC DF system installed, do I need to change my filter more often now? The residual nuclei from evaporation will mostly remain on the filter. Therefore, what is most crucial, rather than establishing a greater frequency of change, will be to safely handle the filter when indicated by the equipment (gloves, mask, and thorough hand cleaning afterwards). If we are protecting ourselves from external threats, we will take special care with the intake filter where the viruses will be trapped. But in other cases, such as having had a sick person (or people) at home in quarantine, we should also be cautious when removing the extraction filter. Any more questions? Do not hesitate to contact us. Our answers are based on the informational guidelines published by REHVA (European Federation of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning). We also encourage you to follow the comments from this organization if you wish to obtain the most up-to-date publications on the subject. https://www.rehva.eu/activities/covid-19-guidance