Humidity damages in the crawl space are both common and expensive. Moisture naturally rises from the ground; if the crawl space cannot dry, moisture can penetrate the crawl space structures and cause damage. Humidity also provides good conditions for the growth of mould and fungi, which can destroy the structures and spread into the rest of the building causing unhealthy indoor air. Unfortunately, most insurance policies do not cover these slowly developing humidity damages and the building owner tends to be the one that pays the bill.
The VILPE Sense Humidity Control system is a cost-efficient way to minimise the risk of these humidity damages. Using the latest IoT technology, the system constantly analyses data from your crawl space, detects heightened humidity levels and ventilates the structures on demand to remove moisture.
This is how you can save time and money with VILPE Sense Humidity Control
Smart on demand ventilation. The system monitors the condition of your crawl space and ventilates it at an optimal level. This will keep the structures of your crawl space dry and healthy at all times.
Smarter maintenance with data. The system collects objective data to support informative decision-making when it comes to maintenance or repairs of crawl space structures.
Alarming you when there is a problem. Reacting to excess humidity in time is key in preventing expensive renovations. The system will automatically alert you when it detects a potential problem.
No mould and fungi. A dry crawl space structure prevents growth of mould and fungi.
Do you have any questions?
Contact our sales team or read FAQ.
How it works
1.
The system detects heightened humidity levels.
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Data is transmitted by wireless sensors to the control unit that adjusts the roof fan, then to the mobile base station for upload to the cloud. The roof fan automatically adjusts to the optimal level to remove excess moisture from the building’s internal structures. When excess humidity has been removed, the roof fan returns to its normal activity level. The owner also receives an alarm of potential problems.
3.
Crawl space data is stored in the cloud for the user to access. It is also easy to react to potential problems and make repairs in time. This way you can avoid extensive and costly repairs.
Monitoring humidity in the crawl space with VILPE Sense
The solution consists of VILPE’s roof fan with an EC motor, combined with a control unit, mobile base station, and two or more sensors. One sensor is placed to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the outdoor air, and the other is placed inside the crawl space.
The algorithm compares calculated absolute humidity levels in structures to outdoor air absolute humidity, and adjusts the VILPE ECo roof fan to the optimum fan level based on the ventilation demand. For example, when the humidity level of the air used for ventilation rises too high in rainy weather, the airflow is reduced.
Once the excess humidity is removed, the roof fan returns to its normal level. It is important to ensure sufficient replacement of air in the crawl space.
The VILPE Sense system can be installed in both new and older buildings.
What do I need?
VILPE Sense Basic Kit
The basic kit consists of two sensors and a control unit.
VILPE Sense Mobile Base Station
The mobile base station can be purchased with or without a preinstalled SIM card with a data service subscription.
VILPE Sense ECo Roof Fan
The VILPE Sense ECo Roof Fan can be installed onto negative pressure ventilation pipes to avoid having to open the roof structures. Any VILPE ECo roof fan model can be used to dry the structures.
VILPE Sense Sensor (optional)
Additional sensors can be added to the VILPE Sense Basic Kit.
Would you like to know if VILPE Sense Humidity Control fits your project?
Let us help you with the planning and calculation.
Don’t just take our word for it
Read about some of our satisfied customers’ projects.
Interested in monitoring the roof structures?
VILPE Sense Humidity Control can also be used for ventilating the roof structure. Combine it with the VILPE Sense Leak Detector for quickly and easily locating leakages even on larger roof areas.
Read more about the VILPE Sense Leak Detector and the VILPE Sense Humidity Control system for roof structures.
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VILPE Sense Humidity Control for roof and wall structures
VILPE Sense Leak Detector
Are you interested?
I already have a building project
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Installation & material
Brochures and installation instructions.
FAQ
Why choose VILPE Sense instead of passive underpressure ventilation?
VILPE Sense improves passive, underpressure air circulation in structures. It gives alerts of the increased humidity of the structures and dries them. The system can be used to improve, regulate and monitor the ventilation of structures. The collected data also makes it possible to detect hidden leaks.
If the roof of the building is waterproof, is there any benefit in using the Sense system?
The Sense system is more than a roof leak alarm system – it is designed to remove moisture from structures. Humidity builds up in structures due to temperature and humidity fluctuations, and the Sense system detects this moisture and removes it.
Based on the data from the system, it is also possible to detect leaks by observing how quickly moisture is removed from the structures. The ideal comparison situation is if there are several Sense systems in the same building, Sense is installed in adjacent buildings, or there are several sensors on the same property.
What is a roof fan needed for?
A roof fan is needed to keep insulation layer/structures dry. The drier the insulation, the better the insulation performance. Dry structures prevent the emergence of mould and fungi. This also extends the lifespan of the structures themselves.
How much electricity does the roof fan consume? Is Sense energy-efficient?
The Sense control unit is installed in an energy-efficient VILPE EC roof fan. The control unit adjusts the operation of the roof fan as needed, so the roof fan does not consume excess energy. The fan mainly operates at a moderate speed. Its average power consumption is 5 to 10 W, which is the same amount consumed by a modern LED lamp. The annual cost of electricity used by one roof fan is only 10 to 15 euros.
How does the roof fan get replacement air to operate?
The Sense system requires enough replacement air to operate properly. This also prevents it from taking replacement air through the structures. Sufficient amount of replacement air for the ventilation system should be ensured with structural solutions. Supply of the replacement air can be arranged e.g. with underpressure vents.
How does the air circulate in the system, and how does the fan affect this?
The VILPE Sense system does not stop the natural circulation of the air but rather improves it. When the roof fan is running at the lowest speed, the air circulation corresponds to the underpressure circulation. As humidity levels in the ventilated structures rise, the roof fan speed increases. The roof fan is always on, unless the temperature is -7 °C or colder. At that temperature, the roof fan turns off in order not to excessively cool the structures.
How does the control unit analyse how to adjust the roof fan? How can this be done without manual input?
The VILPE Sense system is demand-controlled by the control unit based on an intelligent algorithm. The adjustments are influenced by outdoor air temperature and relative humidity. The roof fan is set to certain limit values that must not be exceeded or reduced. For example, air circulation is limited in freezing temperatures.
The algorithm controls the operation of the roof fan so that the structures remain in good condition. It is programmed to keep the ventilated area as dry as possible. The aim is to bring dry air to the structures and extract humid air.
How does the roof fan adjust in practice?
For example, during rainy weather, the humidity level of the outdoor air is high and fan rotation is kept to a minimum to not replace the relatively drier air in the ventilation area with the more humid air from outside. When the rain ceases and the air is drier, the rotational speed increases. The demand-controlled nature of the system maintains the optimal ventilation of structures, as the roof fan is used to remove on average six times more moisture from the structures than conventional solutions.
In which countries does the preinstalled SIM card work?
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France (including French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Vatican.
What is the lifetime of the VILPE Sense system?
The system itself will remain in good working order for decades. The lifetime of the sensors, on the other hand, is 10 to 15 years. The sensors will operate until the battery is drained after which the sensor will need to be replaced.
Will the sensor issue an alert if it breaks?
If the sensor breaks or the battery runs out of power, this will be indicated in the Sense user interface. When the sensor is working, it is indicated in green in the interface. By contrast, grey indicates that a fault has occurred in the sensor and/or it has become unresponsive.
How do I scale the system? How large of an area does one roof fan cover?
One roof fan covers an area of approximately 200 m2. However, this depends heavily on the structure, construction, type of ventilation and number of other factors. Always consult structural ventilation professionals before installing the system.
How wide an area do the Sense’s sensors cover?
One sensor in the ventilated area is enough to monitor the area covered by one roof fan.
How is the system controlled if there are multiple sensors?
At least two sensors are required to control the roof fan: one outside and one in the structures (target area). The control unit adjusts the roof fan using the data from the two sensors, and the mobile base station then uploads the data directly to the cloud. Several sensors can be installed in the ventilated area if data is to be collected more widely or more accurately. If the ventilated area has more than one sensor, any one of them can be selected to feed the control unit. Additionally, more control units can be installed with sensors linked to them – for example, on other buildings nearby – and connected to the same mobile base station.
How fast does the system work after installation?
The system starts working immediately after being connected. However, it will take approximately 7 hours to charge the internal capacitors in the transmitter that feeds the data to the mobile base station and user interface.
In practice you will be able to tell that the system is working and properly connected as the fan will start running immediately, but it will take the above-mentioned time before you can see the data in the user interface.
What is the duration of the system’s warranty?
The system has a two-year warranty.
What if the building owner changes?
The admin user can delete the admin rights from the device settings. This enables a new admin registration. The new admin user has to have a personal user account.
If the old admin user is unknown, it is possible to request the admin user to free the device and its admin rights using the control unit serial number. This request is sent to the old admin user by email.
In situations where the old admin user does not react to the email request, please contact VILPE customer service which is able to free the old user rights for new registration.
What are the advantages of purchasing the VILPE Sense system with a preinstalled SIM card?
The VILPE Sense system can be purchased with a preinstalled SIM card with a data service subscription. This makes it easy to start using the system. The SIM card operator is Elisa M2M (Vodafone Global) and it works in EU and ETA countries. The guarantee for the subscription is 10 years.
A SIM card is required for the function of the VILPE Sense mobile base station. If the SIM card is not purchased preinstalled, a data service subscription and a SIM card need to be obtained separately.
How does the VILPE Sense cloud service store and present sensor data?
The VILPE Sense sensor data is stored in the VILPE Sense cloud service, where users can see the temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity, mould index and roof fan motor speed. Alarms can be set to alert the users to enhanced humidity levels. The user interface works on both PC, phone and tablet.
Data can be tracked for one or more areas. The main user can easily share a link to the data, so that residents of an apartment building or users of public buildings, for example, can see the humidity level of the structures. Information is transmitted safely and efficiently.