Last winter after upgrading all the windows,doors, and attic insulation the home became too airtight, blower door test confirmed this, and humidity in the winter became a problem with severe condensation on the windows. Last winter we had to keep a basement window cracked open to alleviate this, but is was freakin cold in the basement and there went alot of the savings in efficiency.
This winter I decided to bite the bullet and install a HRV. I researched them on the web, including alot of useful info from this site. I ended up spending a few extra bucks to get the Venmar unit and so far I am very impressed with it.
Installation took about 4 days. I knew I didnt need alot of registers as just the 1 basement window cracked last year worked well. I also decided to use a dedicated duct system, I did not want to tap into the furnace system and have to run our ineffecient furnace motor all the time. So I decided to put the fresh air supply in the hallway that is adjacent to all 3 bedrooms. For the exhaust air register I wanted to use the wall in the dinnning/kitchen area but due to plumbing,electrical and studs could not. So I tapped into a floor heat register that was installed after the house was built. I closed up this vent from the furnace plenum and tapped into the floor register.
I also wanted to change the basement air so I placed round adjustable registers at the ends of the supply and return lines. I balanced the sytem with a Dwyer magnehelic gauge as per the detailed instructions from Venmar, also they install 4 ports on the front panel to make this a breeze! I simply ran the drain line into the perimeter drain for my basement, this works great as there is not alot of drainage, you could use a bucket if you wanted. I also ran a Venmar humidistat control module into the kitchen/dinning area that has a min/max setting.
So far all winter our humidity has been dead on in the low to mid 30's with 68-70 deg F indoor temps and outdoor temps ranging from 10-32 deg F. We can definitely tell a huge difference with the fresh air in the house. I also dont even need to run the bathroom exhaust fan any longer as the air gets changed out and its not an issue. the HRV runs on the low setting 24/7, and we kick it up to high when we cook soups or have company over. Our energy bill compared to last year is actually better now that we can keep all the windows shut. The HRV on low only uses about 60 watts of power and it has a 75-80% efficiency exchange rating.
This winter I decided to bite the bullet and install a HRV. I researched them on the web, including alot of useful info from this site. I ended up spending a few extra bucks to get the Venmar unit and so far I am very impressed with it.
Installation took about 4 days. I knew I didnt need alot of registers as just the 1 basement window cracked last year worked well. I also decided to use a dedicated duct system, I did not want to tap into the furnace system and have to run our ineffecient furnace motor all the time. So I decided to put the fresh air supply in the hallway that is adjacent to all 3 bedrooms. For the exhaust air register I wanted to use the wall in the dinnning/kitchen area but due to plumbing,electrical and studs could not. So I tapped into a floor heat register that was installed after the house was built. I closed up this vent from the furnace plenum and tapped into the floor register.
I also wanted to change the basement air so I placed round adjustable registers at the ends of the supply and return lines. I balanced the sytem with a Dwyer magnehelic gauge as per the detailed instructions from Venmar, also they install 4 ports on the front panel to make this a breeze! I simply ran the drain line into the perimeter drain for my basement, this works great as there is not alot of drainage, you could use a bucket if you wanted. I also ran a Venmar humidistat control module into the kitchen/dinning area that has a min/max setting.
So far all winter our humidity has been dead on in the low to mid 30's with 68-70 deg F indoor temps and outdoor temps ranging from 10-32 deg F. We can definitely tell a huge difference with the fresh air in the house. I also dont even need to run the bathroom exhaust fan any longer as the air gets changed out and its not an issue. the HRV runs on the low setting 24/7, and we kick it up to high when we cook soups or have company over. Our energy bill compared to last year is actually better now that we can keep all the windows shut. The HRV on low only uses about 60 watts of power and it has a 75-80% efficiency exchange rating.