ERV Inspection, Fixes, and Home Ventilation Advice from a High Mountain Crawlspace
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- What happens in a radiant-heated home when the central ventilation system is out of sight and out of mind? These installation mistakes are VERY typical in my experience, so please always double check that every component in the system is selected and installed correctly, from the outdoor vent covers to the ducting to the placement of the unit for ease of maintenance.
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Learn TONS more about ventilation with ERVs and all the other types of machinery here: • Ventilation
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Low hanging fruit: Do a simple rework of the duct of the HRV
a) Rotate the HRV unit on its axis to minimize the angle bend totals of each run (ex 90 x 12 = 1080 deg).
b) Assuming that the unit has a flow capacity of over 150cfm, transition immediately to 8” on the runs that are longer than 40 ft, otherwise stay with 6”.
c) It is ok to use one 90 at the unit if needed, otherwise it is better to simply use properly tensioned oversized (8”) flex duct bends which eliminate vibration transfer to the structure on all four runs and virtually eliminate condensation inside the ducts running in the unconditioned space in the winter months.
d) I would totally install a low cost Corsi-Rosenthal filter or two with large MERV13 panels running on slow 24-7 or triggered when the ventilator runs if there is no forced air and media filter running 20min/hr throughout the house (1000+ cfm). The need for filtered air at some velocity (>200fpm) is why I am not a big fan of stand-alone installations of ventilators.
Very detailed and legit
Nice real life example of what a knowledge and experience means. We built our house in Pa in 2001 and have hydronic heat which I love but NO central A/C or duct work or air movement at all. (Except one window A/C unit) We also have a wood burner. The only reason we have had little issues is we have ceiling fans and open windows regularly when we can, and have a dehumidifier and I’m sensitive to humidity or lack of. We do suffer with a dry house in the winter. I would never recommend this set up to anyone that doesn’t know to monitor their air “quality” but it works for us and is a low tech solution. That being said on our second home we are working on we are also going with hydronic but thanks to your channel we have a lot more tech going in to monitor air “quality”
Right on
Thanks for sharing.
A stand-alone HEPA filter would help a lot here.
Hey man! Love your channel and am using it to become informed in designing the hvac for my new house. Is there a good indoor air quality measuring station that you recommend?
Airthings- glad you found us
I'm building a building for my wife's dog sitting business. Being in Central/South Texas we have humidity most of the year. Add dogs to the mix, air quality gets fun. Add to that, a very, very sealed building (closed cell foam). I'm going with a mini split (very poor filtration and de-hum), but adding an ERV, De-Hum and a AirIQ stand alone air purifier. I might not need the de-hum, but I would rather have it and not need it, than .. well, you know. I might be able to add it later... but it sure is easier before drywall goes up.
Great work Mark
@@HomePerformance Yeah, I've been a believer for some time, but never really had the chance to implement all the pieces of the puzzle. I'm doing my best to think 10 years down the line rather than "just get it done...". It's a bit fun trying to satisfy indoor temp, humidity, air quality and fire prevention. It seems I'm overdoing it, but some things just are worth being dam sure you are in a good place. Thanks for the videos!
I assume you also removed/propped open that intake vent flap before you got your last co2 reading
Sure, but the other one also has a flapper that’s 2 stories up
How are you coming along on those fire resistant vent covers I asked you about a month ago? Matt Risinger just did a podcast where he mentioned using Seiho vents and American Aldes vents, both of which are made from metal. As we get into fire season in North America I hope you'll have a video out soon on hoe to protect building penetrations from embers and flame contact.
Check out the new Vulcan Vents in my upcoming IBS Tour
Do they also make vent covers for range hood outlets, fresh air inlets, HVAC linesets, plumbing vents, or any other building envelope penetrations?@@HomePerformance
So what would be the best ventilator type for a cool moist climate, such as the Pacific NW? Most of the time we would need a dehumidifier regardless of the time of year.
Still an ERV. Think of it as maintaining an equilibrium of humidity in the house. You'll still need a dehumidifier.
@@frqnj And a humidifier seeing as it's a mountain climate, I just fill my Sous Vide machine with RO water and set it from 160 to 180; works well enough.
If your PNW home is too humid I the winter then you've got a moisture problem inside your home. The cool winter air holds so little moisture. In general, this is why homes get dry in winter in places with cool/cold winters.
I should have mentioned, if you have sufficient mechanical ventilation or a sufficiently leaky home the your house would likely be dry in cold winter
Shouldn't the pipes be insulated, at least on the house exhaust and house return? Given that this is outside of the envelope? Or is the crawlspace sufficiently warm compared to the outside that insulation isn't a must? Given all those 90s, it might make sense to address that problem first even if it should be insulated. And sealing would be between removing some 90s and insulating. If the inside of the house is humid, condensation could be happening in the duct itself without insulation. But, I have never lived in a dry environment.
Yeah, since the HRV is in “unconditioned” space the two outdoor lines don’t need insulation, though it was ~20 deg F warmer down there than outside.
I am building a hose in the mountains of Vermont. Going for Radiant in floor heat. Question is should I do full duct work for ERV? Or AC? Or should I go with ductless minisplits in the 4 bedrooms? What is the best option when heating with radiant?
Here are the side effects and options:
HVAC Reality Check: Are Duct Systems Dumb or Essential?
czcams.com/video/5VPqFSITm0w/video.html
Happy to help you 1-on-1 in a consult.
Did you find out how his radon removal system is blocked?
No, but the owner understands the issues and has the recipe to fix them
Man that was a lot of bugs flying around for that to be a "sealed" crawlspace.
That was all just dust buddy
Why are they putting HRV cabinets in a literal crawl space ? So much wrong with that install.
I love it spend a ton of extra money and seal up your house so you can buy more mechanicals you havv be e to eventually replace, troubleshoot, and have the annoying sounds and air movement yeeeseeaAAAA sign me up
Sounds like this is not going to be an interesting channel for you
Sounds like they (commenter) would rather breath air filtered through their wall assembly instead of fresh outside air.
Sounds like less techy the better for you. You could always go build yourself a mud hut.
@cellocovers3982 the new affordable housing
The irony is I actually love adobe housing, which is more or less a more sophisticated mud hut. @@HomePerformance