Should you use HVAC duct work for an ERV? Responding to a comment. Energy Recovery Ventilator
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- Опубліковано 11 гру 2021
- I got a comment in another video about using existing HVAC ductwork when installing an ERV. Energy Recovery Ventilator. The comment got me thinking and it might have changed my mind.
Why my ERV has it's own ductwork.
• Why my ERV has its own...
I installed an ERV in our house DIY.
• We installed an ERV in...
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Great project and excellent video! I think you did a great job on this project and I’ve enjoyed this follow up video discussing alternatives. At the end of the day, there’s more than one way to solve this problem. At least you made an informed decision and finished the project to solve your problem based on your parameters. Too often people suffer from analysis paralysis and never getting started.
Great vids. Thanks for keeping them up.
if youll tie ERV to air handler, and motor in air handler is off, ERVs supply and return will look for a short cut, in our case from top of air handler to the bottom of it. whole house HVAC is just for circulation of air, not for exchanging fresh/sail air. Dont overthink it. You did a right thing with going separate ducts.
I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure it inputs to the return not the supply side. That is the reason it ties into the blower on the handler. This disperses the fresh air evenly and since there is pressure coming in from the erv supply the air will follow the path of least resisted which would be through the blower. It would also be nice to run the air through a second filter before entering the house.
In general, I would recommend separate ductwork. The airflow patterns are much more predictable/controllable. If you were budget constrained, tying the ERV's supply into the AC's supply ductwork could be ok (depending on the duct layout). However, even on a budget, I would still recommend having separate exhaust ductwork with exhaust vents placed strategically throughout the house: the kitchen, the bathrooms, litterbox, etc. (i.e. places that generate smells and/or excess humidity). It's just better to get rid of it at its source.
The reason I would assume to use the existing ductwork is not for cost/labor, which are of course issues. But I would think to use the existing ductwork, since new ductwork would have a very difficult time reaching all places in the house. Yes the CFM in a regular house HVAC is huge compared with this ERV, but my guess would be that the ERV would just take small samples of the air to clean, while the HVAC system helps to distribute the partially cleaned air more completely.
So, after performing air quality tests in houses for formaldehyde, VOCs and CO2 levels I'm convinced every house should have an ERV. Fresh air is important and most don't ever crack their windows.
It's required in an airtight house for sure. My solution for a house I'm building is going to be to tie my fresh air into the return ducting and pull stale air with dedicated lines like you did. That way I don't have to worry about CFM issues or tying into the air handler electronically. It can run separately without issues since the ERV will always be running anyways and will mean that there's never a slightly off temperature blowing on anyone unless you're by the air return when the HVAC system is off. Just make sure the thermostat isn't being affected by the temperature difference in incoming air.
How did you not know that when you used the foam it was going to make your house tight I mean isn’t that the purpose of the foam to stop drafts and air flow
I live in Manitoba Canada in a house that was built in 1994 it was referred to as a R2000 home designed to be airtight. The basement is spray foam with an insulated floor, the upstairs is 2by6 walls filled with insulation not sure what kind, with a layer of foam insulation put over the outside studs. It has a Vanee HRV that is installed to the ductwork of the electric furnace. I am thinking that you should have had yours hooked into the ductwork as well. Our Vanee HRV is a two speed fan in it, and when I set it on low it pushes air through the ductwork in order to keep fresh air in the house. But if the humidity rises to high it switches to high speed in order to bring down the humidity when it brings it down it switches back to low speed again. I bought this house in 2020 and when I did the fan motor in the hrv was burnt out and the humidity was around 80% so I replaced the fan motor and it then brought the humidity down again. I do believe that your ERV would have brought the humidity down lots if it was hooked up to the main ductwork.
I've installed hvac systems for forty years, and the way you've done it, with separate ventilation ducts is MUCH better than using the existing ducts. If you're going to use the existing duct work, you dont even need an ev system. By simply running a couple ducts from the system, to the outside and damper them to suck in fresh air, and expell stale air, when you need it, you've bypassed the necessity for a separate ev system. Your hvac man should have explained that. But to be completely honest. The way you have it now, is the best way. Both systems are doing exactly what they are designed to do. So pay no attention to that comment. When a ev company says " you can utilize the existing ducts" that's merely a selling point, that cuts cost. Stand alone systems are far superior.
Forgive if I've overlooked this question/solution, but could you not wire it like you would a crank case heater so that when A/C is on, the ERV fans are off and then turn back on when the AC cuts off?
My ERV is completely separate from my HVAC units. It runs 24 hours a day. It is always bringing in fresh air. Sometimes, the HVAC units don't turn on at all for several days if the weather is at the right temperature and the house is comfortable. My HVAC units do not bring in fresh air from outside. My ERV has to run all the time, even when the HVAC units are not running.
Is erv needed in Florida?
If you seal up your house with spray foam then you need an ERV or some other type of ventilation to bring in fresh air.
Stand alone for the Erv is best from what I’ve read. Matt Risinger has some good videos explaining the best layouts. If not you’ll run into static pressure issues on the return side. You’d also need backdraft dampers for the supply side. Mixing small dc motors to a air handler that pushes thousands of cfm’s seems like a disaster waiting to happen. My only concern would be if I’m getting enough suction (cfm’s) pulling from all four locations especially the bathrooms. You could always put dampers on the kitchen or laundry ducts if that were a problem. You took your time and used hard duct instead of flex which is nice for the longer runs. If it were mine I’d be happy with the install. I’m picky as well.
You need p trap and clean out on your air handlers too