Cheap and dirty heat recovery ventilator
Hi all,
Had to move into my 1800 sq ft SIPS DIY home before it was finished and the shake-down cruise has been relatively smooth until recently, over the last month all the window bases are growing moldy from condensation. I had naively figured that since I was heating with a wood stove in the basement that enough air would be pulled in around doors and windows to keep the relative humidity dry in the winter, but I’m wrong. It’s 28 F outside now, the relative humidity (RH) is 70% (I built a mile from the ocean), inside the temp is 70F with a RH of 55%. Even on beautiful, dry sunny cold days the RH inside doesn’t drop much more than 45%. The air holes around door openings and windows are highlighted by condesation. I think I need to purchase a heat recovery ventilator vs. a dehumidifier. I’m just starting my homework on this one, but can anyone tell me if putting this cheap HRV in my crawl space with a remote automatic humidistat would do the trick?
http://www.wholesalefurnace.com/
This is almost half price vs. name brands like Fantec and Nu-Aire. What am I missing?
Thanks – Brian
Replies
Don't know about the hrv, but here is what goodman says about the warranty for their furnaces. This quote is from the goodman website which is linked from the wholesalefurnace website.
“No warranty is offered by Goodman on, any products ordered over the internet.”
I've phone/mail ordered 3 Goodman HP/AC units. What I do is find the phone number of the internet dealer and buy the unit over the phone, not over the internet.
One unit got slammed by a ABF forklift at the delivery point, glad I'd done the buy via phone call vs ebay or such as then the damage was covered, was advised that anything shipped via ABF from ebay is considered scratch and dent and the ABF damage liability is limited to shipping costs!
btw, yes, i do have the needed epa license, equipment, etc. for HP purchanse/installation.
Edited 12/4/2005 5:19 pm ET by junkhound
By the two other brands mentioned, sounds like you're a Canadian or have access to Canadian products.
I checked out the HRV you're looking at- pretty basic. The recovery %'s are embellished and they don't mention anything about a defrost function.
I've either put in or sold about 450 HRV's in my lifetime and have changed brands as the field improved. The unit I presently recommend is the Venmar Solo or Duo with the Ultima remote control. This gives you choices in running options including recirculation with filtration, an at rest state with both ducts to the exterior dampered shut and a 20 minute timed exchange with 40 min trecirculation or wait state. The regular HRV run options are available also. They have a 5 year warranty on parts with a lifetyme core warranty.