Help! I have come to the conclusion that my 5 year old ranch home is in need of an energy recovery ventilator (air exchanger). In cold weather my windows form condensation. My dilema is that the heating contractor wants to install a humidistat on the unit to regulate humidity. The factory rep said it is better to install a timer so that it cycles a certain percentage every hour. Anyone know the best course of action- timer vs. humidistat? Thanks, Ken Molitor
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Greetings go,
This post, in response to your question, will bump the thread through the 'recent discussion' listing again.
Perhaps it will catch someones attention that can help you with advice.
Cheers
'Nemo me impune lacesset'
No one will provoke me with impunity
There is another thread somewhere around here covering essentially the same topic (though it had devolved into discussions of bathroom venting). I think the basic answer is that you sorta need both timer and humidistat, though even with both it'll be hard to manage very accurately.
Of course, keep in mind that a new house will expell a lot of moisture for the first two years or so (I guess you should be beyond that), and a small amount of window condensation is normal when temps drop below, say, 15F.
happy?
You should also post this Q at
http://www.heatinghelp.com/
good bunch of guys there and you can find a reputable contractor by just typing in your zip.
My mistake guys. His original post has been duplicated over in Energy/Heating and has 40 some replies.
Maybe a mod will see fit to transfer these posts, delete or mark closed for posting.
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
I use humidastat control. Why timer? you may be exhaisting too much (wasting heating dollars) or too little (not solving condensation problem).
Merry Christmas
Cliffy
With the right ERV/HRV units, timers allow you to do a couple of things:
(1) Fixed period timer- Ventilate with regular periods of air exchange so you don't overventilate or get reduced ventilation when you need it such as night time when everyone's asleep.
(2) Programmable Timer- set ventilation rates to coincide with your family's 7 day schedule - 5 regular day regimes and then a 2 weekend day regime.
These will allow you heat/electrical savings, prevent overdrying of the house air, allow more indoor air filtration in a re-circulation mode or even save extra wear and replacement of unit parts over time.
Edited 12/19/2005 7:47 pm ET by experienced