For any homeowners out there who are looking to replace their own ERV or do a DIY install, I would highly recommend the Broan AI Series ERVs. I just replaced my old, non-functioning Honeywell unit from 2002 with a Broan AI Series. I inquired with many different HVAC contractors about ERVs but all of them told me something along the lines of “don’t see the point in them as it’s just the equivalent to opening a window.” I’ve been watching Matt for a while so I knew this wasn’t true and that my builder obviously put one in for a reason. What sold me on the AI Series is the unit uses an auto-balancing procedure. Meaning, no need for a manometer, pitot tube, or having to manually adjust dampers. The unit has integrated motorized dampers and displays the incoming and outgoing CFMs. It also comes with a MERV 8 filter standard, upgradable to MERV 13. I looked at a couple different ERVs from Zhender, Honeywell, and Aprilaire. The Broan AI series sold me instantly for the reasons above, specifically the auto-balancing. The AI series also just looks likes it’s modern technology, compared to other brands. I’m really happy to have my fresh air system functioning again and even more happier to know I did it myself, saving thousands of dollars. I just need to wire the Broan touchscreen keypad for it now in my upstairs so I can monitor the status of the unit.
Well I recommend you get ours… We have the best one that is manufactured in the planet… The manufacturer you mentioned manufactures shavers, massage tools and blender.. They have 0 knowledge on anything. They simply make stuff that sells….
Im so glad I found your channel! I've watch so so many in the last month or so. I just love watching your videos, so informative and entertaining. Makes me want to build a new house. I just got an HRV and use it to exchange the air in my basement only. It put my Radon levels from over 8 to around 2 and under(it fluctuates a little). Also, I use the stale air exit from near the cat litter box which is also in the basement, so win win!
Matt, nice video I always enjoy watching them! You mentioned 3-4 feet between outside inlets, most other manufacturers of HRV/ERV recommend min. 6 foot apart. And I wouldn't even consider a connection to HVAC system at all, balance is almost impossible. I learned that the hard way!
Interesting choice of install. I'm in northern ontario. I prefer to see the HRV supply dump into my furnace return. I also prefer to run my furnace fan on low at all times to maintain a better air blend across the floors and to allow the hrv supply to blend with the furnace/house mixed air. This also allows the hrv supply to always be distributed throughout the supply ducts reaching all areas and rooms. In the cold winters it's also nice to have the hrv dump into the furnace return to further condition that air to a comfortable temp (important to have the furnace fan on to achieve best results ducting it to the return, works as a whole home air handling system). Different climates do allow for a different install, being it's an ERV its differs slightly too. Great video!
excellent comment I was just wondering the same, so for each room do you have an output that supplys the warm air and then an intake that removes the fresh air? I think this method may cause a few issues, if your taking the exaust air out, and taking the heat from the exausgted air, putting it into the fresh air, and putting the fresh it into the furance, arent you effectively waisting energy ? the heat gets loops backed through the furance? wouldnt a seprate system make more sense?
@@magnus__reeves hey Mr. I think you may have misunderstood my comment. The "warm air supply" in every room is actually my furnace supply air (warm air in heating season, cool air in cooling season). There is no exhaust air in every room, I generally see the exhaust pulled from the bathrooms and the kitchen and sometimes a large general area will also have an exhaust duct (exhaust being the HRV duct pulling air out of the house). The HRV supply duct (outside fresh air being pulled in by the HRV) is ducted directly to my furnace return duct which is also pulling return air from all the rooms in the house. This way the outside air being brought in from the HRV can blend with the house return air and then conditioned through the furnace and distributed to all rooms through the furnace supply ducts. Running the furnace blower constant in low speed allows the air to better blend and distribute even if the furnace isn't calling for heating or cooling...for my area and specific climate this seems to be the best method.
@@magnus__reeves also to add, yes there is slight efficiency loss when running an HRV or ERV but I believe the loss of system efficiency is out weighed by the air quality/health benefits from having an air exchange system.
@@magnus__reeves the main purpose to my comment was due to the fact he mentioned different ways of installing the supply air. He said you can also duct the HRV supply air to your furnace supply duct, I believe this is a mistake many installers make. That air from the HRV has been pre conditioned in the core but not completely conditioned so dumping it into the return side of your furnace allows the HRV supply air to be further conditioned through the furnace (again this method works better if you run your furnace fan on low at all times) if you have a DC blower furnace its far more efficient to run this way than the older style blowers. However he did also mention he ducts this system as a stand alone unit with his HRV supply duct dumping near a furnace return air duct (which would allow that HRV supply air to be pulled into the return ducting in the furnace and blended/distributed throughout the whole house).
In a more extreme climate where you get 100° summers with 70-90% RH and 5° winters dumping the ERV supply into the furnace return is a must. The supply air from the ERV being concentrated to a hallway will make that hallway very cool or very warm and muggy at the peak of the seasons. MERV 13 is pretty dang good, but when the flint hills burn, you’ll need HEPA to get the smoke out. My approach is to install a HEPA bypass filter the usual way back-to-back on the return duct of the furnace and pipe the ERV supply into the top of the HEPA unit. I then wire it so the HEPA unit always turns on when the ERV turns on. Since the HEPA filter’s flow rate when powered on is greater than that of the ERV’s, 100% of the ERV supply will be filtered at sub-micron levels.
If you bring in warm humid outside air to the ERV - exchanging with air from the bathroom and kitchen, is that not counter to the units function, given the bathroom/ kitchen air has a level of moisture. Perhaps waste outgoing air should be picked from a dryer area of the home. The unit is depending on clean dryer air to treat the incoming humid air. JAT
Hello, it’s a really good video. I gained alot of knowledge. One question rises. If you were to use it as stand alone unit, would this be the only source of fresh air to the house and your furnace will solely be heating up up cold air return?
Nice review! Does this unit have any sort of relay system to trigger increased intake when stand alone stove or bathroom exhaust fans turn on? How do you handle that?
This unit would struggle on a 900 sq ft house with a ceiling height of eight feet since it only rated for a maximum 100 CFM. You would need a unit of at least 240 CFM rated, and that would only give you 2 air changes per hour. Thought you would like to know. --Jason ✌🏻
Actually, this unit is overkill for a 900 sq ft super-tight house. At its lowest 50 Cfm airflow, it is way more ventilation air than you need. Panasonic offers a much cheaper version that outputs like 20 and 40 Cfm, called "WhisperComfort FV-04VE1. Runs on only 23 watts, and is 36% effective at removing moisture. It mounts on your ceiling, penetrating from the attic.
Matt, Great video as always. I am wondering if you have ever installed this unit laying flat on the back cover vs chain hung or wall mounted. Panasonics literature doesn't say anything about whether you can do that at all.
We have an erv in our condo and found that the washroom fans do not work in econo- mode - they only work in normal or high- BUT in those secondary modes it is too loud - and runs all day.. please help with any advice
Is it possible to connect the supply side to the HVAC supply plenum and the exhaust side to the HVAC return plenum? So that you are supplying from the distribution and exhausting through the returns?
Hi Matt, is it possible to retrofit these into a UK semi-detached house? I'm looking to make my home built in 1925 air tight using the UK green home scheme but am nervous about mold and poor air quality. Seen these on previous videos of yours but can't find anywhere anything that suggests something like this for the UK.
Matt why would you make this a standalone unit when you can hook directly into the HVAC return and distribute the air properly into every bedroom? I have a five bedroom house and if I were to set it up as a standalone unit like you did I feel like the air I would not get into all the bedrooms. Essentially it’s the same thought just put in one exhaust Vent of heating into the main hallway And expect the heat to reach every bedroom.... can you give me some input as to why you like to make it a stand alone.
Matt what are your thoughts on putting an ERV in a utility room in the basement where we have cat litter boxes and use that room to draw air out of the house and return the clean air back to the main floor of the house? Also if you can put the exterior exhaust and intake on different sides of the house would you or is that overkill?
I installed this 7 months ago - Minnesota residence - it’s working great - even in the cold temps we’ve been seeing. During most months it’s been on 60/60 minutes an hour. When really cold we knock it back to 20 every hour. Big difference in allergies, build tight ventilate right
@@bradkastephens in sum humidity management during all 4 seasons (3 in Minnesota - we skip spring usually) The enthalpy core of this ERV manages moisture by balancing the exhaust and intake air flows. An HRV will manage heat retention but manages condensate removal only from my experience. So there’s a need for a condensate drain which is more work and the device won’t balance humidity for you by exhausting the excess humidity from the home overnight in the summer or maintaining interior humidity in the winter against dry exterior air. That’s why I chose the ERV
The Panasonic ERV looks like a good product. Interestingly, the inlet filter looks exactly like the cabin filter in my Toyota Tundra. One might be able to get new inlet filters for this Panasonic ERV at Autozone.
Here in the low desert (Palm Springs) it couldn't be any hotter or drier. Exhausting heat out of the building and trying to keep it from entering (radiant barrier) are top of the list. Cooler air can be had fairly easily, by excavating along the north edge of the slab and bringing air from that area, into the building. It could be done in various ways, digging, blocks, rigid insulation and large diameter pipes etc.. Then, why couldn't I use a HRV sort of in reverse, to use already cooled but stale indoor air to pre-cool the incoming outside air?
it works both ways, thats why they call them Energy Recovery Ventilators now instead of Heat Recovery Ventilators, the goal is to bring the incoming air as close to the temp of the outgoing air as possible, the system does not care what the outside air temp is.
You keep saying it's "pulling moisture out" in the heat exchanger - but it's not. The warmer side would condense. So what happens with the condesation that builds up inside these things? Is there a drain somwhere in the unit?
I saw the duct work you were using and I would not have it in my house. I took out all the flexible duct work and replaced it with rigid. Stays cleaner, less opportunity for mold to grow; and of course, when it comes to cleaning the ducts it is much simpler and thorough. When I bought my first house in Ohio I was flooded in 2003; not a problem of building but when you get 14" of rain in a week and then 7" in 45 minutes you are going to have a problem. When the rain stopped, the water left my property (1 1/4 acres) in less than 45 minutes - a new respect for moving water! During the flood, my basement (1,796 sf.) went from bone dry to 24" of water in about 15 minutes; the water came in through the basement windows and was strong enough to move a 5 gallon bucket of horse shoes and stakes the full length of the basement. I spent the night pumping out and was ready for the clean up crew the next morning. They started by putting two huge dehumidifiers in the basement and then on to the second floor and cleaning the ducts. They commented that it was good to have rigid duct work - much easier to clean. Then back to the basement to cut a large hole in the duct work and send their brushes up. Then shut everything down and leave the house for an hour while all the ducts were sprayed with a biocide. Repeated with another two days later that allowed us to stay in the house but with all fans turned off. Then the basement was dry enough to power wash the basement floors and walls half way up. Had to empty out the basement of furniture I was storing for my daughters (two houses worth), filled a 40 yd. dumpster and finally a new coat of paint on the walls and floor.Every house I have owned has been drained to daylight. This house has the strangest waterproofing system I have ever seen. The foundation was sprayed with hot tar, then a fiberglass mat was put over it along with a second coat of hot tar followed by 4" of rigid foam insulation. The inside is painted with two coats Ultra DryLux and then painted with a highly reflective SW white paint. The floor was painted with SW concrete paint. Fifteen months, no dampness, no dust. Whoever had this house built did it right. Even the crawl space has a 4" concrete floor!
How does one install this on an older house. I guess what I am really asking is how do you pull the air in an existing house. Mine is built in 2000 has a house fan too which when turned required the windows to opened.
It would be good to know what and ERV is and why we would want to install 1. Everyone loves their acronyms but the fail to think that not everyone knows what they mean.
Energy recovery ventilator it recovers the sensible heat in heat and moisture, heat recovery ventilators only recover heat. This recovery is done to remove stale air from tight construction homes and replenish fresh air from outside. Indoor pollutants like phthalates, formaldehyde, pollen, fungi, dust mites, airborne bacteria / viruses, and volatile organic compounds are dangerous to small babies, infants, sufferers of asthma, and the elderly.
Hey Matt, I'm getting ready to install a couple of Panasonic WhisperGreen fans in my bathrooms. Any suggestions for a high quality external wall cap (vent hood) with a damper?
I am confused that Matt said that this unit is only 50% efficient compared to the Zehnder ComfoAir . I thought this unit has a 73% Total Recovery Efficiency. What am I missing besides my marbles?
At about 5:25 you mention that you can dump the fresh air from the ventilator into the "supply side" of the hvac system. Wouldn't connecting the fresh air to the cold air return side be better? First, it would go through the return side filter system for added particle removal. Second, the fresh air would be conditioned in the same manner that the rest of the air in the house is conditioned. Also, wouldn't connecting to the hvac system and spreading the fresh air throughout the living area be better than dumping semi-conditioned air into one spot?
You did a bunch of videos where you recommend using an XT105 whole house dehumidifier and hook it up to a fresh air intake and then blow that air into the regular HVAC ducts, resulting in a positive pressure system instead of balanced. Do you prefer the ERVs now over the positive pressure systems? Or is this only required because your ACH numbers are getting so good and the positive pressure system won't work well anymore?
+Robert Hawke great question. I use a Dehum for every home I build in the hot humid south but if the house is tighter than 1.5ACH50 I'll add an ERV for Fresh Air and not use the Dehumidifier fresh air port. Make sense?
thanks, yes makes a lot of sense, that's what i assumed. I'm nowhere near the 1.5ACH50, so I guess I will stick with the dehumidifier and positive supply pressure system.Thanks again!
DEEREMEYER1 depends, sometimes the house A/C is not enough, we had a clients house right next to a small stream (like 15-20 foot wide), the house was built back before the county started enforcing all the setback rules and we where doing a renovation to it, the house had so much humidity in it the central air simply wasn't enough we needed something that could remove several pints of water per hour beyond what the central A/C would do.
Hi Matt, awesome information in generell about ERV. Been researching a lot and no information was as clear on system definition as you. I'm planning to install a ERV in my home in Hong Kong, a place were residential indoor ventilation is uncharted territory...! Air here is dirty, hot and humid (polluted tropics). Space scarce and f2 most expensive in the world. So what compact system is todays best solution for a 1200 f2 duplex (700 downstairs sleeping and bathroom+500 upstairs kitchen and living), and what floor should I place inlet and outlet? I will spread your knowledge and videos amongst us suffocating expats and buy the product!
The inlet/outlets can be placed on the lowest floor unless you're close to a lot of traffic, in which case higher up may give you slightly better air. if you're in a polluted environment, you're going to likely want what's called a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. The difficulty with polluted environments is that HEPA filters will work and will "fill up" and become blocked, possibly in a short period of time and can be expensive. Even in a non-polluted environment, HEPA filters are recommended to be replaced once per year and can cost an average of $200.
For full disclosure, can you clarify whether you received any benefits or support in the making this review/install? There are a few plugs and I want assurance that this is a fair assessment.
how would this compare to running a whole home dehumidifier inline with the HVAC system that has a fresh air intake. All bathroom vents exhaust outdoors already (or should) couldn't one of those be set to 24 hour duty at a low CFM? FYI im in south Texas, its hot and humid all year. Furnace doesn't run very many days.
If all the bath fans exhaust, the building will be depressurized, meaning it's going to try to suck air from anywhere it can from outside. It's better to have a balance, about same volume in as out, within 10% for a "balanced" system.
Should be exhausting air from every bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and the basement for odors and moisture and supply fresh air to every bedroom, the living room, office, dining room and anywhere that people spend a lot of time in, as well as to the opposite end of the basement to ensure movement of air across the entirety of the basement.
Also, how does this setup guarantee fresh air is moved throughout the entire house and not just provided in an area around where it enters the house? Thanks.
Is there any benefit in using an ERV in a hot a dry climate such as far Northern California? Summer time high temperatures average about 100 with humidity under 20%.
as far as I'm understanding how ERV and HRV's work yes. In a dry climate you may want to have a whole-house humidifier on your main HVAC system to keep the air more comfortable and not dry you out, in which case an ERV would leave most of the humidity in your home - while replacing stale old air with fresh outside air.
Matt you mentioned this installation is a standalone...does it mean it is not connected to the HVAC unit? If this is correct interpretation what will be the efficiency of the ERV to pull and push air in a 2000 sqft house with 3 supply and 3 returns
Yes, it means that it is independent of the HVAC system. However, as someone else already noted, he installed the SUPPLY (of the ERV) next to the RETURN of the HVAC, which kinda-sorta provides a short path between the ERV SUPPLY and the HVAC RETURN without actually connecting them, which others thought would be necessary, but isn't. The problem with connecting the ERV to the HVAC is that the fans of the two systems do not always operate simultaneously, which causes a problem in balancing the HVAC airflow to all rooms. ERVs are installed independently of the HVAC to make balancing easier, or even possible. I know I did not directly answer your question, sorry.
@@billcowhig5739 this is my main question regarding installation. I am reading directly from the panasonic manual here, and it states as a stand alone unit that supply should be t'd off to every bedroom in the house, and return t'd off to every bathroom/kitchen. not just one supply vent. that's a lot of ductwork, and seems to be asking to 100cfm fan to do a lot of work, but maybe it's ideal as it is what the manufacturer specifies. otherwise it specifies hooking it up to the hvac system directly, which like you said, would lower efficiency for a number of reasons. first would be airflow, will 100cfm be enough to blow air all through existing ductwork in a 3-4 bedroom home? second would be leaky ductwork if you are retrofitting the unit, you will certainly lose airflow to the attic or crawlspace (which may be okay, a little exchange there might be preferable). i just can't figure out the best way to do it. i think dumping supply air near the homes main return would be okay but who knows. it might be best to start there which is the least amount of work and then monitor the air quality, update duct work as you go. maybe you could measure co2 levels in each room before/after to see where you need to add supply. you can get around the fact that the unit only runs when the hvac runs by omitting the hvac signal switch and just letting it run 247 and maybe putting a booster fan inline somewhere to help out, but that would mess up the pressure balance at the unit. otherwise just have the air handler fan running 247, which is $$ and could cause other issues. the added benefit would be more airflow as the AHU acts as a booster of sorts, but idk, i'm not a pro technician.
hey matt. are you only installing 1 supply and extract point? when your down to say 1.5 ACH would you be placing fresh air supply into each room? ...... nice flex duct😉
For a really tight house, you SHOULD be installing exhaust ducts to each bathroom, kitchen and laundry room, and supply ducts into every other room. I'm not sure 1.5 ACH actually qualifies, but certainly 0.6 ACH and below. Otherwise, you are definitely going to have rooms with relatively stale air.
No it's doesn't dynamically vary the flow to balance pressure. But it does dynamically vary the fan speed to maintain constant flow. You'll potentially need another source of makeup air for the range hood if it's high flow and/or your house is very tight.
@@JoshDurston Thanks so much for your reply. Yeah it was a bit unclear to me. I called the company and they actually weren't sure themselves. And said I had to talk to a higher level support...
If I have any type of HVAC and a whole house dehumidifier, why would I need an ERV? In northern Tennessee, you have all 4 seasons so do not see how an ERV would improve the whole house which has R-25 SIPS thermal break walls, R-40 roof on a Post and Beam home.
@@synchrogrl18 An ERV cycles out staler inside air with fresher outside air at a constant rate. However, this will not help with humidity. However, there are Dehumidifiers that include ERV functionality.
I want to install one of these, but control it by a thermostat. I might have to build a custom control system but basically if thermostat commands heating or cooling, then it determines if outside air is cooler (AC) than interior... or exterior air is hotter (heating). I'm in Arizona and it's VERY common for it to be cooler outside at night, yet home remains hotter even with HVAC in cooling mode. I feel I'm wasting a tremendous amount of electricity cooling my house even when outside is cooler. I fiddle with opening and closing windows, however, why not just have a system that exchanges air when it's cooler outside (or warmer - less common where I live).
@HEAV¥HAND I stand corrected. I bought ecobee thermostats and they have a feature specifically to run air exchanger in place of AC when is cooler outside. It's pretty awesome, only problem is I don't have an air exchanger :(
@HEAV¥HAND Funny you say that, I'm scared to open the window in my bedroom haha... When I was a kid not the case. I lived out in the countryside in Nebraska, never heard of crime then. I thought it was something on the movies.
@HEAV¥HAND Yeah it's insane. I was talking to my folks about how we used to never lock the house, leave keys in cars, etc. My neighbors got upset when I knocked before visiting. They always told me just to come inside. Such a different world bad then.
I've always wondered why exterior walls are not constructed so that the plywood rests on the concrete or brick foundation and left to hang over the edge. Does anyone know why this is so.
your mudsil should be even with edge of the slab so that when you install your sheathing it can run down past the edge of the slab to create an overlap. so that when water runs down the wall it wont run directly down onto the edge of the slab which in turn means a leak and then rot. the osb is not a proper barrier and should not be used as if it were siding
Hey Matt, I always enjoy gaining insights from your RUclips posts ahd have high regard for your Building Science knowledge. Quick questions regarding use of flex ducts on this install as opposed to rigid ducts (3:24 ruclips.net/video/pkvoXK6-fjk/видео.html). How is this ERV system different from HVAC with respect to duct type? Are the runs short enough that duct type doesn't matter? Cost? Thanks for keeping the content coming.
+Corwin Shakes great question. Yes very short runs here. Not as worried about distribution and we can balance the system post install. Variable speed motors. Certainly a cost savings to do flex.
Wouldn't it make more sense to incorporate this tech into the HVAC system so that the filtered outside air is distributed housewide, and a portion of the returned air be exhausted to the outside? Fortunately, I live in an area with relatively clean air. My home is pretty airtight, so I have the urge to open the windows for some fresh air on nice days. If there was a way to direct the fresh filtered air into my HVAC system, I'd be less inclined to open the windows.
it's actually not a good thing to do, cause you don't want to mix ventilation and cooling/heating. Ventilation requires much less cubic volume and there are numerous articles why this is a bad solution. What you need is actually 4 ducts to each room (yes insane). 2 for in/out ventilation and 2 for cooling/heating
@@jasonhunter6125 While I agree it's not a good choice to mix them due to volume requirements, as you said, it would be more effective to supply fresh air to the rooms where people are, and exhaust from where pollutants are. However, placing one of each at opposite ends for the basement, as moisture is more likely to accumulate there due to the temperature of the concrete in most cases.
@@tommydjohnsonjr i dont have an hvac system, can i install even without and where is the best place to install. i have a cape and i was thinking of installing in my knee wall space. its spray foamed in there.
@@thebigdoghimself what about for bringing fresh air into a basement with no windows? i was going to get the panasonic one that looks like a bathroom fan.
It's not about "special air." Modern homes are built extremely airtight due to energy efficiency requirements that active ventilation is required to prevent moisture buildup and mold growth. The ERV provides this while also using the exhaust air to heat or cool the incoming fresh air to reduce the energy cost of treating the fresh air.
it brings in cold air, but the hot air being exhausted from the house warms up the cold air coming in so it's not as cold, that's why it's called an Energy Recovery Ventilator instead of just a House Ventilator.
There seems like there are a lot of geeks on here that know way more than i do on venting and fresh air . Well on most things LOL So that is the reason for my question . Is there any information on using earth tubes to bring the fresh air to the ERV or to a dehumidifier then dispersing it into the home . Unfortunately in my area there isn't much research being done on high end systems . After calling more than one collage i am left with more questions than answers .
I would see earth tubes as more of an alternative to an ERV, you are using the ground temperature to cool or heat (depending on the season) the air coming into the house which is kinda the primary concept of the ERV, I guess you could use the ERV if you really wanted to, but at that point you are already mostly there on the energy recovery you would get from one of these so it's probably not worth the cost.
@@davetaylor8614 Thx Dave for pointing this out. Earth tubes will dump moisture from hot air into the tube when it hits the cooler earth. The moisture and pollen etc are now a good medium for mold. The air moving through the tube is becomes laden with mold spores. Don't bring mold into your home air. This is why earth tubes are not a solution for an hrv or erv.
Depends on your goal. If you want the house to be healthier for the people- run it all the time, if you're just trying to manage a humidity level, that would depend on the humidity. A simple 'dehumidistat' can manage that for you.
@@technorex344 thanks for the reply. Ive got a house that blows 12 ach. Im working on improving that but assume that it stays at 12 ach. Would an erv/hrv still benefit the home or occupants? Thx
@@treystills I see. I disagree with that test on the basis of: Why would one test a building for problems, using a test that will never occur under normal conditions?
I like watching your videos Matt but I really think you dropped the ball on this one. I used to install HRV's and as a Power Smart installer, we had to install supply and exhaust ports absolute minimum of six feet apart but usually they were at least ten feet apart. Otherwise exhausted stale air would tend to return toward the supply air port. We also installed fresh air ports in all living areas of house and exhaust/stale air ports in all wet areas of house ( laundry, kitchen and bathrooms. The total volume of exhaust air from house side ports had to equal the total volume of fresh air from fresh air house side ports. The system had to be designed through downsizing ductwork and balancing dampers to perfect the airflows. The systems we designed could not be heard at all and worked flawlessly when filters were cleaned and maintained properly. The system you are portraying here does not seem to meet up to national standards.
Thanks for the extra info, would the sound issues in this case be caused by the design implemented or the system itself being used? I am a 1st year student architect so I have much to learn. Also, regarding air circulation generally, I do wonder how you balance bringing in and circulating fresh air without creating large additional heating demands in the case of winter air circulation?
The balance comes from code. Code requires minimum values of fresh air CFM based on ASHRAE standard 62.1 (commercial) or 62.2 (residential). Also in regards to the spacing, in the commercial world any intake has to be at least 10' from a vent or point of exhaust. Exhaust also must terminate a minimum of 3' from an opening to a building (window, door, etc)
First thing is to establish where the building is and whether you're heating or cooling? (summer or winter) To answer your question ( I think) the incoming additional fresh air is pre-heated by the exhausted stale air. That's the essence of the system but you're right to ask, what volume of air are we talking about and how do those little 8" or 6" Diameter vents handle a whole house? I think we should have an augmented building code for buildings whose main effort is cooling, not heating, because the two problems have some similar solutions, and some different solutions too. Maintaining the comfort level of your house by only managing the air flow is a mistake where it's hot. The thermal mass of the structure has to be designed to take advantage of the natural wind and the ground, to keep itself cool. Primary (from the sun) and secondary (from heat islanding and stucco siding) radiant heat should be reflected away. Chimney's can be used to accelerate or facilitate natural ventilation within the structure, by letting cool air replace hot air, just like an HRV, only do it with a masonry chimney and a fireplace inserted, to change it from cooling to heating as necessary. Our light weight stick frames need additional weight inside the envelope to act as batteries, to moderate temperature swings produced by natural means, such as passive solar overheating. How much thermal mass and where? That's a pertinent question. And the unanswered question after Popular Science or Mechanics magazine spoke of it in the '60s, what about moveable insulation systems? We still don't have an automated way to close off the passive solar windows at night, saving significant heat loss, or stopping heat gain during the hottest summer days. Home Depot should have something on the shelf that looks like a 6' patio door, but has the moveable panel made of R 13 Polyisocyanurate insulation with a metal skin. Install as normal but only the fixed pane of glass is visible, the moveable section slides into the wall like a pocket door. A slight ramp and electro-magnet catch connected to a photo sensor, would tell the panel that darkness has arrived, and let it slide down the ramp into place. Mornings, you'd have to "open" the windows to let the light in, by hand, sliding them back up the ramp until the magnet catch 'clicks'. A "super-insulation" wall system can accommodate such a thing without disrupting the integrity of the various thermal and vap/air barriers. On a house in Alabama in 2002, I used block walls with 3" of rigid board insulation, and a brick veneer weather screen. Casement windows were placed into masonry rough openings with a 2 1/8" brad nail and finish nailer. The spindly nails bend when they hit the concrete, but half a dozen around the frame will hold it perfectly level in place like metal spider legs. I normally leave a 3/8" space for insulation between the rough opening and the finished frame for insulation, which is where the wire nails show up. Then use low expansion foam in a can to fill that space and make the (integral) air/vap connection between the exterior insulation panels, and the finished frame of the windows. Airtight. Fast and easy. That house had two stories with 8" blocks on the main level and 6" blocks on the 2nd level creating a ledge (2 1/4" required so an metal ledger of at least 1/4" has to be added to support the joist end, if you eliminate the rim joist substituting blocking) for a conventional suspended wood floor. The roof is another story but the envelope is (also) maintained. Two operating Velux skylights at the very top of the house in a chase up through the trusses let out hot air using a green house item, that opens windows when it's hot inside. Automatically cool underground air comes into the chimney structure, surrounding but not accessing, the firebox. Approximately 180 tons of themal mass inside the envelope. My wife's career required that we move out of state before moving into it, so I have no idea whether any of that worked or not. I lived in it with the dog for the summer of '03 while finishing details and selling it, and even when the thermometer broke 100 F, the air conditioner never came on, the house stayed below 80 F with just the central fan circulating air. The firebox was small but long and air tight and the two flues (dual exhaust) went straight up through an all brick chimney 36'. You only burn the fire, flat out, maximum fuel burn and maximum heat. The 180 tons of masonry takes care of any 'hot spots' allowing me to run the fireplace Saturday morning for a few hours, (Oak forest) and again mid week during construction, in winter for heating. Anti-; seismic, termite, tornado, hurricane and fire, it had a 'safe room' built inside, as a laundry/storage vault. Almost no one I met while trying to sell it, considered any of that worth anything, or asked what it would cost to "finish the drywall" and "do the crown moldings", etc.. Sold it a hair over cost, $185k.
The only reason I do not want to buy this is because I do not want to constantly spend money to replace filter at $40 a pop for the hepa is high. I think $20 would be the right price. I would also be afraid to buy this because if Panasonic discontinued this unit, then at some point they would discontinue your filter. I hate to be held hostage by things that are beyond my control . Does any know if there is an alternative filter or if the hepa filter in this is a standard size filter that can be purchased and used for this system. Also, I don't have to get 100% of my pollen out and I would be so happy if they had a washable filter? Does anyone know any other solution to get low cost or washable filters?
David Hazen you could buy a normal hvac filter and cut it down to size. Maybe buy a large enough one to get a few that fit in here. I know people do that with home hepa air filters.
Throw away the filter provided by the manufacturer and add any filter you like in the duct path coming from outside and before entering the ERV. And, while you are at it, you might want to do the same thing with the duct bringing exhaust air from inside before it goes into the input of the ERV, to prevent contamination of the heat-moisture exchange media inside the unit.
An ERV...it's to fix the problem we've created over the last 30 years making houses air-tight. Mine is probably a 7 on a scale of 10 for air tightness and whenever I turn on my Panasonic bathroom exhaust fan I can smell attic air being draw thru every crack and crevice, that's how I know if I forgot to turn it off (it's super quiet). My 90% furnace gives me headaches centered around the nerves in the back of my head around the neck every time we go into the heating season, don't tell me it's not shooting carbon monoxide back into the house. I don't like the looks of the exhaust/intake on the outside of the house, it's one of the types that don't have separate pipes...it's probably sucking in the exhausted fumes.
The "build tight" movement seems to have won the battle over how to make a home energy efficient, as spray-foam sealing of attics has become a "high-growth" industry, pumping tons of foam (plastic) into our houses at an ever growing rate to "air seal" the attic, extending the thermal envelope as a way to minimize energy consumption. I'm going to have to go along with it to upgrade my 24 year old home, but shudder as I realize that the earth already has a humongous "plastics" problem, and our homes will eventually get bulldozed.
If you don't want an ERV add some fresh air ports (passive vents) or a powered intake fan. Your furnace should not be shooting anything back in the house as modern units operate using outside air for combustion and then exhaust the fumes outside.
I bought this unit based on your recommendation. Unit is dead on arrival and does not turn on - very poor quality. It was also missing the covers for the ports.
First time I saw one these things I couldn't believe it. Stress skin panel home was so tight that the air inside would become unhealthy. So we have increased the efficiency of a home to the point where we need another expensive device and failure point, to keep the air quality healthy. How did we ever survive back when homes weren't quite as tight? The first one I saw I was hired to help replace it, as rodents had turned it into a nice home....
Approximately 1982, in Regina, Saskatchewan in association with the University of Saskatchewan and half a dozen other schools and the Canadian Federal Department of Research and some of Canada's leading architects and engineers, they got together and built three houses, with the design goal of building a house that would stand alone in the Canadian prairie winter and maintain liveable temperatures without any mechanical systems. A passive solar box. They did it, but in their joy and haste, deployed people in the form of families to attempt to live in the boxes. Within weeks the jubilation turned to wretched disappointment as everyone but the dog, got sick. No one had thought about air quality, and to make things worse, the house was no longer "net zero energy" now that someone lived in it. And we the people kept paying for this circus... The next thing they came up with was air to air heat exchangers, something only Red Green had managed to do up until then. They should have consulted him because they were another 20 years getting the HRV thing to work, as it does now. In fairness, the things work far better than I ever thought they would.
You can open windows if you like as well- it's good to have fresh air even when windows are closed, which doesn't happen in traditionally built homes either (who knows where the air is coming from with cracks and leaks- radon filled basement? Garage?
Hi Matt - I hope you are still responding to these comments. I plan on building a 36' Diameter Geodesic Dome Home which will mostly have an open plan and Extensions. It is an energy efficient, "tight", home with tons of insulation in the walls. I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) and am extremely sensitive to VOC's. I live in the humid South but it also gets below freezing in the Winter (for a few days...). I am doing my research on the ERV and it would appear this is what I need. My Question is: Would this be the size I would need or would the Whisper Panasonic (spot ERV) be better for my small, open, floor plan? I really need great filtration and not sure the Spot ERV will fulfill that. (I will have a bathroom fan and also my electric stove will have a vent / fan. OH! I can not have a ducted air / heat system due to severe Allergies so I will be using the Mitsubishi Mini-split air / heat system in my home. A little confused on what I should get....if anyone can give some suggestions, I would certainly appreciate it. Even though I will be using mostly Low VOC materials to build, I want to ensure I will be able to live in this home, and clean indoor air is going to be extremely important for me. Thanks for your input!
For any homeowners out there who are looking to replace their own ERV or do a DIY install, I would highly recommend the Broan AI Series ERVs. I just replaced my old, non-functioning Honeywell unit from 2002 with a Broan AI Series. I inquired with many different HVAC contractors about ERVs but all of them told me something along the lines of “don’t see the point in them as it’s just the equivalent to opening a window.” I’ve been watching Matt for a while so I knew this wasn’t true and that my builder obviously put one in for a reason. What sold me on the AI Series is the unit uses an auto-balancing procedure. Meaning, no need for a manometer, pitot tube, or having to manually adjust dampers. The unit has integrated motorized dampers and displays the incoming and outgoing CFMs. It also comes with a MERV 8 filter standard, upgradable to MERV 13. I looked at a couple different ERVs from Zhender, Honeywell, and Aprilaire. The Broan AI series sold me instantly for the reasons above, specifically the auto-balancing. The AI series also just looks likes it’s modern technology, compared to other brands. I’m really happy to have my fresh air system functioning again and even more happier to know I did it myself, saving thousands of dollars. I just need to wire the Broan touchscreen keypad for it now in my upstairs so I can monitor the status of the unit.
Well I recommend you get ours… We have the best one that is manufactured in the planet… The manufacturer you mentioned manufactures shavers, massage tools and blender.. They have 0 knowledge on anything. They simply make stuff that sells….
Im so glad I found your channel! I've watch so so many in the last month or so. I just love watching your videos, so informative and entertaining. Makes me want to build a new house. I just got an HRV and use it to exchange the air in my basement only. It put my Radon levels from over 8 to around 2 and under(it fluctuates a little). Also, I use the stale air exit from near the cat litter box which is also in the basement, so win win!
You didn’t scream, “on the build show!” I’m shocked! 😂 Thanks for another great video.
Matt, nice video I always enjoy watching them! You mentioned 3-4 feet between outside inlets, most other manufacturers of HRV/ERV recommend min. 6 foot apart. And I wouldn't even consider a connection to HVAC system at all, balance is almost impossible. I learned that the hard way!
+Indiana Fred thanks
Interesting choice of install. I'm in northern ontario. I prefer to see the HRV supply dump into my furnace return. I also prefer to run my furnace fan on low at all times to maintain a better air blend across the floors and to allow the hrv supply to blend with the furnace/house mixed air. This also allows the hrv supply to always be distributed throughout the supply ducts reaching all areas and rooms. In the cold winters it's also nice to have the hrv dump into the furnace return to further condition that air to a comfortable temp (important to have the furnace fan on to achieve best results ducting it to the return, works as a whole home air handling system). Different climates do allow for a different install, being it's an ERV its differs slightly too.
Great video!
excellent comment I was just wondering the same, so for each room do you have an output that supplys the warm air and then an intake that removes the fresh air? I think this method may cause a few issues, if your taking the exaust air out, and taking the heat from the exausgted air, putting it into the fresh air, and putting the fresh it into the furance, arent you effectively waisting energy ? the heat gets loops backed through the furance? wouldnt a seprate system make more sense?
@@magnus__reeves hey Mr. I think you may have misunderstood my comment. The "warm air supply" in every room is actually my furnace supply air (warm air in heating season, cool air in cooling season). There is no exhaust air in every room, I generally see the exhaust pulled from the bathrooms and the kitchen and sometimes a large general area will also have an exhaust duct (exhaust being the HRV duct pulling air out of the house). The HRV supply duct (outside fresh air being pulled in by the HRV) is ducted directly to my furnace return duct which is also pulling return air from all the rooms in the house. This way the outside air being brought in from the HRV can blend with the house return air and then conditioned through the furnace and distributed to all rooms through the furnace supply ducts. Running the furnace blower constant in low speed allows the air to better blend and distribute even if the furnace isn't calling for heating or cooling...for my area and specific climate this seems to be the best method.
@@magnus__reeves also to add, yes there is slight efficiency loss when running an HRV or ERV but I believe the loss of system efficiency is out weighed by the air quality/health benefits from having an air exchange system.
@@magnus__reeves the main purpose to my comment was due to the fact he mentioned different ways of installing the supply air. He said you can also duct the HRV supply air to your furnace supply duct, I believe this is a mistake many installers make. That air from the HRV has been pre conditioned in the core but not completely conditioned so dumping it into the return side of your furnace allows the HRV supply air to be further conditioned through the furnace (again this method works better if you run your furnace fan on low at all times) if you have a DC blower furnace its far more efficient to run this way than the older style blowers. However he did also mention he ducts this system as a stand alone unit with his HRV supply duct dumping near a furnace return air duct (which would allow that HRV supply air to be pulled into the return ducting in the furnace and blended/distributed throughout the whole house).
In a more extreme climate where you get 100° summers with 70-90% RH and 5° winters dumping the ERV supply into the furnace return is a must. The supply air from the ERV being concentrated to a hallway will make that hallway very cool or very warm and muggy at the peak of the seasons.
MERV 13 is pretty dang good, but when the flint hills burn, you’ll need HEPA to get the smoke out. My approach is to install a HEPA bypass filter the usual way back-to-back on the return duct of the furnace and pipe the ERV supply into the top of the HEPA unit. I then wire it so the HEPA unit always turns on when the ERV turns on. Since the HEPA filter’s flow rate when powered on is greater than that of the ERV’s, 100% of the ERV supply will be filtered at sub-micron levels.
If you bring in warm humid outside air to the ERV - exchanging with air from the bathroom and kitchen, is that not counter to the units function, given the bathroom/ kitchen air has a level of moisture. Perhaps waste outgoing air should be picked from a dryer area of the home. The unit is depending on clean dryer air to treat the incoming humid air. JAT
Thanks Matt!
On my shopping list! Thanks for great insights... as usual... Matt Risinger's standard.
+S Chang thanks buddy!
Hello, it’s a really good video. I gained alot of knowledge. One question rises. If you were to use it as stand alone unit, would this be the only source of fresh air to the house and your furnace will solely be heating up up cold air return?
Nice review! Does this unit have any sort of relay system to trigger increased intake when stand alone stove or bathroom exhaust fans turn on? How do you handle that?
Love his voice.
How much does that odd sized pre-filter cost to replace and who stocks them?
I really need one of these. I have a brand new 900 sq ft home that is super tight. I often leave a window or door cracked open.
This unit would struggle on a 900 sq ft house with a ceiling height of eight feet since it only rated for a maximum 100 CFM. You would need a unit of at least 240 CFM rated, and that would only give you 2 air changes per hour. Thought you would like to know. --Jason ✌🏻
Actually, this unit is overkill for a 900 sq ft super-tight house. At its lowest 50 Cfm airflow, it is way more ventilation air than you need. Panasonic offers a much cheaper version that outputs like 20 and 40 Cfm, called "WhisperComfort FV-04VE1. Runs on only 23 watts, and is 36% effective at removing moisture. It mounts on your ceiling, penetrating from the attic.
Ha Mat what do u have anything for outside wood Boilers to heat ones home through HVAC an Hydronic flooring this time of the year
On your ERV can you show ur lines and finished vents. On hole system.
Matt, Great video as always. I am wondering if you have ever installed this unit laying flat on the back cover vs chain hung or wall mounted. Panasonics literature doesn't say anything about whether you can do that at all.
You can’t the hrv creates moisture which drains out the bottom.
We have an erv in our condo and found that the washroom fans do not work in econo- mode - they only work in normal or high- BUT in those secondary modes it is too loud - and runs all day.. please help with any advice
Is it possible to connect the supply side to the HVAC supply plenum and the exhaust side to the HVAC return plenum? So that you are supplying from the distribution and exhausting through the returns?
Hi Matt, is it possible to retrofit these into a UK semi-detached house? I'm looking to make my home built in 1925 air tight using the UK green home scheme but am nervous about mold and poor air quality. Seen these on previous videos of yours but can't find anywhere anything that suggests something like this for the UK.
Could you put a de/humidifying or AC system into this? Or would you run all separate ductwork?
Matt why would you make this a standalone unit when you can hook directly into the HVAC return and distribute the air properly into every bedroom? I have a five bedroom house and if I were to set it up as a standalone unit like you did I feel like the air I would not get into all the bedrooms. Essentially it’s the same thought just put in one exhaust Vent of heating into the main hallway And expect the heat to reach every bedroom.... can you give me some input as to why you like to make it a stand alone.
Matt what are your thoughts on putting an ERV in a utility room in the basement where we have cat litter boxes and use that room to draw air out of the house and return the clean air back to the main floor of the house? Also if you can put the exterior exhaust and intake on different sides of the house would you or is that overkill?
Put the cats outside, problem solved.
who do I call to get a consultation to get ERV installed?
I installed this 7 months ago - Minnesota residence - it’s working great - even in the cold temps we’ve been seeing. During most months it’s been on 60/60 minutes an hour. When really cold we knock it back to 20 every hour. Big difference in allergies, build tight ventilate right
curious why did you choose ERV over HRV?
@@bradkastephens in sum humidity management during all 4 seasons (3 in Minnesota - we skip spring usually)
The enthalpy core of this ERV manages moisture by balancing the exhaust and intake air flows. An HRV will manage heat retention but manages condensate removal only from my experience. So there’s a need for a condensate drain which is more work and the device won’t balance humidity for you by exhausting the excess humidity from the home overnight in the summer or maintaining interior humidity in the winter against dry exterior air.
That’s why I chose the ERV
How do you wire to a Carrier Inifnity system with ABCD wiring? I can’t find out anywhere!
The Panasonic ERV looks like a good product. Interestingly, the inlet filter looks exactly like the cabin filter in my Toyota Tundra. One might be able to get new inlet filters for this Panasonic ERV at Autozone.
Same stuff. Just sourced from readily available cabin filter product options.
any filter can be cut to fit if you don't need a tight seal. Maybe suggest Fram or K&N partner together?
Here in the low desert (Palm Springs) it couldn't be any hotter or drier. Exhausting heat out of the building and trying to keep it from entering (radiant barrier) are top of the list. Cooler air can be had fairly easily, by excavating along the north edge of the slab and bringing air from that area, into the building. It could be done in various ways, digging, blocks, rigid insulation and large diameter pipes etc..
Then, why couldn't I use a HRV sort of in reverse, to use already cooled but stale indoor air to pre-cool the incoming outside air?
it works both ways, thats why they call them Energy Recovery Ventilators now instead of Heat Recovery Ventilators, the goal is to bring the incoming air as close to the temp of the outgoing air as possible, the system does not care what the outside air temp is.
how do i install without hvac unit? i have mini splits for heat. i spray foamed my knee wall ant attic its air tight, not i need fresh air.
You keep saying it's "pulling moisture out" in the heat exchanger - but it's not. The warmer side would condense. So what happens with the condesation that builds up inside these things? Is there a drain somwhere in the unit?
I saw the duct work you were using and I would not have it in my house. I took out all the flexible duct work and replaced it with rigid. Stays cleaner, less opportunity for mold to grow; and of course, when it comes to cleaning the ducts it is much simpler and thorough. When I bought my first house in Ohio I was flooded in 2003; not a problem of building but when you get 14" of rain in a week and then 7" in 45 minutes you are going to have a problem. When the rain stopped, the water left my property (1 1/4 acres) in less than 45 minutes - a new respect for moving water! During the flood, my basement (1,796 sf.) went from bone dry to 24" of water in about 15 minutes; the water came in through the basement windows and was strong enough to move a 5 gallon bucket of horse shoes and stakes the full length of the basement. I spent the night pumping out and was ready for the clean up crew the next morning. They started by putting two huge dehumidifiers in the basement and then on to the second floor and cleaning the ducts. They commented that it was good to have rigid duct work - much easier to clean. Then back to the basement to cut a large hole in the duct work and send their brushes up. Then shut everything down and leave the house for an hour while all the ducts were sprayed with a biocide. Repeated with another two days later that allowed us to stay in the house but with all fans turned off. Then the basement was dry enough to power wash the basement floors and walls half way up. Had to empty out the basement of furniture I was storing for my daughters (two houses worth), filled a 40 yd. dumpster and finally a new coat of paint on the walls and floor.Every house I have owned has been drained to daylight. This house has the strangest waterproofing system I have ever seen. The foundation was sprayed with hot tar, then a fiberglass mat was put over it along with a second coat of hot tar followed by 4" of rigid foam insulation. The inside is painted with two coats Ultra DryLux and then painted with a highly reflective SW white paint. The floor was painted with SW concrete paint. Fifteen months, no dampness, no dust. Whoever had this house built did it right. Even the crawl space has a 4" concrete floor!
who puts 4" of rigid foam around their basement lol.. the sheets you buy at the store are only 1 inch. that means 4 sheets just for one area
@@Blox117 people who want warm basements
How does one install this on an older house. I guess what I am really asking is how do you pull the air in an existing house. Mine is built in 2000 has a house fan too which when turned required the windows to opened.
Where do you buy the Seiho vent covers? I am not finding any stores that carry them.
It would be good to know what and ERV is and why we would want to install 1. Everyone loves their acronyms but the fail to think that not everyone knows what they mean.
Energy recovery ventilator it recovers the sensible heat in heat and moisture, heat recovery ventilators only recover heat. This recovery is done to remove stale air from tight construction homes and replenish fresh air from outside. Indoor pollutants like phthalates, formaldehyde, pollen, fungi, dust mites, airborne bacteria / viruses, and volatile organic compounds are dangerous to small babies, infants, sufferers of asthma, and the elderly.
Google it ffs
You have no idea how valuable this is for a mushroom farmer
Hey Matt, I'm getting ready to install a couple of Panasonic WhisperGreen fans in my bathrooms. Any suggestions for a high quality external wall cap (vent hood) with a damper?
+Waremonger check out American Aldes
3 & 5 feet apart still seems rather close in my opinion, why not as far apart as possible to avoid as much dirty air returning as possible?!
It is essential to remove humidity in a house.
Also to bring fresh air in without losing all of your heat.
I am confused that Matt said that this unit is only 50% efficient compared to the Zehnder ComfoAir . I thought this unit has a 73% Total Recovery Efficiency. What am I missing besides my marbles?
At about 5:25 you mention that you can dump the fresh air from the ventilator into the "supply side" of the hvac system. Wouldn't connecting the fresh air to the cold air return side be better? First, it would go through the return side filter system for added particle removal. Second, the fresh air would be conditioned in the same manner that the rest of the air in the house is conditioned. Also, wouldn't connecting to the hvac system and spreading the fresh air throughout the living area be better than dumping semi-conditioned air into one spot?
He's not really an expert. He's just selling them.
You did a bunch of videos where you recommend using an XT105 whole house dehumidifier and hook it up to a fresh air intake and then blow that air into the regular HVAC ducts, resulting in a positive pressure system instead of balanced. Do you prefer the ERVs now over the positive pressure systems? Or is this only required because your ACH numbers are getting so good and the positive pressure system won't work well anymore?
+Robert Hawke great question. I use a Dehum for every home I build in the hot humid south but if the house is tighter than 1.5ACH50 I'll add an ERV for Fresh Air and not use the Dehumidifier fresh air port. Make sense?
thanks, yes makes a lot of sense, that's what i assumed. I'm nowhere near the 1.5ACH50, so I guess I will stick with the dehumidifier and positive supply pressure system.Thanks again!
DEEREMEYER1 depends, sometimes the house A/C is not enough, we had a clients house right next to a small stream (like 15-20 foot wide), the house was built back before the county started enforcing all the setback rules and we where doing a renovation to it, the house had so much humidity in it the central air simply wasn't enough we needed something that could remove several pints of water per hour beyond what the central A/C would do.
Would this system be good for removing cigar smoke?
Can I just open a window a little bit when running a fan or cooking ??
Hi Matt, awesome information in generell about ERV. Been researching a lot and no information was as clear on system definition as you. I'm planning to install a ERV in my home in Hong Kong, a place were residential indoor ventilation is uncharted territory...! Air here is dirty, hot and humid (polluted tropics). Space scarce and f2 most expensive in the world. So what compact system is todays best solution for a 1200 f2 duplex (700 downstairs sleeping and bathroom+500 upstairs kitchen and living), and what floor should I place inlet and outlet? I will spread your knowledge and videos amongst us suffocating expats and buy the product!
The inlet/outlets can be placed on the lowest floor unless you're close to a lot of traffic, in which case higher up may give you slightly better air. if you're in a polluted environment, you're going to likely want what's called a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. The difficulty with polluted environments is that HEPA filters will work and will "fill up" and become blocked, possibly in a short period of time and can be expensive. Even in a non-polluted environment, HEPA filters are recommended to be replaced once per year and can cost an average of $200.
Are those blowers rated for 15 years on one end of their axis tho?
For full disclosure, can you clarify whether you received any benefits or support in the making this review/install? There are a few plugs and I want assurance that this is a fair assessment.
How would you install it in a yurt with a basement?
Matt love your videos , but not sure what this unit does ? Home Air filter ?
dude google ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR or heck punch that in the video search and find a video that explains it, it's WAY WAY more then an air filter.
how would this compare to running a whole home dehumidifier inline with the HVAC system that has a fresh air intake. All bathroom vents exhaust outdoors already (or should) couldn't one of those be set to 24 hour duty at a low CFM? FYI im in south Texas, its hot and humid all year. Furnace doesn't run very many days.
If all the bath fans exhaust, the building will be depressurized, meaning it's going to try to suck air from anywhere it can from outside. It's better to have a balance, about same volume in as out, within 10% for a "balanced" system.
Great tips once again Matt. I hope I can get those units to Asheville NC because I think they would work really well here
+Scott Hixson should be available nationally soon
Can you please explain the difference between ERV and HRV (Heat recovery ventilator) and how do these two systems differ from each other?
ERV does heat energy and humidity transfer, HRV does heat only.
@@Exile1213 Thank you!
Should be exhausting air from every bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and the basement for odors and moisture and supply fresh air to every bedroom, the living room, office, dining room and anywhere that people spend a lot of time in, as well as to the opposite end of the basement to ensure movement of air across the entirety of the basement.
Can this be installed on the Ceiling?
Also, how does this setup guarantee fresh air is moved throughout the entire house and not just provided in an area around where it enters the house? Thanks.
you typically evacuate air from one side of the house and introduce the outside "fresh" air to another end.
Where does the humidity go?
Is there any benefit in using an ERV in a hot a dry climate such as far Northern California? Summer time high temperatures average about 100 with humidity under 20%.
as far as I'm understanding how ERV and HRV's work yes. In a dry climate you may want to have a whole-house humidifier on your main HVAC system to keep the air more comfortable and not dry you out, in which case an ERV would leave most of the humidity in your home - while replacing stale old air with fresh outside air.
does it remove smoke? i didn't look it
Anyone bother putting these units on a surge protector?
Can I make an EVR high CFM on demand?
Matt you mentioned this installation is a standalone...does it mean it is not connected to the HVAC unit? If this is correct interpretation what will be the efficiency of the ERV to pull and push air in a 2000 sqft house with 3 supply and 3 returns
Yes, it means that it is independent of the HVAC system. However, as someone else already noted, he installed the SUPPLY (of the ERV) next to the RETURN of the HVAC, which kinda-sorta provides a short path between the ERV SUPPLY and the HVAC RETURN without actually connecting them, which others thought would be necessary, but isn't. The problem with connecting the ERV to the HVAC is that the fans of the two systems do not always operate simultaneously, which causes a problem in balancing the HVAC airflow to all rooms. ERVs are installed independently of the HVAC to make balancing easier, or even possible. I know I did not directly answer your question, sorry.
@@billcowhig5739 this is my main question regarding installation. I am reading directly from the panasonic manual here, and it states as a stand alone unit that supply should be t'd off to every bedroom in the house, and return t'd off to every bathroom/kitchen. not just one supply vent. that's a lot of ductwork, and seems to be asking to 100cfm fan to do a lot of work, but maybe it's ideal as it is what the manufacturer specifies. otherwise it specifies hooking it up to the hvac system directly, which like you said, would lower efficiency for a number of reasons. first would be airflow, will 100cfm be enough to blow air all through existing ductwork in a 3-4 bedroom home? second would be leaky ductwork if you are retrofitting the unit, you will certainly lose airflow to the attic or crawlspace (which may be okay, a little exchange there might be preferable). i just can't figure out the best way to do it. i think dumping supply air near the homes main return would be okay but who knows. it might be best to start there which is the least amount of work and then monitor the air quality, update duct work as you go. maybe you could measure co2 levels in each room before/after to see where you need to add supply.
you can get around the fact that the unit only runs when the hvac runs by omitting the hvac signal switch and just letting it run 247 and maybe putting a booster fan inline somewhere to help out, but that would mess up the pressure balance at the unit. otherwise just have the air handler fan running 247, which is $$ and could cause other issues. the added benefit would be more airflow as the AHU acts as a booster of sorts, but idk, i'm not a pro technician.
hey matt. are you only installing 1 supply and extract point? when your down to say 1.5 ACH would you be placing fresh air supply into each room? ...... nice flex duct😉
+Scott Florence no only supply to one location in the house.
For a really tight house, you SHOULD be installing exhaust ducts to each bathroom, kitchen and laundry room, and supply ducts into every other room. I'm not sure 1.5 ACH actually qualifies, but certainly 0.6 ACH and below. Otherwise, you are definitely going to have rooms with relatively stale air.
Please explain the pressure balance. Does this mean I won't need a damper near the range hood?
No it's doesn't dynamically vary the flow to balance pressure. But it does dynamically vary the fan speed to maintain constant flow. You'll potentially need another source of makeup air for the range hood if it's high flow and/or your house is very tight.
@@JoshDurston Thanks so much for your reply. Yeah it was a bit unclear to me. I called the company and they actually weren't sure themselves. And said I had to talk to a higher level support...
If I have any type of HVAC and a whole house dehumidifier, why would I need an ERV? In northern Tennessee, you have all 4 seasons so do not see how an ERV would improve the whole house which has R-25 SIPS thermal break walls, R-40 roof on a Post and Beam home.
Do those systems constantly bring fresh air in?
@@synchrogrl18 An ERV cycles out staler inside air with fresher outside air at a constant rate. However, this will not help with humidity. However, there are Dehumidifiers that include ERV functionality.
our MEP engineer replace existing air handler with ERV for commercial office
I want to install one of these, but control it by a thermostat. I might have to build a custom control system but basically if thermostat commands heating or cooling, then it determines if outside air is cooler (AC) than interior... or exterior air is hotter (heating). I'm in Arizona and it's VERY common for it to be cooler outside at night, yet home remains hotter even with HVAC in cooling mode. I feel I'm wasting a tremendous amount of electricity cooling my house even when outside is cooler. I fiddle with opening and closing windows, however, why not just have a system that exchanges air when it's cooler outside (or warmer - less common where I live).
@HEAV¥HAND I stand corrected. I bought ecobee thermostats and they have a feature specifically to run air exchanger in place of AC when is cooler outside. It's pretty awesome, only problem is I don't have an air exchanger :(
@HEAV¥HAND Funny you say that, I'm scared to open the window in my bedroom haha... When I was a kid not the case. I lived out in the countryside in Nebraska, never heard of crime then. I thought it was something on the movies.
@HEAV¥HAND Yeah it's insane. I was talking to my folks about how we used to never lock the house, leave keys in cars, etc. My neighbors got upset when I knocked before visiting. They always told me just to come inside. Such a different world bad then.
I've always wondered why exterior walls are not constructed so that the plywood rests on the concrete or brick foundation and left to hang over the edge. Does anyone know why this is so.
your mudsil should be even with edge of the slab so that when you install your sheathing it can run down past the edge of the slab to create an overlap. so that when water runs down the wall it wont run directly down onto the edge of the slab which in turn means a leak and then rot. the osb is not a proper barrier and should not be used as if it were siding
Hey Matt, I always enjoy gaining insights from your RUclips posts ahd have high regard for your Building Science knowledge.
Quick questions regarding use of flex ducts on this install as opposed to rigid ducts (3:24 ruclips.net/video/pkvoXK6-fjk/видео.html). How is this ERV system different from HVAC with respect to duct type? Are the runs short enough that duct type doesn't matter? Cost?
Thanks for keeping the content coming.
+Corwin Shakes great question. Yes very short runs here. Not as worried about distribution and we can balance the system post install. Variable speed motors. Certainly a cost savings to do flex.
Wouldn't it make more sense to incorporate this tech into the HVAC system so that the filtered outside air is distributed housewide, and a portion of the returned air be exhausted to the outside?
Fortunately, I live in an area with relatively clean air. My home is pretty airtight, so I have the urge to open the windows for some fresh air on nice days. If there was a way to direct the fresh filtered air into my HVAC system, I'd be less inclined to open the windows.
it's actually not a good thing to do, cause you don't want to mix ventilation and cooling/heating. Ventilation requires much less cubic volume and there are numerous articles why this is a bad solution. What you need is actually 4 ducts to each room (yes insane). 2 for in/out ventilation and 2 for cooling/heating
@@jasonhunter6125 While I agree it's not a good choice to mix them due to volume requirements, as you said, it would be more effective to supply fresh air to the rooms where people are, and exhaust from where pollutants are. However, placing one of each at opposite ends for the basement, as moisture is more likely to accumulate there due to the temperature of the concrete in most cases.
Better question is how tight is your house, and at what point do you need an erv.
Really everyone can benefit from proper ventilation, but those with tight houses need it more/most.
Matt, great video! I have a question: does this ERV replace a traditional HVAC system or compliment it? Thanks again!
It's mainly for bringing in fresh air into very tightly sealed homes.
cmm170526 this system does not heat or cool, it's for fresh air circulation of a tightly sealed home
@@tommydjohnsonjr i dont have an hvac system, can i install even without and where is the best place to install. i have a cape and i was thinking of installing in my knee wall space. its spray foamed in there.
A Font yes, you don’t have to have a HVAC system for this. It can partner with an existing system or be used as a stand alone
@@thebigdoghimself what about for bringing fresh air into a basement with no windows? i was going to get the panasonic one that looks like a bathroom fan.
Wow, looks expensive. So does this replace fresh air?
ERV is code in Norway
UM, what does ERV stand for?
energy recover ventilation
expensive return vent =P
sometimes his videos assume people know what he is talking about although im sure this is a great video.
It's not about "special air." Modern homes are built extremely airtight due to energy efficiency requirements that active ventilation is required to prevent moisture buildup and mold growth. The ERV provides this while also using the exhaust air to heat or cool the incoming fresh air to reduce the energy cost of treating the fresh air.
That looked like more flex duct than your usual install.
Write what it is in the title. I have no idea n my only guess is projector for a movie screen.
Can you spell the name of those covers you are using?
Pls let me know if you found out the spelling as I’m interested too.
They are Seiho Vent Caps ... seiho.com
That inlet air filter looks like a cabin air filter for a car.
He gets to the point at about 2:20: loads of sales guff before hand
This would be perfect in S Texas in conjunction with a denudifier.
+DieJungherr yes indeed
in the winter is it going to bring in cold air?
it brings in cold air, but the hot air being exhausted from the house warms up the cold air coming in so it's not as cold, that's why it's called an Energy Recovery Ventilator instead of just a House Ventilator.
Got it. Stand-alone. Suck house air (bathroom, kitchen) and return fresh air into the living area (somehow washing the fresh air with heat)
There seems like there are a lot of geeks on here that know way more than i do on venting and fresh air . Well on most things LOL So that is the reason for my question . Is there any information on using earth tubes to bring the fresh air to the ERV or to a dehumidifier then dispersing it into the home . Unfortunately in my area there isn't much research being done on high end systems . After calling more than one collage i am left with more questions than answers .
I would see earth tubes as more of an alternative to an ERV, you are using the ground temperature to cool or heat (depending on the season) the air coming into the house which is kinda the primary concept of the ERV, I guess you could use the ERV if you really wanted to, but at that point you are already mostly there on the energy recovery you would get from one of these so it's probably not worth the cost.
Dane Lynch , The earth tubes work well in the southwest because low humidity. The danger is mold growth due to moisture.
@@davetaylor8614 Thx Dave for pointing this out. Earth tubes will dump moisture from hot air into the tube when it hits the cooler earth. The moisture and pollen etc are now a good medium for mold. The air moving through the tube is becomes laden with mold spores. Don't bring mold into your home air. This is why earth tubes are not a solution for an hrv or erv.
This unit most likely has a low head! Why are you using flexible ductwork? Reduces air consumption!
"...awesome MERV 8 Filter." 5 years ago that was a big deal... boy has times changed. @00:36
Serious question...at what point do you need/have to have an erv/hrv? Thx
Depends on your goal. If you want the house to be healthier for the people- run it all the time, if you're just trying to manage a humidity level, that would depend on the humidity. A simple 'dehumidistat' can manage that for you.
@@technorex344 thanks for the reply. Ive got a house that blows 12 ach. Im working on improving that but assume that it stays at 12 ach. Would an erv/hrv still benefit the home or occupants? Thx
@@treystills How did you come to that number?
@@technorex344 blower door test
@@treystills I see. I disagree with that test on the basis of: Why would one test a building for problems, using a test that will never occur under normal conditions?
I like watching your videos Matt but I really think you dropped the ball on this one. I used to install HRV's and as a Power Smart installer, we had to install supply and exhaust ports absolute minimum of six feet apart but usually they were at least ten feet apart. Otherwise exhausted stale air would tend to return toward the supply air port. We also installed fresh air ports in all living areas of house and exhaust/stale air ports in all wet areas of house ( laundry, kitchen and bathrooms. The total volume of exhaust air from house side ports had to equal the total volume of fresh air from fresh air house side ports. The system had to be designed through downsizing ductwork and balancing dampers to perfect the airflows. The systems we designed could not be heard at all and worked flawlessly when filters were cleaned and maintained properly. The system you are portraying here does not seem to meet up to national standards.
Thanks for the extra info, would the sound issues in this case be caused by the design implemented or the system itself being used? I am a 1st year student architect so I have much to learn. Also, regarding air circulation generally, I do wonder how you balance bringing in and circulating fresh air without creating large additional heating demands in the case of winter air circulation?
The balance comes from code. Code requires minimum values of fresh air CFM based on ASHRAE standard 62.1 (commercial) or 62.2 (residential). Also in regards to the spacing, in the commercial world any intake has to be at least 10' from a vent or point of exhaust. Exhaust also must terminate a minimum of 3' from an opening to a building (window, door, etc)
First thing is to establish where the building is and whether you're heating or cooling? (summer or winter) To answer your question ( I think) the incoming additional fresh air is pre-heated by the exhausted stale air. That's the essence of the system but you're right to ask, what volume of air are we talking about and how do those little 8" or 6" Diameter vents handle a whole house?
I think we should have an augmented building code for buildings whose main effort is cooling, not heating, because the two problems have some similar solutions, and some different solutions too. Maintaining the comfort level of your house by only managing the air flow is a mistake where it's hot. The thermal mass of the structure has to be designed to take advantage of the natural wind and the ground, to keep itself cool. Primary (from the sun) and secondary (from heat islanding and stucco siding) radiant heat should be reflected away. Chimney's can be used to accelerate or facilitate natural ventilation within the structure, by letting cool air replace hot air, just like an HRV, only do it with a masonry chimney and a fireplace inserted, to change it from cooling to heating as necessary. Our light weight stick frames need additional weight inside the envelope to act as batteries, to moderate temperature swings produced by natural means, such as passive solar overheating. How much thermal mass and where? That's a pertinent question.
And the unanswered question after Popular Science or Mechanics magazine spoke of it in the '60s, what about moveable insulation systems? We still don't have an automated way to close off the passive solar windows at night, saving significant heat loss, or stopping heat gain during the hottest summer days.
Home Depot should have something on the shelf that looks like a 6' patio door, but has the moveable panel made of R 13 Polyisocyanurate insulation with a metal skin. Install as normal but only the fixed pane of glass is visible, the moveable section slides into the wall like a pocket door. A slight ramp and electro-magnet catch connected to a photo sensor, would tell the panel that darkness has arrived, and let it slide down the ramp into place. Mornings, you'd have to "open" the windows to let the light in, by hand, sliding them back up the ramp until the magnet catch 'clicks'.
A "super-insulation" wall system can accommodate such a thing without disrupting the integrity of the various thermal and vap/air barriers. On a house in Alabama in 2002, I used block walls with 3" of rigid board insulation, and a brick veneer weather screen. Casement windows were placed into masonry rough openings with a 2 1/8" brad nail and finish nailer. The spindly nails bend when they hit the concrete, but half a dozen around the frame will hold it perfectly level in place like metal spider legs. I normally leave a 3/8" space for insulation between the rough opening and the finished frame for insulation, which is where the wire nails show up. Then use low expansion foam in a can to fill that space and make the (integral) air/vap connection between the exterior insulation panels, and the finished frame of the windows. Airtight. Fast and easy. That house had two stories with 8" blocks on the main level and 6" blocks on the 2nd level creating a ledge (2 1/4" required so an metal ledger of at least 1/4" has to be added to support the joist end, if you eliminate the rim joist substituting blocking) for a conventional suspended wood floor. The roof is another story but the envelope is (also) maintained. Two operating Velux skylights at the very top of the house in a chase up through the trusses let out hot air using a green house item, that opens windows when it's hot inside. Automatically cool underground air comes into the chimney structure, surrounding but not accessing, the firebox. Approximately 180 tons of themal mass inside the envelope.
My wife's career required that we move out of state before moving into it, so I have no idea whether any of that worked or not. I lived in it with the dog for the summer of '03 while finishing details and selling it, and even when the thermometer broke 100 F, the air conditioner never came on, the house stayed below 80 F with just the central fan circulating air. The firebox was small but long and air tight and the two flues (dual exhaust) went straight up through an all brick chimney 36'. You only burn the fire, flat out, maximum fuel burn and maximum heat. The 180 tons of masonry takes care of any 'hot spots' allowing me to run the fireplace Saturday morning for a few hours, (Oak forest) and again mid week during construction, in winter for heating.
Anti-; seismic, termite, tornado, hurricane and fire, it had a 'safe room' built inside, as a laundry/storage vault. Almost no one I met while trying to sell it, considered any of that worth anything, or asked what it would cost to "finish the drywall" and "do the crown moldings", etc.. Sold it a hair over cost, $185k.
I only see one supply and return, how can it be balanced for supplying multiple rooms?
Panasonic or Carrier? That is the question. I was thinking of going with Carrier
I ended up with S&P
Emergency response vehicle?
What is an erv?
is this a diy install.i did not get what you said to balance the system out
The only reason I do not want to buy this is because I do not want to constantly spend money to replace filter at $40 a pop for the hepa is high. I think $20 would be the right price. I would also be afraid to buy this because if Panasonic discontinued this unit, then at some point they would discontinue your filter. I hate to be held hostage by things that are beyond my control . Does any know if there is an alternative filter or if the hepa filter in this is a standard size filter that can be purchased and used for this system. Also, I don't have to get 100% of my pollen out and I would be so happy if they had a washable filter? Does anyone know any other solution to get low cost or washable filters?
David Hazen you could buy a normal hvac filter and cut it down to size. Maybe buy a large enough one to get a few that fit in here. I know people do that with home hepa air filters.
Throw away the filter provided by the manufacturer and add any filter you like in the duct path coming from outside and before entering the ERV. And, while you are at it, you might want to do the same thing with the duct bringing exhaust air from inside before it goes into the input of the ERV, to prevent contamination of the heat-moisture exchange media inside the unit.
An ERV...it's to fix the problem we've created over the last 30 years making houses air-tight. Mine is probably a 7 on a scale of 10 for air tightness and whenever I turn on my Panasonic bathroom exhaust fan I can smell attic air being draw thru every crack and crevice, that's how I know if I forgot to turn it off (it's super quiet). My 90% furnace gives me headaches centered around the nerves in the back of my head around the neck every time we go into the heating season, don't tell me it's not shooting carbon monoxide back into the house. I don't like the looks of the exhaust/intake on the outside of the house, it's one of the types that don't have separate pipes...it's probably sucking in the exhausted fumes.
The "build tight" movement seems to have won the battle over how to make a home energy efficient, as spray-foam sealing of attics has become a "high-growth" industry, pumping tons of foam (plastic) into our houses at an ever growing rate to "air seal" the attic, extending the thermal envelope as a way to minimize energy consumption. I'm going to have to go along with it to upgrade my 24 year old home, but shudder as I realize that the earth already has a humongous "plastics" problem, and our homes will eventually get bulldozed.
If you don't want an ERV add some fresh air ports (passive vents) or a powered intake fan.
Your furnace should not be shooting anything back in the house as modern units operate using outside air for combustion and then exhaust the fumes outside.
I bought this unit based on your recommendation. Unit is dead on arrival and does not turn on - very poor quality. It was also missing the covers for the ports.
Covers for the ports?
@@technorex344 ports allowing manometer reading - the covers blank them off to close leaks if they were open.
So I would need several ERV's for, let's say, three bedrooms house?
+alteragnostik no. This one would meet the needs of a typical 3 bedroom house easily
Thank you, Matt! Your channel is great, I'm watching almost each video of yours.
Could you tell me, what's the price for this Panasonic unit?
+alteragnostik its in the $1000-1500 range
If you ended up getting this, how do you like it?
People shit a cupcake when they find out how much the filters cost.
First time I saw one these things I couldn't believe it. Stress skin panel home was so tight that the air inside would become unhealthy. So we have increased the efficiency of a home to the point where we need another expensive device and failure point, to keep the air quality healthy. How did we ever survive back when homes weren't quite as tight? The first one I saw I was hired to help replace it, as rodents had turned it into a nice home....
Approximately 1982, in Regina, Saskatchewan in association with the University of Saskatchewan and half a dozen other schools and the Canadian Federal Department of Research and some of Canada's leading architects and engineers, they got together and built three houses, with the design goal of building a house that would stand alone in the Canadian prairie winter and maintain liveable temperatures without any mechanical systems. A passive solar box. They did it, but in their joy and haste, deployed people in the form of families to attempt to live in the boxes.
Within weeks the jubilation turned to wretched disappointment as everyone but the dog, got sick. No one had thought about air quality, and to make things worse, the house was no longer "net zero energy" now that someone lived in it. And we the people kept paying for this circus... The next thing they came up with was air to air heat exchangers, something only Red Green had managed to do up until then. They should have consulted him because they were another 20 years getting the HRV thing to work, as it does now. In fairness, the things work far better than I ever thought they would.
You can open windows if you like as well- it's good to have fresh air even when windows are closed, which doesn't happen in traditionally built homes either (who knows where the air is coming from with cracks and leaks- radon filled basement? Garage?
Only in america would CFM be a thing
ERV = energy recovery ventilation HRV = heat recovery ventilation
Hi Matt - I hope you are still responding to these comments. I plan on building a 36' Diameter Geodesic Dome Home which will mostly have an open plan and Extensions. It is an energy efficient, "tight", home with tons of insulation in the walls. I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) and am extremely sensitive to VOC's. I live in the humid South but it also gets below freezing in the Winter (for a few days...). I am doing my research on the ERV and it would appear this is what I need.
My Question is: Would this be the size I would need or would the Whisper Panasonic (spot ERV) be better for my small, open, floor plan? I really need great filtration and not sure the Spot ERV will fulfill that. (I will have a bathroom fan and also my electric stove will have a vent / fan. OH! I can not have a ducted air / heat system due to severe Allergies so I will be using the Mitsubishi Mini-split air / heat system in my home.
A little confused on what I should get....if anyone can give some suggestions, I would certainly appreciate it. Even though I will be using mostly Low VOC materials to build, I want to ensure I will be able to live in this home, and clean indoor air is going to be extremely important for me. Thanks for your input!
Good video, but using all that flex is cheap. You should of hard piped everything. “Snaplock pipe, or spiral pipe”.