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[email protected] nicksanspam@ece.villanova.edu is offline
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Default Heat Recovery Ventilator

Robert Gammon wrote:

Any of the HRV models will work in your home.


But a typical 2400 ft^2 US house leaks 0.7 ACH, ie 0.7x2400x8/60 = 224 cfm,
so an HRV saves almost no energy, compared to a less-expensive exhaust fan
which might only run when the outdoor temp is close to the indoor temp.

A constant 105CFM does a complete change out of the air in your home in
1.5 hours.


Way too much. Enough for 7 full-time occupants, by ASHRAE standards.

So a reasonable approach is to use a timer that will allow you to run it
20 minutes out of every hour for a complete change out in 4.5 hours


Still too much. Andersen says an average family of 4 evaporates 2 gallons
per day of water, ie 16.66lb/24h = 0.694 lb/h. In a mythical airtight US
house with 15 cfm of fresh air with an outdoor humidity ratio wo = 0.0025
pounds of water per pound of dry air (Phila in January) and wi indoors,
15x60x0.075(wi-wo) = 0.694 makes wi = 0.0128, so Pi = 29.921/(1+0.62198/wi)
= 0.603 "Hg, vs 0.748 for 70 F at 100% RH, for an 81% indoor RH.

But that's high enough to allow mold and mildew, so it might be reasonable
to run an HRV when the indoor RH rises to 60% in wintertime, with a timer
that only allows it to run in the afternoon, when outdoor air is warmer.

Nick