I'm buying a house in Edmonton Alberta Canada, where the conditions are
typically dry and dusty and hot in the summer.
I plan on installing a HRV to control basement humidity and keep the
air fresh in the winter.
The house doesn't have an airconditioner and if it's dusty, opening the
windows would bring in mess with the cooler night air. Running the HRV
would heat the incoming air with the energy in the house air at night
and maintain the temperature in the house during the day, so that's not
a terribly effective option. So here's the question.

If I add an atomizing humidifier to the return line to the HRV (between
the house vents and the HRV) to spray water into the house air being
exhausted, will there be enough of a temperature drop in the humid
exhaust air to get a cooling benefit in the dry incoming air? Do these
atomizing humidifier units send enough vapour into the air stream to
create a cooling effect or is the amount of water required beyond their
capabilities? I've seen a small unit at HomeDepot but can't recall the
volume output, the unit I've found on the web is about 6.5L/hour

From what I've read about swamp coolers they cool the air by
evaporation but the humidity in the house increases, I'm more
interested in keeping a reasonable humidity level in the house and
cooling the house.

Thanks in advance

MacGregor

"MacGregor" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm buying a house in Edmonton Alberta Canada, where the conditions are
typically dry and dusty and hot in the summer.
I plan on installing a HRV to control basement humidity and keep the
air fresh in the winter.
The house doesn't have an airconditioner and if it's dusty, opening the
windows would bring in mess with the cooler night air. Running the HRV
would heat the incoming air with the energy in the house air at night
and maintain the temperature in the house during the day, so that's not
a terribly effective option. So here's the question.

If I add an atomizing humidifier to the return line to the HRV (between
the house vents and the HRV) to spray water into the house air being
exhausted, will there be enough of a temperature drop in the humid
exhaust air to get a cooling benefit in the dry incoming air? Do these
atomizing humidifier units send enough vapour into the air stream to
create a cooling effect or is the amount of water required beyond their
capabilities? I've seen a small unit at HomeDepot but can't recall the
volume output, the unit I've found on the web is about 6.5L/hour

From what I've read about swamp coolers they cool the air by
evaporation but the humidity in the house increases, I'm more
interested in keeping a reasonable humidity level in the house and
cooling the house.

Thanks in advance

MacGregor

I can't answer your other questions, but a word of caution about atomizing
humidifiers --

Unless you have water with VERY low mineral content, the dissolved solids
remain in the outgoing air stream as smoke sized particles after the water
evaporates. It then distributes everywhere in the area served and settles
on everything -- white, dusty film.

SJF

SJF wrote:
"MacGregor" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm buying a house in Edmonton Alberta Canada, where the conditions are
typically dry and dusty and hot in the summer.
I plan on installing a HRV to control basement humidity and keep the
air fresh in the winter.
The house doesn't have an airconditioner and if it's dusty, opening the
windows would bring in mess with the cooler night air. Running the HRV
would heat the incoming air with the energy in the house air at night
and maintain the temperature in the house during the day, so that's not
a terribly effective option. So here's the question.

If I add an atomizing humidifier to the return line to the HRV (between
the house vents and the HRV) to spray water into the house air being
exhausted, will there be enough of a temperature drop in the humid
exhaust air to get a cooling benefit in the dry incoming air? Do these
atomizing humidifier units send enough vapour into the air stream to
create a cooling effect or is the amount of water required beyond their
capabilities? I've seen a small unit at HomeDepot but can't recall the
volume output, the unit I've found on the web is about 6.5L/hour

From what I've read about swamp coolers they cool the air by
evaporation but the humidity in the house increases, I'm more
interested in keeping a reasonable humidity level in the house and
cooling the house.

Thanks in advance

MacGregor

I can't answer your other questions, but a word of caution about atomizing
humidifiers --

Unless you have water with VERY low mineral content, the dissolved solids
remain in the outgoing air stream as smoke sized particles after the water
evaporates. It then distributes everywhere in the area served and settles
on everything -- white, dusty film.

SJF

I agree with SJF. in a real swamp cooler, the minerals will collect
on the pads and if you install a bleed kit they will seek an
equalibrium and exit with the bleed water. If you just atomize the
water with no pad or other medium, the minerals have no where else to
go but into the air. A swamp cooler with a bleed kit works great in
Arizona.


Mark