Whenever the humidity exceeds the set level, the air exchanger will activate. It should be set around 40% to prevent mold growth. If your home is feeling dry, up to 55% should still be dry enough to prevent mold, but there will be more moisture in the air so out-of-the-way corners and windowsills might still get wet.
Keep It Turned On
This one might seem obvious, but you must use your air exchanger to enjoy its benefits. So don't think you are wasting a significant amount of energy by turning the device on. Your air exchanger is most effective when run continuously.
The exchanger really should not run more than 20 minutes out of the hour as you are causing the furnace to have to run to heat the cold outside air you are drawing in. A better way to keep air fresh is to allow the exchanger to run 20 minutes but keep fan in on position on furnace to keep circulating air.
The answer depends on your home's air conditioning system, your ERV wall control, the outdoor temperature and, most importantly, the outdoor relative humidity. As a rule of thumb, if you are more comfortable outside than inside your house, you should run your air exchanger in the summer.
By doing so we are removing inside, cool, dehumidified air for extremely humid air for the outside. It will make your air conditioner run more period! Lets recap. Run your air to air exchanger in the winter months and turn it to standby in the spring, summer, and fall.
Whenever the humidity exceeds the set level, the air exchanger will activate. It should be set around 40% to prevent mold growth. If your home is feeling dry, up to 55% should still be dry enough to prevent mold, but there will be more moisture in the air so out-of-the-way corners and windowsills might still get wet.
The cooler indoor air cools the heat exchanger core, which subsequently cools the incoming warm outdoor air. This results in less reliance on your air conditioning system, translating into lower energy usage.
Your air exchanger will come into play, working to lower the levels, which should be between 50 and 60 percent during the summer season. This will prevent excessive moisture in the air, which can lead to the appearance of spores and mold.
Some people believe that HRV systems should only be used in the winter, while others think that they should be used all year long. Technically, neither answer is wrong. That said, we suggest using your HRV system anytime all of your windows and doors are closed.
An air exchanger should not make your house cold if it is functioning correctly. It is designed to exchange indoor air with outdoor air without significantly affecting the indoor temperature. If your house feels cold, it could be due to other factors or an issue with the system that needs to be addressed.
We recommend setting your HRV to “minimum” or “vent”, then set it to “20/40”. 20/40 means that your HRV will run twenty minutes out of every hour, ensuring there's a constant flow of fresh air coming through the home without having to run the system nonstop.
Sometimes, the heat exchanger can get too hot and overheat. Your system can sense this overheating and will turn off the burners but keep the blower (fan) on to help the heat exchanger cool down. If this is your issue, you'll notice cool air blowing from your vents instead of heated air.
During seasons when your windows and doors are closed (winter, and summer if air conditioned), the HRV should be set to operate continuously on low speed with the option of going to high speed as the need arises.
While everyone's home comfort preferences will vary, we recommend a dehumidistat setting between 35 and 45 percent for Summer.
Regulate humidity: Air exchangers eliminate excess moisture, which helps keep your home comfortable—not too humid and not too dry.
Signs of a Properly Functioning Air Exchanger
Stable Indoor Humidity Levels: One of the main roles of an air exchanger is to regulate humidity levels. If your indoor humidity is stable and within a comfortable range (between 30% and 50%), it's likely your air exchanger is functioning correctly.
You should therefore adjust the settings of your air exchanger by referring to the brand's conditions of use. If possible, you should adjust the settings to switch to “recirculation” mode during the warm season. This effectively limits the entrance of moisture and lets the air circulate throughout the house.
An HRV is a controlled ventilation system that recovers and recycles energy from an Exhaust Air Stream. In winter the HRV recovers available heated energy, and in Summer, if your home is air conditioned, the HRV recovers cooled energy.
Falling asleep is associated with an increase in parasympathetic activity (aka rest and digest). In stages of non-REM sleep, the parasympathetic system continues to predominate and is broadly associated with a higher HRV, with some fluctuations.
We recommend setting your thermostat to around 78 degrees when you are at work or away on vacation, 74 degrees when you are at home, and 70 when you are sleeping. We recommend leaving your air conditioner on, even if you will be away for days.
Not only does it require electricity to run the air exchanger, but the air the exchanger brings into your house must be brought up to temperature. This may require that more electric is used to cool your building or that more fuel is also required for heating.
According to ASHRAE standard 62.1 (“Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings”), homes need to have at least 0.35 air changes of outdoor air for indoor air per hour to maintain the quality of the indoor air.
As a general rule of thumb, you should set your system's dehumidistat to 25 percent to 50 percent depending on the temperature to keep condensation at bay. For instance, 50 percent is the maximum relative humidity you should have if the outdoor temperature is between -11 degrees Celsius to 18 degrees Celsius.
To optimize energy efficiency, consider coordinating your air exchanger with your HVAC system. For instance, during winter, operate your air exchanger when your heating system is running to take advantage of the heat recovery process.
Your ERV/HRV may run continuously on high speed if: The main control is set for high speed. A timer has been pressed for high speed override. The set point for RH (Relative Humidity) is below the actual relative humidity of your home.