We installed an ERV in our house. DIY Energy Recovery Ventilator Honeywell VNT5150E1000
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 พ.ค. 2021
- We installed a Honeywell VNT5150E1000 ERV in our house to fix the ventilation issues that were caused by spray foam insulation.
I finally got our ERV installed. It took over 2 months and about $3k. It’s running and I think the house feels a lot better. It doesn’t smell weird and funky upstairs like spray foam anymore. The whole house feels fresher to me. I guess we will see over time if it fixes a bunch of problems the we were having.
You’re supposed to balance an ERV. I used a cheap manometer and a pitot tube, and I think it might be close, or maybe not. You have to do math with that cheap manometer to figure out the cfm. It’s too complicated for me. I ordered a Testo i405 anemometer so it will just tell me cfm. I will be making a video about balancing the ERV. I will put a link to that video here when I’m done.
Right now I’m just using the control box that is on the ERV, but I’m going to be installing an external control in my living room next to my thermostat. That way I can set the ERV to run on a timer or to run automatically or whatever. I don’t think it needs to run 24 hours a day. I want to set it up to maybe run 15 or 20 minutes per hour. I’m not really sure yet. I’m still researching that and I’ll figure it out.
Right now I usually run it anytime that I’m home and I’ll turn it off when I leave. Sometimes I let it run all day when I’m not here.
I will be making a few more videos about this ERV over the next few weeks.
ERV first filter cleaning and first 3 months update
• Honeywell ERV first fi...
How to balance an ERV
• How to balance an ERV ...
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Man I appreciate your honesty and your dedication. Thank you for sharing
Finding the vents for the supplies and returns is what got me here. Nice solution
great video! I have been looking for this for years! Thank you!
Same problem here. Thanks for the video!
You’re a very good teacher and explainer. Quite engaging.
Nice work and good, no perfect, video to post on TH-cam. I truly appreciate your passing along this honest video showing exactly how you installed the Honeywell ERV in your home. I've invested about a year already in preparation before replacing my HVAC, Hot Water, and Garbage Disposal systems; at year 24, everything in my house failed at the same time and I was determined to DIY.
I am forced to seriously consider getting our attic, and perhaps the crawl-space, spray foamed to help with air sealing and insulation so the ductwork can be enclosed in the "thermal envelope" of the house, which seems to be a necessary first step if I want to save the max on energy costs. The HVAC ducts need to be inside the conditioned space, whether insulated or not. R-8 insulation on ducts (code) in my hot attic won't do a heck of a lot of good with respect to heat loss via the ducts, and what exists is at R4.2!
You said you had problems with the spray-foam the general contractor installed in your new home's attic, and you said that it caused an odor, or something smelled bad with your inside air, and you said that after installing the ERV, your air smelled better, it smelled fresh, or something like that. Can you say anything more about the spray-foam that better explains your complaints? Were you happy that your attic was spray-foamed? Unhappy? Were there any moisture problems? I think you said you had open cell form? Anything you might say could potentially be a big help in making my decision. Thanks.
We did open cell foam and installed a 200cfm ERV. Several videos on our channel about the foam and ERV. Hope it helps you.
Its not the spray foam fault.
You can have a vented attic house with traditional insulation and still have the same problem.
Your house is tight.
Its becoming a new code.
Alternatively you could undersize the hvac unit and have it run longer. Would remove moisture.
Yup. He needs to find the source of the moisture. I have spray foam on the entire envelope of my house. Similar climate in the SE. No dehumidifier. Just run the A/C in the summer. We have a full inground basement as well and the humidity down there stays around 40%. The humidity in the heated area of the house stays between 40% and 45%.
I did install an ERV because CO2 levels were over 2000 CFM.
Wouldn't having a smaller AC unit running longer raise the cost of electricity that you try to save by doing sprayfoam?
You're very descriptive and funny...I knew you were going to say that you were going to "get ANOTHER tub"...heh..heh..."SLAP IT ON"! Cheers, Sue Slater
Thank you for a very detail video!
Amaizing video and amaizing job! congratulations!
Looks good. I wouldn't put a return in the laundry room due to the lint. Also, the heat gain from the dryer you need a supply.
Thanks for sharing!
You did a good job of installing and explaining. I’m trying to learn about these systems so I can eventually install one in my home. I guess I’ll subscribe and see what else I can learn.
For some of the longer runs upstairs, I should’ve reduced the duct size from 6” to 4”.
I wish I would’ve used an ERV/dehumidifier comb unit.
If I could start all over, I would just install fresh air intakes on my 2 hvac units. I would not install an ERV at all.
@@BrantleyBlendedwhy just fresh air intakes into the hvac. Cost and time? Would you get comparable or better results than the stand alone ERV?
Yes, cost and time, but some other reasons too. I would’ve saved a lot of money by just installing fresh air intakes. I also would’ve save a lot of time. I could’ve installed the fresh air intakes a lot faster.
The ERV requires cleaning at least every 3 months. I’m tired of constantly cleaning and maintaining the ERV.
The ERV is working good, but I feel like my house could benefit from higher positive pressure. If I had 2 fresh air vents they would pull in a lot more air than the ERV does.
@BrantleyBlended - do you think that would have solved the problem without setting up your ERV ? Im in a similar situation from tour first video which lead me to this seeing how I'll need to install this unit on our metal home that we builtand have spray foam in it an my humidity level is always like 75-80%😢 so this video gave me hope.
@@BrantleyBlended- how would you get the fresh air intakes to pull the air in would it require you t purchase some sort of gable vent with a fan to draw in the fresh air into the hvac system allowing the fresh air to travel through the ducts? Would i still need separate return ducts to pull out the stagnat air?
Good job. Running rigid duct is the way to go to optimize airflow.
Great video. Thanks.
Nice job
Hopefully people understand that your attic is practically conditioned space because of the foam on the roof that’s the only reason that your ducting was not insulated. Their ducting might have to be insulated because their attic roof is not insulated.
Good video
EXCELLENT AWESOME 👍👍👍👌👌👌
Really looking forward to hear how this all plays out. Sounds like the results are promising so far. With the warmer weather it'll probably be a while before you have another fire going in the fireplace.
Do you have open or closed cell foam?
It’s been running good so far and I really think it helps. The kitchen vent hood works now without having to open a window. The house feels better and fresher. I just got an anemometer so I’m going to rebalance this ERV this weekend and make a video about it.
We have open cell foam.
GOOD SAFE TIDY INSTALLATION instead of cutting 1/2 inch door from bottom u can make 3 inch hole through hole saw cutter & fixed round PVC. Nice Vent grill instead of spoiling door alignment from bottom of Laundry room pl see to it
That was a great detailed video, thank you for sharing it with us. Did you notice any rooms that has more or less air flow then others? You are a patient man, 2 months? wow.
I don’t notice a difference in airflow. The whole house feels better and smells better so I think it’s working great.
Funny how you see trying to figure out what they were thinking when they installed the thru wall exterior vent. They weren’t. They slapped em in and rolled off the job. Never cared if they were connected. Good thing you caught it. You should check the others they are probably blowing in the the wall cavity as also. Good work. I’m wondering if the system is a good substitute for bathroom exhaust?
My kids take really hot showers. The ERV does not suck the steam out of the bathroom fast enough. When they open the bathroom door, it sets off the smoke alarm. I cut a little bit off the bottom of the door to allow the ERV to pull more air into the bathroom. I probably need to cut more off the bottom of the door. Or maybe they shouldn’t take showers that are skin boiling hot. Haha.
Instead of metal SS duct v can make use of PVC SWR. with complete accessories Y. Coupling reducer available only v hv to do PU OR aluminium insulation on PVC pipe Duct ....is non corrosion light waight & long lasting life
@11:21 I bet your glad you didn't fill your ceiling bays with insulation. Man that looks like a nice job to do.
Thanks for this great video. You truly have patience and courage to do this on your own. I have learned alot from your video.
Does this ERV can be control by the smart-thermostat such as Honeywell T10 PRO smart thermostat?
It is to start when HVAC starts and shuts off when HVAC systems shut off?
I do have humidifier controlled by the Honeywell T10 PRO smart, which turns on the furnace blower when my house is low in humidity.
I don’t know anything about the Honeywell T10 PRO smart thermostat. My ERV is installed completely separate from my HVAC system. I don’t have a separate controller for my ERV. I just use the on/off switch on the side of the unit. My ERV runs 24 hours per day. I only turn it off when I clean it.
You could buy an Air Quality monitor (one that monitors VOCs and CO2) to quantify the effect of ERV. Spray foam side effect should show up as VOCs. I don't have a spray foam problem, however, ERV is still good to get fresh air and remove trapped CO2 from all the exhaled air. In short, no, it's not all in your head or a placebo, but ERVs are very much functional, better-health-providing systems. Thanks for sharing this video; I'm looking at installing an ERV and your installation video was detailed, to the point and entertaining. Cheers!
Nice job Brantley. On the supply ducts, could you have used a y pipe in the HVAC duct so that you don't have 2 registers side by side in your ceiling ???
Maybe. If the ERV was off, and the HVAC was running, it might blow air backwards through the ERV. Connecting it to the HVAC ductwork near the heat pump or furnace is one of the recommended installation methods, so your idea would probably be okay.
I plan on doing a ERV in my new house, I also plan on doing spray foam. I have watched lots of videos on people hating it and loving it. I guess I will see later lol. Has it been better since you installed it?
The ERV has improved ventilation in our house but we still have problems sometimes.
We installed a 200cfm in our Off-Grid spray foamed house. Ducted it separately as well and but kept ran the bath venta through the ERV. Here is a link to the unit install.
th-cam.com/video/8-hEnDrbMAc/w-d-xo.html
Great project. How about an update on finished project. Results good & bad on this project
I have an ERV playlist and several update videos. It has helped with our ventilation problems, but we still have high humidity in the house. I’m currently installing a whole house dehumidifier.
If you didn't have such a well insulated attic space, wouldn't BOTH the return and fresh air ducting needed to be insulated?
Refill your newly made holes in the wall with foam ! Cracks are showing.
Thanks for info on ERV When do you plan to seal up ceiling penetrations & get some cellulose or fiberglass ceiling insulation??
If you are talking about putting insulation between my attic and living space ceiling, the answer is never. The roof has spray foam. The attic is like a conditioned space. There is no need for ceiling insulation.
@@BrantleyBlended I’ve been reading some of these comments and I can see how ignorant many of the peoples comments are. If I hadn’t tried to educate myself I’d probably be making many of the same comments they are. Our minds are still stuck in the old way of doing things, and I’m trying to teach this old dog (myself) new tricks. I can see that you really have tried to educate yourself as I have been trying. My while life in the construction industry has taught me soffit fresh air and ridge vent. I think the new highly researched ways of building air tight homes is good. Yes these new ways do come with challenges,such as the absolute necessity of systems to bring in fresh air, but I think it’s good.
@@nieldcreek2098- I guess I fall under the ignorant comments but the reason We ask questions it to have a better understanding and gain some sort of education from his trails/ and experience. Im running into the same humidity problem he has with a metal home thats air tight with sprayfoam.
Do you have any noticeable sound from the vents inside the living space and sound with the unit running from the floor below?
I cannot hear the unit running from the living spaces. I can hear air moving through the vents in some of the rooms, but it is not any louder the the air moving through the HVAC vents.
Ductwork looks very clean and well put together, but one thing. With a house that tight and a central Air System, having the ERV's Ductwork in the attic IMO should really be insulated to at least R8. Over time the Cool, conditioned air from within the envelope, passing through a hot attic will cause condensation in the metal pipe. A poorly ventilated attic can get very hot, and pulling cool air through it will cause any moisture in the air to condensate.
My attic is usually pretty comfortable, even on hot summer days. It is warmer than inside the living spaces of my house, but it is nowhere near as hot as an uninsulated attic.
I've had this ERV running for over a year and I've never noticed any condensation. I'm not saying it won't or can't happen, but I haven't noticed it yet. I live in hot and humid Georgia. I think if it were to happen anywhere, a humid southern state would be a good place.
I'll keep an eye out for it though.
I know this is a year old, but this is a conditioned attic and should be within a few degrees of the house temp. Your comment only applies on a vented attic.
the spray foam made your house tighter, thats a good thing. your problem may have been caused by the SPF Insulation, but your real problem is HVAC, and as may have already come to know, that ERV is not going to completely solve your problem. You need whole house dehumidification also, because you have way too many BTUS of dump Air Conditioning now. If you had a more advanced HVAC like a minisplit you'd be better off. your AC Units are not running enough to provide adequate dehunidification, they cool the house too quickly now and have no dehumidify mode like a minisplit does. the ERV is necessary you need fresh air, but now you'll be buying a dehumidifier than you should not really need. I bet if I skip ahead I am going to see that you will be doing that, but its not going to address your issues completely. you really needed a good, modern HVAC guy to redesign your HVAC System, pricey though. I have a potential DIY Solution that may be much less expensive, but will result in the nullification of all kinds of warranties, LOL. It involves moving all your second AC Unit vents and returns to the main AC unit, and upgrading that unit to a smarter zoned system with new thermostats, plenums, and dampers.
your going to be needing some measurement equipment and your in for a bunch of math. On another note you are throwing around the ERV term alot and I am not sure that your are really aware how cool that thing is, literally. its an energy recovery ventilator and not an H(heat)RV or simple "V". It has a very advance multispeed fan with a really efficient motor. but the really cool tech is in its method of Energy Recovery. Its not your regular old everyday heat exchanger in there, its got something called an enthalpy core that serves to partition the incoming and outgoing air in such a manner that allows for the already conditioned stale air to transfer that conditioning to the incoming fresh makeup air at probably around 80 efficiency, very cool. In the very near future, innovative use of dessicants, enthalpy, heat exchange, heat pumps, evaporative cooling, DC Inverters, rigid mini duct and zoning should find us increasing HVAC system efficiency by several powers of 10. This could go a long way toward saving us from being forced into the dark ages by the "climate-change-is-all-our-fault" Co2 Nazis. But its a long shot from a sinking container ship.
The ERV fixed a lot of ventilation problems, but we are still fighting high humidity. I just ordered a whole house dehumidifier. I hope to have it installed in a week or so.
@@BrantleyBlended yea, I figured. when I remodeled my small house I bought a low pressure foam rig and though not HVAC licensed, I know it, and the issues folks are running into, at least in texas and the southeast. Its simply the way houses are traditionally built down here and we have to keep our cold in so our systems primarily recirculate, up north they ventilate. By moving the conditioned envelop you took away most of your homes ventilation so you needed to get riid of bad air, you could have done it by putting your bathroom/kitchen fans on timers and crack your windows them you end up with negative pressure and your ears pop, gotta have fresh make-up air. You addressed this with the ERV, but your not balancing its use optimally or to its full benefit thus wasting some energy, until it fails. The spray foam insulation increased your R Value. This again would be a very good thing as you require fewer BTUS from your AC to cool your house, but your AC system was spec'd for the old R Value and it is dumb, it recirulates, filters and dehumidifes the air as well as cooling and heating it, but it does so only taking into account a single factor; the temperature at the thermostats and your thermostat is too dumb to measure the humidity and adjust the runtime of the air conditioner accordingly. The way you were sitting right now you probably no longer need two air conditioners worth of BTUs. But you can't just move your upstairs vents to your downstairs system because they need different amounts to condition the space, you need another thermostat and dampers to set up upstairs and downstairs zones on the single AC and even then it's still not measuring the humidity and will still run too little, at any rate you can control your house untill one or both fail. So you are forced to get a whole house dehumidifier even though you already have plenty of capability to dehumidify in the AC it's just not running long enough to do it. So you're about to buy and install something you already have and waste energy running it, but it will address the issue, untill it fails. The standards governing all this and everything you are and will be dealing with are EPA ASHREA Guidelines for IAQ.
I wrote all that to illustrate what you're into but what we really have to understand here is the point that turboflush made in his comment, these codes are coming and everybody wants them to. Society demands safe, efficient housing standards for the good of all. All of this has happened before, over and over and it goes like this ... Congress will pass a law that all infrastructure must be more built more efficiently to save energy and existing infrastructure that doesn't meet efficiency standards must be built back better. Agencies will be tasked with defining the standards. Municipalities will write codes that meet the standards as the do now and apply them as they do now thru zoning. Properties that don't meet efficiency standards must be brought up to code to get utilities properties without utilities are condemned. People believe that there are laws that protect their house from being taken are living in a fantasy land. A seemingly innocuous change to the requirement that all structures must meet a specific R value is coming. When you did your spray foam you thought you were good, but now you're in $1000 for an ERV that is not being used properly, you have $3000 worth of air conditioning you do not need and $4000 of the wrong kind and that is forcing you to spend $1500 on a dehumidification that you already have. The components are all eventually going to fail and if you wanna know when look at the warranty period, it'll probably be shortly after that these days. Anything you can do to run your erv less will make it last longer. If any of the other three components fail you should take that opportunity to address the remaining ones particularly if it's your downstairs air conditioner's condenser or air handler those are the two most costly components.
All of this is just conjecture and opinion on my part though as I an not a State Licensed HVAC Technician and cannot sign off on any code compliance. In order become licensed I would need to have 4 years of verifiable employment as an apprentice.
Shoulda put the intake down low and exhust up high
Why?
Your exhust air will rise and get picked up by your intake
So far, I haven’t noticed this being a problem. I thought putting the vents 6’ apart was supposed to prevent this. If I decide to switch them, it should be pretty easy to just switch the duct work inside.
Curious what part of the country you live? How did it work, did you need a dehumidifier?
Georgia. The ERV helped with our ventilation problem. It did nothing for our high humidity. We installed an Aprilaire whole house dehumidifier.
Hi, I live in Canada and the closest installer lives 5 hours away, to hire him it will cost me more than the unit. So I watched your video and will diy it as you did.
Did you put a vent in every room or just one on each floor? My house includes basement, main floor, 1st floor and attic (living space). There is 1 bathroom on each floor and laundry room on main floor.
I put a supply vent in my living room and each of the 3 bedrooms, so 4 total.
I put the return vents in 2 bathrooms, my kitchen, and my laundry room, so 4 total.
Look up ASHRAE 62.2
There is a specific calculation you or your HVAC contractor can do based on square footage and bedrooms to determine how much cfm you need from your HRV and how ling it needs to run every day or intermittently.
www.airventingsolutions.com/assets/images/BroanSpecsPDFs/ASHRAE-Standard-622-How-to-Properly-Size-a-Whole-House-Residential-Ventilation-System-Table-CFM.pdf
@adamszman Thank you for the ASHRAE 62.2 2010 vs 2013 brief. It's helpful.
The only thing I would of done is taped the inlet boxes to the drywall.
I was kinda skipping through cause I just want to know how the switches in the rooms are wired into the hrv and if you have to interlock it with the furnace. Does anyone know a time n the video the this is mentioned or how to do it
I do not have switches in rooms. This system that I installed is completely separate from the hvac system.
So does Honeywell allow diy, and not pull that it must be installed by contractor to get warranty?
I do think it is supposed to be installed by a contractor in order to get the warranty.
Why does the ERV need its own circuit with nothing else on it? It only draws like 200 watts. It's basically a couple of low power fans. I dont get it.
Looks like he had plenty of room in his electrical panel and maybe his other breakers didn't have the capacity to add the ERV.
I know those hanging straps probably work just fine, but I would replace them with slotted angle steel as a down time little project.
Not needed
Just using the straps on ours. The unit doesn't move and isn't heavy. Thing the straps are ok.
We installed a 200cfm ERV in our Off-Grid spray foamed house. Ducted it separately as well and but kept ran the bath venta through the ERV. Here is a link to the unit install.
th-cam.com/video/8-hEnDrbMAc/w-d-xo.html
Is there any reason you didn't just connect the ERV into the hvac systems return and feed lines? I might be using the wrong terms/words, but wouldn't you want the fresh ERV air to go through the hvac system to be cooled or heated and fed to your house, then reroute the return line back through the ERV and out the house so the air crossing can help semi-condition the new air to your house's temp. That way you wouldn't have 2 vents in each room. Still fresh air, but better conditioned. The way I see it, you're bringing in ERV air straight to different rooms in your home that do not go through your hvac system. I'm sure the ERV has filters but not like your hvac. And an ERV conditions the air only so much. Not an expert, just my thought process.
I want the ERV completely separate from the hvac. The ERV is running on a timer for 12 hours a day, 6 hours in the morning and 6 hours at night. I don’t want to run my hvac every time the ERV is on. Also, I have 2 hvac systems. Would I have to buy 2 ERVs then or hook this 1 ERV into both hvac systems? Then both systems would have to run when the ERV is on to help move the fresh air.
Right now, in July, the ERV is sucking in hot air from outside and blowing it into my house. You may already know that the ERV is designed so that the intake and exhaust air pass by each other without touching. The cool, air conditioned exhaust air brings down the temp of the incoming hot air. The ERV is designed to minimize energy loss. On a hot day, the air blowing into the house from the ERV feels good. It’s not cold like the air from from the a/c vent, but it’s cool. It’s not like having a window open and having hot humid air blowing into the house.
@@BrantleyBlended I see. I've done about as much "youtube research" as possible on ERV's and HRV's. Been wanting to make my home more efficient. I have a vented attic with blown in insulation and my HVAC is in the basement so I've got quite a different situation. We just installed Rockwool throughout the entire exterior and then used R-Guard to air seal before siding. Next move was going to be the attic. Your video was informative and I appreciate the effort you put into it.
Thank you both for taking the time to post this great exchange of information. reading this comments help me understand a lot. I am renovating my home, insulating the house with a closed cell foam. I decided to tie the Erv to the HVAC system. I bought Lennox syetm with Lennox ERV unite. Although HVAC system is a single stage I believe the Erv is variable speed, both can be operated from the same thermostat. However, I'm worried about energy consumption especially since AHU is single stage. We are installing the system this week, wish me luck.
how many and which rooms you have a fresh air delivery and which rooms do you have return
Return - bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen
Supply - bedrooms and living room
@@BrantleyBlended do you also keep separate exhaust fan for bathrooms or is this the only way you take out humidity out of the bathroom?
You keep saying the spray foam is at fault and that is not true it is a HVAC problem!! The V in HVAC stands for Ventilation which is your problem. I have spray foam envelope in my house and it works fantastic. You also need to monitor your humidity in the house, it should be around 50% humidity in the house to prevent mold and mildew. Once you get your ventilation and humidity controls working properly the spray foam will be a blessing.
Their HVAC is likely improperly sized as well. When you tighten a house this much, you have to do a full Manual J heat calc with a blower door test, or you will always end up with too much H&C and not enough V.
@@ericapelz260 how would this be determined? Would I have to hire an HVAC company to come out and do the calculations? If i have an oversized unit would just lowering the speed of the blower motor be enough to fix my Ventilation and humidity problem ?
@@joea104 Most HVAC contractors rely on "rule of thumb" calculations that result in exactly the problem shown. Many HVAC installers are not well-educated on the latest equipment and construction technologies.
The solution is very likely a significantly smaller HVAC unit and a smaller ERV. The best way is to have an HVAC engineer perform a Manual J calculation. Just reducing fan speed is not likely to solve the problem and could damage the equipment.
With existing equipment, you can also look at the unit's run time and select a unit that will run longer, but it depends a lot on the energy source. I wrote that comment a year ago and didn't recall the details of the video. Very tight homes are well served by heat pumps. They should be sized so that the unit runs continuously in the coldest winter temperatures (a design day). Technology Connections' TH-cam channel has some very good heat pump videos that explain things in ways regular folks (non-HVAC pros) can follow.
@@ericapelz260- thanks I will check out the channle i live in texas and from what I know about heat pumps they are better suited for colder climate states
@@joea104 Heat pumps will work great in Texas.
First, you should have made the calculations of how many cubic meters (or unit of mass of volume you use) the house has and find out at what rate you need to renew the air. For that, you need technical information on the internet or an expert.
In addition, the best thing would be to have bought and installed a dual-flow ventilation system. This system uses the hot air that is extracted from the house to heat the incoming air as much as possible. This way you waste much less energy. In Europe, they are being implemented since a long time ago.
A dual flow ventilation system sounds like an ERV. You described what an ERV does.
@@BrantleyBlended Yes, but I was referring to the compact models.
@@pedrofmc0000 Can name a compact model that you think would have worked better in his situation?
@@sabelch I'm sorry, I'm from Spain and I don't think there are the same brands. But here you are, something like this: th-cam.com/video/6K3qZx-8Ma0/w-d-xo.html
Are you going to pay for that system for him?
GFCI plug but not a GFCI breaker?
I think that’s overkill. The code was changed some years ago and now breaker panels are filled with gfci breakers. They are expensive. They trip too easy. I don’t think they are necessary.
You only use one not both
How load is the system?
Do you mean how loud? It is not loud. It sounds like a fan running. There is a bedroom right next to the attic space where this hangs. You cannot hear it while in the bedroom. I can easily have a conversation standing in the attic next to this unit.
@@BrantleyBlended sorry, yes, Loud! It has to be placed in a bedroom on an exterior wall because it’s going in a condo. Do you think it will be comfortable to live with?
@@juliesack2752 I think it will be okay. The box is well insulated, especially the door. It’s not as loud as a plastic box fan. People have those running in their house all the time. Maybe it’s as loud as a ceiling fan running on medium or high. I will post a video in the next day or so about how loud it is. Maybe that will help you decide.
@@BrantleyBlended thank you!
Wow , I’m a Canadian ventilation contractor with 40 years experience. I’ve done thousands of existing homes not many take more than 8 hours start to finish.
Took us a couple days to run all the ducts and such. We installed a 200cfm ERV in our Off-Grid spray foamed house. Ducted it separately as well and but kept ran the bath venta through the ERV. Here is a link to the unit install.
th-cam.com/video/8-hEnDrbMAc/w-d-xo.html
I don't really think that the ERV requires it's own dedicated circuit.
Pretty certain it only runs at like 1.5 amps and wouldn't be an issue at all.
EDIT: Yeah just looked up the specs, it only has 1.5 amp current draw at maximum fan speed.
I haven't noticed a change in my power bill since running the ERV. It does use very little power. I just like things in my house to be separated and organized in my electric panel. The electrician did a horrible job when they built my house. I've been slowly trying to redo my electric panel.
We are Off-Grid and it doesn't even register on the system.
Why not PVC pipes?
Air moving through PVC causes static electricity which can attract dust to the pipes
What is wrong with TH-cam? I just finished watching the video, and it says No views.
Can’t this be corrected with a ridge vent the length of the roof, and softer vents at the bottom? Looks like a metal roof which is costly to modify.
Your referring to a vented attic. This is a sealed attic. He could convert it. But then the hvac has to be redesigned.
Awesome! But useless if you didn't get permits and have it pass inspection.
I would insulate all your metal supply pipes. The hot in the summer and cold in the winter attic will largely negate the heat exchanger. Think about it: in the summer cold air gets sucked out of your house into the heat exchanger and cools the air coming in. Then you pipe that cool fresh air through uninsulated metal pipes into different rooms in your house. The fresh air going through those pipes will get heated from the hot attic. The same thing happens in the winter but hot/cold reversed. Great job though otherwise!
I think I understand what you are saying but I don’t think it’s necessary from what I have read.
When I researched the installation for this ERV, I read that all duct work running through uninsulated or unconditioned spaces should be insulated. My attic is insulated and is pretty much a conditioned space because of the spray foam. It’s about the same temperature as the rest of my house. Maybe 5 - 10 degrees different at most since there aren’t any vents blowing into the attic. My attic is not really cold in the winter or really hot in the summer.
@@BrantleyBlended Yeah, I see what you're saying too. Still, that 5-10 degrees may make a difference in the maze of supply pipes. The blower in the ERV is only 1.5A which is 180W - that air is moving slowly through the whole system which gives it a lot of time to absorb/lose heat. If I had down time for a little project I'd eventually insulate it, but who knows if it's actually worth it - I agree with you there.
it is just bad design. Look at european manufacturers who produce HRV for 50 years like Vallox from Finland and their best practices documentation.
Your problems were not caused by the foam insulation.You need to become educated on how to build a house.You need soffit vents and maybe a ridge vent.You can likely get away with this until such time as the house is on the market,then the building inspector will straighten you out.Why don't you get a copy of the New Jersey building codes and find out how to do this the right way?
Why would I need New Jersey codes for Georgia? Also, I paid a GC to build my house. He should’ve know about the issues that spray foam would cause.
@@BrantleyBlended NJ codes have been adopted by many states.If you know the codes you can make sure things are done right.If you don't bother to learn the codes people can take advantage of your lack of understanding.The codes are only right 99.999% of the time.Your choice to be professional or not.
None of the problems he was addressing seems directly related to the fact that his attic is a conditioned space. Venting the attic would just make it an unconditioned space. His issues were with air-exchange.
@@ncooty Too bad if people don't know the building codes.Knowledge is power.He could have tried to hold the contractor to whatever standards exist,but since he did not know the standards he suffers.
@@jeffhallel8211
Sadly.. You seem to be the uneducated one. Building the house like this is a new method. Many other countries use it. Usa is slow to adopt it.
Next time you go tailgating.. Drill a couple holes in the cooler. Top and bottom. Let the air through. :)
The spray foam isn't **causing** the problem - you failed to design your house correctly and now you're fixing all of your previous mistakes. Stop blaming your products and consider that learning BEFORE doing might be a better approach than just hacking crap together and learning the hard way why you're supposed to hire educated people to design and build a house.