本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Hi, I can share my experience.
I moved to my new house in May 2011. There was no provision for HRV/ERV. I DIYed my ERV system.
I bought a used Venmar Duo 1.9 ERV from KIJIJI for $800, Vanee Platinum Control for $140 from Ebay, plus the cost for other accessories (pipe, zoning-damper, etc.) and labor/rental (core-drilling through brick veneer for two 6” holes), I spent ~$1400 to get the job done.
Venmar Duo 1.9 is a similar system compared with Vannee 190H (same motor).
So here is what I did to save energy cost:
I didn't interlock the ERV with the furnace. The ERV runs independently using the existing HVAC ducts. The power consumption of Duo 1.9 ERV is about 200W per hour. The energy difference for the PSC motor running at max and min mode is negligible. My furnace is a single-stage HE Lennox. To run the furnace fan requires additional 2~300W per hour. The energy penalty is significant if the system runs 24/7. On the other hand, the PSV motor inside the Duo 1.9 is big enough to push the fresh air through the entire house even if the furnace is off. The disadvantages are: the fresh air distribution is not as even; you may feel cold air draft from the vents if the furnace is off.
To save the energy cost, I run the ERV at max mode for 4 hours per day to get the recommended air exchange rate (to change the entire air volume in the house in 3 hours). To run the ERV intermittently, I use the Vanee Platinum control (similar to Venmar Altitude). It has multiple settings. For wintertime I run the system 30min every hour for 8 hours from 3:00pm to 11:00pm when most family members are home and the outdoor temperature is not too low. The Platinum control is installed right beside the control for the furnace.
http://www.venmar.ca/en/product/root-ca ... parent=766
For ERV installation, I used the ‘return-supply’ installation method recommended by the manufacturer (see figure below) with minor change. Instead of using the recommended elbow to tap the ERV to the supply duct of the furnace, I added a normally closed 24V AC automatic damper in between to minimize the interference. This automatic damper is controlled by the ERV. There is a pair of dry contacts on ERV to interlock the furnace. I used the dry contacts to interlock the damper instead. I ran a 110V circuit to supply the 24V transformer for the damper. The advantages: there is no elbow blocking the supply duct. When the furnace is on while the ERV is off, there is no air bypassing through the ERV. And the system is easier to balance under various conditions.
See the link below for the automatic damper.
http://www.amazon.com/6-IN-NORMALLY-CLO ... =pd_cp_p_1
BTW, I didn’t run the air-balance test for ERV as recommended by the manufacturer. I realized my 600CFM range hood can cause bigger trouble (in Ontario, there is no air compensation required for the range hood.) So far the ERV system runs well both in winter and in summer.
A reminder, even if the ERV can recoup some humidity from the exhaust, the air can still dry out soon to an uncomfortable level. I run a central humidifier in winter to compensate.更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
I moved to my new house in May 2011. There was no provision for HRV/ERV. I DIYed my ERV system.
I bought a used Venmar Duo 1.9 ERV from KIJIJI for $800, Vanee Platinum Control for $140 from Ebay, plus the cost for other accessories (pipe, zoning-damper, etc.) and labor/rental (core-drilling through brick veneer for two 6” holes), I spent ~$1400 to get the job done.
Venmar Duo 1.9 is a similar system compared with Vannee 190H (same motor).
So here is what I did to save energy cost:
I didn't interlock the ERV with the furnace. The ERV runs independently using the existing HVAC ducts. The power consumption of Duo 1.9 ERV is about 200W per hour. The energy difference for the PSC motor running at max and min mode is negligible. My furnace is a single-stage HE Lennox. To run the furnace fan requires additional 2~300W per hour. The energy penalty is significant if the system runs 24/7. On the other hand, the PSV motor inside the Duo 1.9 is big enough to push the fresh air through the entire house even if the furnace is off. The disadvantages are: the fresh air distribution is not as even; you may feel cold air draft from the vents if the furnace is off.
To save the energy cost, I run the ERV at max mode for 4 hours per day to get the recommended air exchange rate (to change the entire air volume in the house in 3 hours). To run the ERV intermittently, I use the Vanee Platinum control (similar to Venmar Altitude). It has multiple settings. For wintertime I run the system 30min every hour for 8 hours from 3:00pm to 11:00pm when most family members are home and the outdoor temperature is not too low. The Platinum control is installed right beside the control for the furnace.
http://www.venmar.ca/en/product/root-ca ... parent=766
For ERV installation, I used the ‘return-supply’ installation method recommended by the manufacturer (see figure below) with minor change. Instead of using the recommended elbow to tap the ERV to the supply duct of the furnace, I added a normally closed 24V AC automatic damper in between to minimize the interference. This automatic damper is controlled by the ERV. There is a pair of dry contacts on ERV to interlock the furnace. I used the dry contacts to interlock the damper instead. I ran a 110V circuit to supply the 24V transformer for the damper. The advantages: there is no elbow blocking the supply duct. When the furnace is on while the ERV is off, there is no air bypassing through the ERV. And the system is easier to balance under various conditions.
See the link below for the automatic damper.
http://www.amazon.com/6-IN-NORMALLY-CLO ... =pd_cp_p_1
BTW, I didn’t run the air-balance test for ERV as recommended by the manufacturer. I realized my 600CFM range hood can cause bigger trouble (in Ontario, there is no air compensation required for the range hood.) So far the ERV system runs well both in winter and in summer.
A reminder, even if the ERV can recoup some humidity from the exhaust, the air can still dry out soon to an uncomfortable level. I run a central humidifier in winter to compensate.更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net