Is a HRV the way to go?-installed/update

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by bkelly

Im Looking at getting a HRV system to help rid my high humidity , the house is moist, windows are full of water mold forming this winter, and all the cabinetry is swollen. I got close to 300 gal of salt water in the house all in the basement. The house would be fairly easy to plum in the HRV and we have a new high efficiency furnace. Ive read most people in BC/AB are happy with their HRVs,
Is this the right choice or is there a different way to deal with the problem, while keeping my tanks. IM in Kelowna.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Brent

I had this problem too when I first moved into my house. 6 months in (on a brand new house) the humidity from the tanks caused me all those problems you just listed. And an HRV fixed every one of them.

Even without a fish tank I'd consider having one in my home pretty much forever.

I imagine they work better where the air is dry. Don't know how dry Kelowna is in the winter, but I imagine it's probably dry enough to make a go of things with an HRV. In Calgary where I am, even in the summer, what we call "rain" most other people would call "10% relative humidity" so the HRV works like a snap.

[Delphinus]

Found another useful link .. might as well share it in case anyone's interested. http://www.joneakes.com/jons-fixit-d...-or-not-to-HRV

[globaldesigns]

I have one, so I will also chime in here and say YES! Plus there are other benefits like heat recovery and overall house circulation.

[Funky_Fish14]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I have one, so I will also chime in here and say YES! Plus there are other benefits like heat recovery and overall house circulation.

+1.

We have one in our place... I used to have just over 500gal of water in the house and we never had any buildup. The old house had noticeable humidity buildup with only 1 tank and did not have an HRV.

[Cal_stir]

problem is that newer homes even though they are not R2000 are pretty air tight and HRVs are nec even without a fish tank, unfortunately they are not code in most places

[cale262]

Another Yes here, HRV + 700 fish gal in the house, everthing is good, although I do notice the HRV runs 24/7 in the winter...

[toxic111]

What I was getting at is they are not required by the National Building Code, which is the model code for Canada. I do not know the eastern codes, but in SK, AB & BC they are not required. They are a very good idea as modern homes are sealed too well.

[bkelly]

thanks guys this really tells me id be doing the right thing, Kelowna is dry in the winter, summers not that humid either. Ill keep you posted on the changes with it and how the install goes.

[e46er]

Originally Posted by toxic111

What I was getting at is they are not required by the National Building Code, which is the model code for Canada. I do not know the eastern codes, but in SK, AB & BC they are not required. They are a very good idea as modern homes are sealed too well.

Depends where u are as well
They are mandatory in Vancouver Bc but not the surrounding cities

[sphelps]

My house is new and it has a simple exhaust fan plumbed in from the cold air return to outside. Does the same thing as an HRV but without the heat exchange. I thought about upgrading but I figured I'd leave it for at least a year before I bothered. I have it connected to a central thermostat that controls humidity levels as well with the exhaust fan and the humidifier. I believe most of the time HRVs are controlled either by simple timers, local humidistats or even just a light switch. Anyways I watched the heat bills last winter when I first connected up the exhaust fan and control and I didn't notice any difference in consumption. I have 100 gallons open top upstairs and about the same worth of open sumps downstairs but there is a lot more exposed water surface than a typical 200 gallon system. The thermostat I use also has some other features it uses to limit window frost, not sure exactly but it works and it's a different setting than the set humidity which is still maintained.

So I guess for me I wouldn't bother with the HRV, I doubt the extra cost and install would ever pay off. But it will likely depend on the demand for it but there are other options for humidity control. You should also check your furnace, it should draw in some fresh air when it operates and many times moisture and mold problems are a result from poor air circulation, not always directly a result from high humidity from lack of ventilation exchange.