A home with sealed vapor barrier construction requires a supply of fresh air into the home and a method of controlling the moisture normally associated with everyday living. A STANDARD FEATURE of Hall Quality Homes is to provide a Heat Recovery Ventilation System (see below), which draws fresh air into the house and exhausts stale air and moisture. In the winter, this fresh air is warmed to increase energy efficiency and is supplied to the home through a sealed combustion gas forced air heater. During the summer, the system continues to supply fresh air and exhausts stale air but bypasses the furnace.

The end result is an Energy Efficient Home that is designed to provide a cleaner and healthier environment.

HRV OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Here are some helpful hints for the operation and maintenance of your HRV.

Your HRV system removes the air (complete with moisture and pollutants) inside your home and replaces it with fresh filtered outside air. The intake and exhaust hoods are generally located in the rim joist. They look like oversized dryer vents. The air coming into you house will smell like whatever is in the proximity of the intake hood so keep that area clean and uncluttered. This area would be a bad place for trash cans or a dog kennel. The hoods tend to get plugged with grass clippings and outside debris. If the air can’t move freely in and out of these hoods, you will not get adequate ventilating in your home.

Make sure you are running your HRV. Keep the wall control on the setting that suits your needs best, but at least on the 20/40 setting. The bigger the family, including indoor pets, the more exhaust you will need. If your windows show moisture on them then set the wall control to "min" or even "max" until the moisture level is brought down, generally only a day or so. When the outside temperature dips to below 0 it will be very difficult to completely eliminate the moisture from the bottoms of your windows. The dew point will be such that the indoor relative humidity would need to be down to 10% or less. Our bodies, and our activities, potted plants, pet water dishes, fish aquariums etc. all continually add moisture to our homes. Consider all these possible sources if you think your humidity level is higher than it should be.

Open curtains, blinds, and drapes occasionally in the winter. When these are continuously closed airflow can’t reach the window causing condensation or ice build up.

Not less than twice a year the HRV needs to be cleaned. In dusty areas the HRV drain will also need to be cleaned. Generally you should clean the unit not less than right after the cottonwood "fluff" falls in June and right after the leaves drop in late September.

If you suspect a problem with your HRV it is most likely due to being dirty. Check the outside hoods and the units filters. After cleaning them you’ll probably see the results within 8-12 hrs. If you smoke in the house the HRV core will need to be cleaned regularly. Spray it with simple green or 409 and rinse it. You can always call our office at (907) 746-2757 if you have further questions.