Ventilation Strategies: ERVs, Dehums and More

Join hosts Bryan Orr, Matt Bruner, and Adam Mufich as they are accompanied by guests Corbett Lunsford and John Semmelhack for an in-depth discussion on ventilation strategies, including energy recovery ventilators (ERVs), dehumidifiers, and more.
Topics covered:
Why proper ventilation is necessary, and how much is enough
Different ventilation strategies: positive, negative, and balanced
Considerations for ventilation in hot/humid vs cold climates
Tying bathroom exhaust into the ERV system
Filtration needs for wildfire or poor outdoor air quality
On-demand and flexible ventilation approaches
Practical ways to test and monitor ventilation in existing homes
And much more!
With decades of combined HVAC design, installation, and consulting experience, Bryan, Matt, Adam, Corbett, and John break down the key factors to consider when looking at whole-house ventilation. A must-watch for anyone looking to better understand best practices for ERVs, dehumidification, diluting indoor air pollutants, and ensuring proper air circulation and filtration.
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[@saimoon703]

Excellent.

[@brianmcdermott1718]

Super great info. , great guest , Thank you Bryan.👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍.

[@paulgaras2606]

For what it’s worth, as part of the conversation, fantech recently launched a line of ervs that they are currently “Atmo” line. I picked one up to retrofit in my hundred year old house, and I’ll say it’s reasonably priced, very burly, comes with everything you need to install it except the ductwork and the outdoor air hoods, ec blowers that are adjustable and a nifty little chart to help you set up the fan speed with and hvac manometer. When I get off my lazy butt I’m going to integrate it with my existing ducts with a fan timer on the thermostat and possibly an IAQ monitor when I can find one that got the ability to activate a relay. It would be cool to see solutions like this in non-HVAC, contractor homes, and perhaps with more adoption. This kind of thing would be cheaper and easier to install for non dorks

[@timdestasiohvac]

Love the info. However this topic was mainly discussing really tight homes. The average home isn’t tight enough to need an ERV, neither is that a good use of an average family’s budget. A ventilating dehu is more than sufficient to ventilate most homes south of Canada. To Corbetts point about how dehu’s can’t remove enough moisture in one pass, I’d like to see the math behind that. And really, so what? An AC can’t do it either and an ERV definitely can’t remove all that moisture.

[@ZergZfTw]

I asked this live, but no one answered, so I will ask again. Why does no one make a residential system with both a modulating compressor and modulating hot gas reheat? That along with a constant pressure ECM blower would solve so many humidity related problems, plus make proper zoning and zone temperature control so much simpler.

[@user-ir2zv1xx5q]

Probably because clients don't want to pay for extra things.

[@jamesblair6025]

ERV instead of bathroom exhaust fans in Florida remodel. Guys I am trying to do a tightish remodel of a 50yr old Florida block home. I am air sealing everything I can. New AC unit, and ducts with a dedicated dehumidifier with fresh air intake. I was about to order a couple of high end Panasonic bath fans, but I am torn with the idea to skip them and install an ERV. I could pull air at a lower volume from baths and bedrooms and dump back into the AC return. Any input would be great. Thank you

[@hodesto]

Great information. Question for Corbert. Please answer. What you said about running the duct work in your home. You would never do it again. Does this change your opinion about using a Zender like system. I remember one of your podcast you didn't have a favorable opinion about Zender. Thanks

[@TheMinecraftACMan]

If the home runs a bypass dehumidifier, would you bring the OA in through the dehum dedicated return?

[@coasttal123]

Are any of you mechanical engineers????

[@paulgaras2606]

John owns a residential mechanical/enclosure design/consulting company and sits on a bunch of passive house technical advisory boards . Corbett wrote the book on how to test nearly everything in a home.

[@PistolDoc1]

I'm curious, are you a mechanical engineer by any chance?

[@coasttal123]

@@PistolDoc1 Yes. Masters in Mechanical and also Civil Engineering