Ventilation, ERV & HRV

Mechanical ventilation, energy- and heat-recovery ventilators — how they work, where they help, and how to commission them.

5 guides

• Balanced vs Exhaust-Only vs Supply-Only Ventilation
  The three whole-house ventilation strategies compared by how they push house pressure, what each does to combustion safety, humidity, and energy use, and when each one is the right call.
• ERV/HRV Maintenance and Common Problems
  The PM tasks an ERV/HRV actually needs — filters, core, drains, defrost, balance — and a troubleshooting walk for the common complaints: no/low airflow, frost, condensate, odors, and high winter humidity.
• How an ERV Works vs an HRV — Heat-Only vs Heat-and-Moisture Recovery
  What the recovery core actually does inside an ERV and an HRV, the difference between sensible-only and total (heat plus moisture) energy transfer, and how climate decides which box belongs on a job.
• Sizing Whole-House Ventilation — Getting to the Right CFM
  How to calculate the whole-house ventilation rate from floor area and occupancy, how to turn that into the right ERV/HRV or fan size, why run-time and controls change the number, and how to verify the airflow you actually get.
• Why a Tight House Needs Mechanical Ventilation
  The physics of why an airtight modern house can no longer rely on accidental leakage for fresh air, how the blower-door number tells you whether infiltration is enough, and why mechanical ventilation becomes a health-and-safety requirement, not an upgrade.

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