ERV in new home... runs for a long time.

[peelhic]

Hi all,

I just bought a new house that I moved into and I noticed that the ERV in the basement runs for very long periods and I was wondering if this was normal?

The furance will turn on and heat the house but when it turns off the air is still coming out of the registers, although not warm. Is there any concern with this, should the ERV turn off when the furnace shuts off?

Also, by having the ERV on so much I would think this would impact my electrical bill at the end of the month. The builder rep explained that we should keep it set for mid humidity and on low at all times but I wonder if this is true? I don't need to get a huge bill at the end of the month :)

Thanks

[Bullseye]

With most ERV systems, you should feel air coming from the vents constantly, this is normal. Can't know for sure if it's running properly, though, without knowing what kind of set up it is, dedicated ducts, or hooked in to furnace system?

It's also normal that an ERV/HRV will increase your electrical bill somewhat, but the impact should be fairly minimal. I've been running an ERV for nearly 4 years, it costs about $15 extra per month, for the ERV itself, and for the furnace fan to run 24/7. Some furnaces have CV fans that even cheaper to run.

It's a low price to pay for a much healthier indoor environment, imo.

[peelhic]

Thanks for the reply.

Ours is hooked into the regular ducts in the house and connected to the furnace.

I'm glad to hear that the it is normal to feel air constantly. I guess my other issue is whether using the furnace to blow this air constantly can damage the furnance or premature wear?

Would it still work if I just turned it on a couple of days a week. Also, should it stay on through the summer as well when the AC is on?

[MrTimV]

It shouldn't prematurely wear your furnace fans to much... might need to change/clean the filter a bit more often but even that isn't really likely.

Your ERV is supposed to run during periods of time in which all your windows are closed... basically when there are no other sources of fresh air for extended periods of time.

So yeah whne you're running your AC it's a good idea to have it on... however if you're just running your AC during the day and opening windows at night in later parts of the summer when it's cool at night then it's not really needed as theoretically your supposed to be getting enough fresh air into your house throughout the night.

Cheers

Tim

[Bullseye]

HVAC techs have told me running the furnace fan 24/7 is not bad for the furnace. The fan itself should last longer because of it, as it just runs constantly, instead of cycling on and off, which causes wear.

ERV's you definitely run in summer with A/C. The difference between an HRV and an ERV is that the ERV has a dehumidifier built in, so it actually helps your A/C make the house feel cooler, and eases the load on it.