Measuring Efficacy of ERV’s Air Circulation
joenorm
| Posted in General Questions on
I see people use dehumidifiers in homes. They sit in a corner and the idea is they can circulate the volume of the homes air over time.
I have a spot ventilator(Panasonic ERV) that operates on the same idea.
My question is how well things like these work and how to tell if there actually accomplishing anything. With the ERV I suppose the best way to tell would be to use a CO2 detecter and see if it brings levels down throughout the house.
Generally speaking can one appliance be expected to circulate the air of the entire house over time?
How has air been shown to mix throughout the house? I am sure this has been studied.
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Replies
Hi Joe,
While I can’t answer your questions directly with the authority of an expert, I did find this report (attached), via Building Science Corporation: “Ventilation System Effectiveness and Tested Indoor Air Quality Impacts.” There is a section titled “ERV Test” that might be of interest to you.
I agree with testing vs trying to predict. For a visual indication, smoke could be used.
If there is a north wind causing infiltration on the north side, dehumidification done on the south side may never make it to the north side - even with open interior doors.