Bath exhaust with ERV in the South?
ColbyForester
| Posted in General Questions on
I am currently building a house and would like to use a ERV for bath fan exhaust for all of the bathrooms. My problem is I live in the South and the air gets pretty humid in the summer. Would using a ERV still be a viable option or should I go exhaust only for each bath? I assume if I exhaust the bathrooms then I would need a HRV to combat the outside humidity?
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Replies
Jody,
Many ventilation experts recommend that using an HRV for exhausting air from bathrooms is better than using an ERV, and -- at least in theory -- they're right. That said, I'm not sure how much difference it makes in a long run.
In general, I think that the purported advantages of an ERV compared to an HRV are usually overstated, and in most situations, either can work.
For more information, see these two articles:
"Does a Home with an HRV Also Need Bath Fans?"
"HRV or ERV?"