Is HRV the solution?
CristinaOBMA
| Posted in GBA Pro Help on
I live in a house built in 1925, we are in Massachusetts. We added spray foam to the attic. We have high velocity A/C (two units, one in attic and one in basement). We run that all the time to keep the air moving.
Our A/C guy mentioned we may want an HRV due to the spray foam.
Our house feels fine in the summer and winter, but in the fall and spring feel a bit stale, even with the A/C fan running.
Is HRV the solution? It is very humid right now (55-60%) so I was thinking of starting with a dehumidifier on the second floor. We have a Santa Fe in the basement but I was just going to get a normal one and stick it in primary bedroom.
Thank you!
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Replies
Spray foam alone doesn't make a house as tight as people think it does, as most leaks come in through the gaps and corners where materials meet, not in the middle of the wall where the spray foam is. But you still might want a ventilation system.
Have you had a blower door test done so you know how tight or leaky your house actually is? Do you have an air quality monitoring system? I have an Awair unit that shows VOCs, PM2.5 (particulate matter) and CO2. If any of those run high you should consider a ventilation system, either an ERV or HRV. There are many articles and Q+As here on GBA on these topics.