How Does an Air Exchanger Work?

vanEE has the equipment to ensure proper and energy efficient ventilation. The benefit to proper ventilation is better indoor air quality and an HRV (heat recovery ventilator) or ERV (energy recovery ventilator) is the most energy efficient way to accomplish this.

The complete ventilation system must be properly selected, installed and operated. The optimum way to ventilate is to supply just the right amount of fresh air continuously all year round and to continuously exhaust an equal amount of stale indoor air. The one exception is when windows or doors are opened as a means of ventilating, the vanEE unit can then be turned off. There is no advantage in over-ventilating a home; this would dry out the air in your house in the cold seasons and use excessive amounts of electrical energy.

An HRV or ERV has two fans, one to exhaust stale air from the house, one to supply fresh air into the house, and a heat exchanger to transfer heat or energy from one airstream into the other. Depending on the unit selected there will be a choice of controls to operate the unit in properly.

During the heating seasons, heat is transferred from the warm indoor exhaust air into the cold outdoor supply air inside the HRV heat exchanger. The ERV heat exchanger not only transfers this heat, but transfers some of the moisture in the more humid exhaust air into the less humid supply air. This heat/energy transfer means that your home heating system uses less when compared to any other form of ventilation.

During the cooling seasons the process depends whether or not you are exhausting air conditioned air. If you are not air conditioning the indoor air, ventilation is generally accomplished by opening windows and turning off the air exchanger.

If you are air conditioning the indoor air, heat is transferred from the warm/hot outdoor supply air into the cool indoor exhaust air inside the HRV heat exchanger, thus reducing the temperature of the fresh air coming in. The ERV heat exchanger not only transfers this heat but transfers some of the moisture in the more humid supply air into the less humid exhaust air, thus reducing the humidity of the fresh air coming in. This heat/energy transfer means that your house cooling system uses less energy when compared to any other form of ventilation. This transfer of heat or energy is accomplished with very little or no mixing of the 2 air streams, meaning the pollutants are exhausted and the heat/energy is recovered.

Check out our “Do I need an HRV or an ERV” section for more information on which product is best for your application.

The vanEE HRVs and ERVs are long lasting, very quiet ventilators and require minimal maintenance. The only maintenance is to periodically wash the air exchanger filters (exhaust and supply). The frequency of cleaning depends on the condition of the indoor and outdoor environments. Start by checking the filters every 3 months, if they are not dirty, then wait another 3 months.

Fully ducted system - primarily for homes with radiant flooring, hot water, or electric baseboard heating. Effective because unit captures pollutants at the source (bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room) and distributes fresh air to living areas (bedrooms, living room).

Exhaust ducted system - for homes with forced air heating or cooling systems. Effective because unit captures pollutants at the source (bathrooms, kitchen, laundry). Less expensive than fully ducted system as the forced air ducting is being used distribute the fresh air.

Simplified - for homes with forced air heating or cooling systems. When the forced air system fan is running, fresh air from the vanEE unit is being supplied in every warm air register throughout the house (recommended). When the forced air system fan is not running, the fresh air from the vanEE unit is being supplied only through the cold air registers in the house (generally acceptable). Easy to install as unit uses existing forced air ducting for both exhausting indoor air and supplying fresh air.

Does not do pollutant removal at source. So, bath fan and outside venting kitchen range hoods recommended . Forced air duct system sizing and location of vents is important to ensure good removal of pollutants and supply of fresh air.

Positive Air Pressure	Negative Air Pressure	Equal Air Pressure
(Supply only fan) Forces hot and/or humid air in to walls and insulation. The condensation that forms as a result can potentially form mould, mildew and wood rot	(Exhaust only fan like bath fans) The unfiltered air increases risks of mould and causes energy costs to be higher. Potential for backdraft from combustion appliances (stove, fireplace, water heater)	(Air Exchanger) Airflow supplied is equal to stale air exhaust. Unless otherwise noted, balancing is required on all units

Installations ( Click for Large View )

Common Questions About Air Exchangers

Fully Ducted Exhaust Ducted Simplified Installation Closet Installation   Compact Bathroom Install

How Does An Air Exchanger Work: Proper ventilation is key to a healthy and good quality indoor air quality. Should I Choose an ERV or an HRV? There is alot of confusion between an energy recovery ventilator and a heat recovery ventilator and which one to use. Learn the difference. Why Do I Need to Ventilate My Home? Find out why you need a vanEE Air Exchanger and its importance to your quality of life. Why should I choose a vanEE Air Exchanger? vanEE Is an industry leading manufacturer, learn why you want to choose a vanEE Air Exchanger. Can I Get a Medical Tax Credit? You may be able to get a medical tax credit after having a vanEE Air Exchanger installed.