We just purchased and moved into a home with a heat recovery ventilator system. I notice a vast improvement in the air quality in the house when we have it turned on, but the former owners didn’t leave us any service manuals so we don’t know if it requires periodic maintenance and /or servicing. Any advice would be appreciated.

I’m a big fan of heat recovery ventilators (HRV’s) for the same reason you mention. These units not only improve your indoor air quality; they reduce indoor humidity and re-claim heat from the hot exhausted air before dumping in outdoors. Here are a few maintenance tips that will help keep your HRV running trouble free. Before performing any maintenance be sure to turn off the HRV and unplug it.

Take ten minutes every two or three months to clean or replace the air filters. Older HRV’s have replaceable filters available at your local building supply store. Newer models are often equipped with re-usable filters that can be removed, vacuumed and washed with soap and water before re-installing.

Go outside and locate the intake and exhaust hoods located on one of the walls of your home. Make sure both duct hoods are clean and free of debris so air can move into and out of the system unrestricted. During the winter months ensure that these duct hoods do not get blocked with ice and snow.

Check the condensate drain located at the bottom of the HRV unit. Flush it with warm water to ensure that it is not blocked. This tubing is collecting condensed indoor humidity and delivering the water to a floor drain or laundry tub.

Once a year remove the grilles at the end of each distribution duct and vacuum inside the ducts. Also remove the dust and debris that has built up around the fan blades inside the HRV unit. You may be able to order a service manual from the manufacturer that will provide you with advise on lubricating fan motors (required on some older models) and methods for cleaning the HRV core. Also consider having a certified HRV technician complete an annual  tune-up on the mechanical and electrical components. To locate a technician look for air conditioning service companies in the phone book.

Back to Questions



This article was written by Steven Cannon, a Registered Building Official and partner in Lynch Building Inspection Services Ltd. of Nelson, British Columbia. It originally appeared in The Nelson Express.

Key words: building, home inspection, house, British Columbia, BC, Castlegar, Creston, Cristina Lake, Edgewood, Grand Forks, Kaslo, Kootenay, Kootenays, Midway, Nakusp, Nelson, Salmo, Slocan, Trail, Yak, Ymir