(02-02-2023, 04:04 PM)plam Wrote:(02-02-2023, 02:54 PM)taylortbb Wrote: ERVs are required by code these days. My experience living in a new place with an ERV is excellent, I've never had such good indoor air quality.
Yes, I've thought about retrofitting my place with an ERV, but I don't know about my mid-range plans. What humidity level are you getting inside?
I do find the humidity exchange is not as effective as I was hoping. I've had to get a fairly powerful humidifier and run it nearly constantly to keep my ~1100 sq ft condo at 45% humidity this winter. Some of that is a layout/usage problem. The ERV intake is in one of my bathrooms, while the other bathroom just has a typical extractor fan. Unfortunately the bathroom I shower in every day is not the bathroom with the ERV intake, so that would probably normally add a fair bit of humidity to the air.
But the difference I have noticed is that smells never linger in the space. Cooking things that would have in any previous place left a smell for days will have their smell gone in hours. I also have a good indoor air quality sensor, and it consistently reports perfect air quality (and rapid recovery after cooking).