4 ms·

I live in a Passive House[1] in the equally-humid Pacifc NW, without any kind of dehumidifier. I do have a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) running 24/7, which pu

I live in a Passive House[1] in the equally-humid Pacifc NW, without any kind of dehumidifier. I do have a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) running 24/7, which pulls in fresh air from outside and exhausts indoor air, running them through a heat exchange as they pass each other to save some of the energy that went into the air while it was inside. As a plus it also runs the air through a MERV 13 air filter, which gets rid of pollen and some PM2.5 pollution. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

throw0101a 5y ago
On the effectiveness of various MERVs on various PM sizes: * https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/understanding-filter-ratings-merv-fpr-and-mpr https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/understanding-f... * http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120708448 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120708448 * https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-PM-25-removal-efficiency-for-HVAC-filters-listed-by-MERV-classification_fig1_280321614 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-PM-25-removal-effic... Just make sure your system can handle whatever MERV you go with (higher = more back pressure that needs to be designed for).
- blacksmith_tb 5y ago
  Yes, I would go higher than MERV13 if I could, my HRV is a Zehnder, which doesn't support better filters without some modifications.
  - throw0101a 5y ago
    Ah yes, it seems that the built-in stuff has restrictions, but there are external boxes that can be added: * https://www.zehnderamerica.com/our_products/comfowell-silencer-and-casings/ https://www.zehnderamerica.com/our_products/comfowell-silenc... Which allow MERV 16 and even carbon filters: * https://www.zehnderamerica.com/product-category/comfowell/ https://www.zehnderamerica.com/product-category/comfowell/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrG7oG8Tvp8&t=14m35s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrG7oG8Tvp8&t=14m35s

throw0101a 5y ago

On the effectiveness of various MERVs on various PM sizes: * https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/understanding-filter-ratings-merv-fpr-and-mpr https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/understanding-f... * http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120708448 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120708448 * https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-PM-25-removal-efficiency-for-HVAC-filters-listed-by-MERV-classification_fig1_280321614 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-PM-25-removal-effic... Just make sure your system can handle whatever MERV you go with (higher = more back pressure that needs to be designed for).

blacksmith_tb 5y ago
Yes, I would go higher than MERV13 if I could, my HRV is a Zehnder, which doesn't support better filters without some modifications.
- throw0101a 5y ago
  Ah yes, it seems that the built-in stuff has restrictions, but there are external boxes that can be added: * https://www.zehnderamerica.com/our_products/comfowell-silencer-and-casings/ https://www.zehnderamerica.com/our_products/comfowell-silenc... Which allow MERV 16 and even carbon filters: * https://www.zehnderamerica.com/product-category/comfowell/ https://www.zehnderamerica.com/product-category/comfowell/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrG7oG8Tvp8&t=14m35s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrG7oG8Tvp8&t=14m35s