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A recirculation system will prevent high levels of CO2 buildup in occupied rooms, particularly with closed doors. I've measured the difference in our bedroom o
by tempestn 4y ago
A recirculation system will prevent high levels of CO2 buildup in occupied rooms, particularly with closed doors. I've measured the difference in our bedroom overnight between having the fan on and off, and it was dramatic (if I recall correctly, something like 700ppm in the morning vs 2000). Even if it's only keeping the level consistent throughout the house, that would be a benefit. But every house will have some amount of air leakage as well; a recirculation fan with a fresh air intake (which all modern ones have) will pull in fresh, filtered and conditioned air to replace air that leaks out. If that's not sufficient for indoor air quality, then you can crack a window or set an exhaust fan to run periodically. I haven't generally found that necessary though.
ERV/HRV has its place it less moderate climates where there is significant efficiency loss from pulling in outdoor air, especially if indoor conditions require a significant amount of fresh air turnover. But a central HVAC system with a recirculation fan most definitely can be beneficial in a lot of cases.
- bumby 4y agoIt’s worth noting that ASHRAE ventilation standards are based on “bioeffluence” levels which may or may not correlate well to other IAQ values like CO2, VOCs, etc.