Install-It-Yourself HRV
By Steve Maxwell
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When my friend Bryan and his family recently moved into a new factory-built home, he learned a stark lesson about indoor air quality. “A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) was part of the home package we bought, but installation wasn’t included in the deal. We didn’t get around to hooking the unit up right away because we didn’t like the $1000+ estimates we received to put it in. At least not until cold weather hit and condensation began trickling down our windows. There’s something about black mold growing on brand new window frames that creates a whole new sense of urgency.” That urgency led to a phone call to me for installation help.
There are two things you need to understand about HRVs. First, they should be installed in more Canadian houses than have them now. Poor indoor air quality is a serious, hidden problem affecting the health of many people, especially children. Second, the task of installing an HRV is within the scope of any moderately-skilled handyperson with a helper. Two people can add an HRV to a typical forced air heating system in one full day of work if they hustle. Not bad considering the task saves a thousand bucks or more.
It makes no sense to bore you with detailed step-by-step installation instructions, because they'd be useless. The particulars of each HRV job are so different. And besides, every unit comes with its own set of instructions anyway. Instead, this article is all about tools, strategies and field-tested tricks that you won’t find in any manufacturer’s directives. Think of them as a bunch of shop tips geared for HRV installation.
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