Broken Ventilation Equipment Goes Unnoticed for Years

Subtitle:

When an ERV falls in the forest, is there anyone around to notice it's broken?

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Years ago, when I worked as a home inspector, I was hired to perform a capital needs assessment at a Buddhist retreat center in rural Vermont. In an obscure mechanical closet I discovered a heat-recovery ventilator that the facilities manager didn't even know existed.

The HRV(HRV). Balanced ventilation system in which most of the heat from outgoing exhaust air is transferred to incoming fresh air via an air-to-air heat exchanger; a similar device, an energy-recovery ventilator, also transfers water vapor. HRVs recover 50% to 80% of the heat in exhausted air. In hot climates, the function is reversed so that the cooler inside air reduces the temperature of the incoming hot air. had been installed at least a dozen years before. The filter, which had never been changed since the day it was installed, was totally clogged. The HRV was no longer working — perhaps the motor had burned out years ago. I advised the owners to call an HVAC(Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Collectively, the mechanical systems that heat, ventilate, and cool a building. contractor to have the unit serviced.

[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 1 - cropped.jpg (Photo of Joe Nagan listening to the humming motors of an ERV)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/broken-ventilation-equipment-goes-unnoticed-years
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 3.JPG (Photo of Joe Nagan measuring ERV air flow)
[4]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe nagan - ERV emergency 2.JPG (Photo of the air flow meter on the capture hood)
[5]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 14 - lower res.jpg (Photo of Joe Nagan administering an emergency IV drip)
[6]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 4.JPG (Photo of Joe Nagan with a stethescope)
[7]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 6 - cropped.jpg (Photo of Joe Nagan preparing to use his homemade defibrillator)
[8]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 7.JPG (Photo of Joe Nagan trying to revive a seriously injured ERV)
[9]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 8.JPG (Photo of a crestfallen Joe Nagan)
[10]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 19 - lower res.jpg (Photo of Joe Nagan making a call to the coroner)
[11]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Joe Nagan - ERV emergency 18 - lower res.jpg (Photo of a broken ERV belt)

URL: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/broken-ventilation-equipment-goes-unnoticed-years