Hi all, not sure if this is the right place to ask this type of question but hopefully I am not to far off topic. I just moved into a new home with a Venmar Heat Recovery Air Exchanger. I started having concerns with the system when I noticed condensation on the lower portion of all my windows. I have very little knowledge about this type of system so I assumed that the ceiling vents were not opened enough or that Air circulation was a problem. I opened up each vent to full but still no luck. On the outside of my home I have 2 vents coming out from the system. 1 is blowing out stale air, (I assume) and the other is attempting to pull in outside air. I say attempting because the vent that is installed is for an exhaust system. What I am trying to say is that it is trying to pull in fresh air but the flap is being pulled closed and thus restricting the air intake. Seem like an obvious fix but am I missing something else obvious? Also would this cause the unit to not circulate air properly thus the condensation problem?
It sounds like they mixed up the inlet and outlet pipes. The intake should have a fixed termination with a screen. The exhaust should have the flapped termination that only opens when the unit is running. I would hire someone to come and verify the install. If they messed up the terminations, which is the easy part, it's likely the whole install is incorrect. There's two other connections that tie into the duct system you want to check. Also, there is no way that that HRV was ever balanced properly if the intake was obstructed.
Is this a new HRV or an older one? You should post the model and serial number so we can make sure it hasn't been recalled, like alot of the HRV's have been.
One last question, do you have a humidifier installed on the furnace duct system?
Thanks for the quick reply. It is a new install (Venmar) in a new house, I will check the model tomorrow. I have removed the vent cap and sure enough their is a screen underneath. spoke with my wife about and she installed it!!! Apparently she saw it laying on the ground and assumed it fell off. She likes to feel helpful :D. I will post any changes i notice. Thanks again.
I could not find the Model # but the serial number for the Venmar Air Exchanger / Heat recovery is 1cc11080457664
This morning their was not a hint of condensation on the windows so i am guess the blocked intake was the overall problem.
Your HRV is too new, it's not involved in the recall. This is the recall website,
http://www.venmar.ca/mipunit.aspx (http://www.venmar.ca/mipunit.aspx)