EcoRenovator - DIY ventilation heat exchanger

EcoRenovator (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/index.php)

- Conservation (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8)

- - DIY ventilation heat exchanger (https://ecorenovator.org/forum/showthread.php?t=891)

I use one of these when it comes time to quantify airflow and changes. I does require some averaging.
http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-...ords=meter+fpm
One of the biggest difficulties for diy systems would be btu measurement. I see variations in manufacturer's btu certifications on systems' output with the same condensing unit and different blower or coil options. Without the correct btu output you can't calculate seer or btu per watt.

My DIY HRV system completed

Hi people, it's been a while since my last post, after many months of hard work I finished what I call the first version of my complete DIY HRV home system. As I previously said I wanted full-house ducting with outtakes in the livingroom and bedrooms and intakes in the bathrooms and kitchen. That meant lowering 13cm the whole ceiling of the first floor, some 45sqm of drywall done in aprox 10 days work there... By the way I also installed new recessed LED lighting and an also recessed VPR motorized housing with motorized screen and HT sound system. I finished the first floor last August (2014) and the rest of the ducting by February of this year. The HRV is rocking since then and, even if the winter wasn't very cold this year, the inside comfort is superb! No more window opening, no more cooking odors on the second floor, no more steamy mirror while taking showers! Last but definitely not least, you get all that fresh air during the sleep, which is priceless.
Here are some photos:

First floor plan with duct project (orange return, blue supply)
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...4&d=1431696473

Kitchen return boots - project

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...8&d=1431697932

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...9&d=1431697932

Boot construction:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...0&d=1431697932

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431697932

Distribution plenums:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...2&d=1431697932

Demolition man! :D

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...3&d=1431697932

Left: corridor supply hole, right: kitchen return and livingroom supply hole.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...4&d=1431697932

Twin boot (kitchen return and livingroom supply) project and construction

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...5&d=1431697932

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...6&d=1431697932

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To the bedrooms PAL ductwork:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...7&d=1431701603

The beast is on!

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...8&d=1431701603

Arduino control board. I used 4 DHT-22 temperature and humidity sensors, one for each flow, and 6 relays for the two motors (3 for each one, one per speed)
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...9&d=1431701603

Arduino web interface control panel:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...0&d=1431701603

DIY ultrasonic humidifier (dedicated post in the near future :) )

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1431701603

That's all for now, hope you enjoy :thumbup:

What an awesome project!!

Amazing, inspiring project, and beautifully documented too.

Thank you for going to the trouble of posting it for all to see.

I would have to say, that I fear that the small holes you drilled in the outlet covers, might restrict the free flow of air, and may increase noise and energy cost.

Other than that, I am astounded.

Best,

-AC_Hacker

That is very impressive work! It looks great and to hear its functioning well is even better news. Thank you for sharing!

Thanks, glad to contribute.
AC, the covers are machined punched, the two small ones are shelves from the local IKEA store and the long one (kitchen) is custom made. There are more than 3200 ø5mm holes in it, which is more than enough for a single inlet. Besides, the whole ductwork is actually oversized as I used ø150mm (or equivalent when rectangular) for almost every branch, which could hold up up to 200 m3/h (118 cfm) within the safe range of laminar speed (that's 3m/sec) and thus virtually noise free. The actual flow of every branch is hardly 25 m3/h for everyday use, so I'm quite sure about having no unwanted turbulence.

Hi :) This thread is great. I've been looking at the Recair premade recuperators, they're really cheap. I saw Fornax has posted pictures but they seem to have disappeared, anyone know if they're still around somewhere? I'm a forum newbie so I don't have PM rights yet to ask Fornax for them.

Cheers!