While perhaps not as talked about as its more well-known cousin, the furnace, the HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) is an essential part of both keeping the air in your home clean, and saving you money. Through its process of taking in fresh air from outside, and the warm, stale air from inside the home, the HRV is able to use the excess heat from the stale air to heat the new, clean air. This increases the overall efficiency of the house’s heating system, as this natural heat provided by the home’s exhaust air negates the need for additional heat from the furnace. The HRV’s filtering system also ensures that the new air is free from both any pollutants or particulates that may have been present outside, as well as collecting condensation from the air so that your home remains dry.
Because of how essential the HRV’s multifaceted set of talents is to the smooth operation of a home, consistent maintenance and cleaning of the unit is very important. Fortunately, this is a task you can undertake yourself, simply by following these easy steps.
Before performing any maintenance on your HRV, it is crucial that you unplug the unit. This is important for your safety, as there are fans inside the system, and the moving parts could cause injury if not powered off. Once you unplug the system, you can remove the covering, as the first step will be to clean the filters. These will be located in the top half of the unit, right above the core. Since these filters block out dust, debris and unwanted particles from entering your home, keeping them clean is crucial to keeping the air in your home fresh.
Over time, dust will build up on these filters, so once you slide them out, you can either brush off the dust with your hand, or use a vacuum hose to remove the majority of it. Once most of the dust is gone, finish cleaning them by washing them in warm, soapy water. Leave them out until they are completely dry—you can do this while cleaning the rest of the unit. While the rest of these steps should be done yearly, cleaning the filters is something that should be done every 2-3 months, as dust can accumulate rapidly.
The next step is to clean out the main part of the system—the HRV’s core. Slide the core slowly out towards yourself, and inspect it for any obvious spots of dirt and grime. You can gently go over the surface of the core with a vacuum hose or brush, before washing it with soap and water, just like the filters. Once the core has been washed, leave it out alongside the filters, again, until completely dry.
The last part of your HRV system that needs to be inspected is the drainage system. Located at the bottom of your unit, these drains collect all the condensation created in the process of heating the incoming fresh air. Over time, however, these drains can also collect dirt and grime, potentially blocking the drainage system, leaving condensation unable to exit. To ensure this doesn’t occur, first take a wet cloth and wipe down the area around the area. After the area is clean, you need to double-check that the system still drains. You can do this by taking a liter of warm, clean water, and pouring it through the drain. Keep an eye on the tubes connected to the bottom of the system, as the water should travel smoothly through them. If there are any issues with this, try to straighten out any kinks in the tubing, as well as giving the drains another thorough clean.
Now that your unit has been cleaned and tested, you can start to reassemble it, once everything is dry. Re-insert the core by locating the “UP” arrow on the back, and ensuring it is pointed upward when put back in. The filters can be slid back into their original locations. While all maintenance on the unit itself is now done, there’s still one more thing you have to check. On the exterior of the home, the HRV is connected to both a fresh-air intake as well as an exhaust hood. Clear out any debris, ice, or leaves blocking either of those ports, as the air should have a clear path to travel. Also ensure that the fresh-air intake is not too close to any other exhaust pipes, garbage, or other pollutants. This can lead to a decrease in the air quality of your home, as the HRV system now has additional material to filter out.
With that, you have completed your inspection and cleaning of your HRV system! Other than the filters, which, as mentioned before, should be cleaned every 2-3 months, this whole process should be repeated yearly, to make sure your system is running with maximum efficiency. If you need a visual aid to help you implement any of these tips, there is a video explaining the process on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIzBAwFZE5A