Heat Recovery Ventilators

[Victorian]

Same here Our lowest temps experienced with this camper has been -36F/-38C more than once.

There are endless discussions about AC for hotter climes, we have a similar need at the other end of the spectrum.

I'm currently building a new 5 ton expedition truck for my family. A/C was something we certainly wanted. Don't like having a typical A/C unit on the roof.... Decided to fix install a EcoFlow wave2 . Bench testing gave me confidence that it will be more than capable to cool and heat the 16' habitat.

 

[Trail Talk]

Cool If I’m reading the specs right, it has an operating limit to -20C? Good for the island…although my sources report you received a dump of snow last night

 

[Trail Talk]

I'm currently building a new 5 ton expedition truck

Will we see a build thread? 🙏

 

[wfv56]

Are you finding some condensation unavoidabl? Is that what’s fueling the ventilator interest?

 

[Victorian]

Will we see a build thread? 🙏

Not sure yet....

 

[Trail Talk]

Not sure yet....
View attachment 815629

Mama Mia!

Edit: reposting your picture, for some reason its not showing.

 

[IdaSHO]

Same here Our lowest temps experienced with this camper has been -36F/-38C more than once.

There are endless discussions about AC for hotter climes, we have a similar need at the other end of the spectrum.

For efficiency reasons.... We try to avoid serious heat

 

[Trail Talk]

Are you finding some condensation unavoidabl? Is that what’s fueling the ventilator interest?

See here: Post #1

 

[IdaSHO]

So I did a bit more digging into the Lunas eGO as well as the E2 units.
And again, HRV units have their place, but you have to decide whether or not it is justified for your use case.

For those interested in these... there are a couple of items Id suggest you look into further
There doesnt look to be sufficient data for both the E2 and the eGO, so data looks to overlap... YMMV
But extreme cold operation and noise are two concerns of mine, besides what Ive already expressed in the thread so far.


For extreme cold... this seems like a legit issue. 35% ? Thats awfully low.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/operating_manual_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

Which seems contrary to this claim with regards to frosting, claiming testing and operation down to -32 without "active prost protection"

Introduction to Lunos e² Heat Recovery Ventilation

The Lunos e² decentralized high efficiency heat exchange whole house ventilation system remains a breakthrough in building technology - combining high performance with simplicity of installation and operation. Introduced in 2012 to the US market by 475, the system has proved its effectiveness...

475.supply

And finally, specific to the eGO, the noise issue. Looks like up to 38dB, which would definitely bother me....
especially when you factor in the oscillation. The fans cycle back and forth.... constantly

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/spec_sheet_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

 

[IdaSHO]

Food for thought, with regards to relative humidity in North America.

 

[Victorian]

So I did a bit more digging into the Lunas eGO as well as the E2 units.
And again, HRV units have their place, but you have to decide whether or not it is justified for your use case.

For those interested in these... there are a couple of items Id suggest you look into further
There doesnt look to be sufficient data for both the E2 and the eGO, so data looks to overlap... YMMV
But extreme cold operation and noise are two concerns of mine, besides what Ive already expressed in the thread so far.


For extreme cold... this seems like a legit issue. 35% ? Thats awfully low.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/operating_manual_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

Which seems contrary to this claim with regards to frosting, claiming testing and operation down to -32 without "active prost protection"

Introduction to Lunos e² Heat Recovery Ventilation

The Lunos e² decentralized high efficiency heat exchange whole house ventilation system remains a breakthrough in building technology - combining high performance with simplicity of installation and operation. Introduced in 2012 to the US market by 475, the system has proved its effectiveness...

475.supply

And finally, specific to the eGO, the noise issue. Looks like up to 38dB, which would definitely bother me....
especially when you factor in the oscillation. The fans cycle back and forth.... constantly

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/spec_sheet_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

I can comment on noise. Spend about 25 nights in mine with the lunos just a foot away from the bed area. The sound never bothered me. In comparison: the airhead fan and fridge are much louder. Different story if you run it in ventilation mode (high volume) . That’s when it gets louder but not anything I ever encountered at night.

 

[JaSAn]

Background noise is such an individual thing. A sound (or lack thereof) one person finds soothing another will find annoying or uncomfortable.
You need to know what you like or try it out.

 

[IdaSHO]

Indeed. Our camper is very quiet. The noisiest by far being the the Dometic/waeco DC fridge. Pretty sure it is 40-50dB. We often shut the fridge off for the evening, just to save the noise. And not just the volume, but the on-off cycles as it can be intrusive in an otherwise silent camper.

During hot and cold, we also run whisper quiet fans. On low they are less than 20dB which is great for a low white noise. The real challenge however is mounting them in a way that doesnt transfer vibrations to the cabin ceiling/walls. Everything is isolated via foam rubber 👍

Figure all this out like we have, find yourself a super quiet camper…. then you will find yourself complaining about the snoring dogs you travel with. Ask me how I know. 🤣

 

[Alloy]

So I did a bit more digging into the Lunas eGO as well as the E2 units.
And again, HRV units have their place, but you have to decide whether or not it is justified for your use case.

For those interested in these... there are a couple of items Id suggest you look into further
There doesnt look to be sufficient data for both the E2 and the eGO, so data looks to overlap... YMMV
But extreme cold operation and noise are two concerns of mine, besides what Ive already expressed in the thread so far.


For extreme cold... this seems like a legit issue. 35% ? Thats awfully low.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/operating_manual_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

Which seems contrary to this claim with regards to frosting, claiming testing and operation down to -32 without "active prost protection"

Introduction to Lunos e² Heat Recovery Ventilation

The Lunos e² decentralized high efficiency heat exchange whole house ventilation system remains a breakthrough in building technology - combining high performance with simplicity of installation and operation. Introduced in 2012 to the US market by 475, the system has proved its effectiveness...

475.supply

And finally, specific to the eGO, the noise issue. Looks like up to 38dB, which would definitely bother me....
especially when you factor in the oscillation. The fans cycle back and forth.... constantly

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0694/2117/0961/files/spec_sheet_lunos_ego.pdf?v=1678224448

There are more issues with these:
1. inlet and outlet air are in the same location
2. the core becomes contaminated over time.
3. dehumidifying is based on the % of moisture in the intake ( see reason 1 ) air.


Best is a dehumidifier and/or cold air inlet to the furnace or to a hydronic air handler and an open vent/window to discharge moist air.

 

[TAOspinner]

Before coming upon this post i spent MANY hours looking for either an RV specific HRV or one suitable for my van. There are none, and on top of that, everything out there is junk anyway. After finishing graduate work in Building science, I worked for a guy (Ron) who owns a residential ventilation/insulation business. We sold HRV/ERVs and even though they were considered good quality, they are pretty much junk…all of it. The HRV cores are made of plastic - which is not a good material at all since plastic is an insulated. And EVR cores don’t last long and aren’t any more efficient anyway.
Anyway, i decided i’m building my own HRV with filters, a very high efficiency insulated aluminum core that is washable, PWM adjustable speed high efficiency fans with DC brushless motors w/sound deadening material, in a package that is suitable for van (or RV) life.
The reality is we need ventilation in a small space even more than in a house, and cracking a window cools the small space even faster.
When i was working with Ron, he didn’t like venting HRVs in a bedroom because, even thought they were supposedly around 65% efficient, the air was too cold or hot depending on the season. Those efficiencies are tested under moderate conditions and not consistent across all delta Ts.