air to air heat exchanger ?

[mikesin]

Hello, looking for a way to reduce humidity
Levels in our home. I know our house had
High humidity levels before we moved in
and added the aquarium. The humidity level
Averages 50% during the winter months,
we would like to lower it a Bit. We currently
Have a portable dehumidifier in our basement
Where the sump is, it runs constantly. There are
Exhaust fans in the bathroom & kitchen.
The house is an older brick home with
Lots of insulation. The aquarium had low Ph
Until I added a fresh air pump,
I'm thinking its pretty air Tight, hence our
higher humidity.
We are trying to decide between a whole
House dehumidifier and an air to air exchanger.
Seems to me that the exchanger would be
More cost effective to run than a dehumidifier.
Does anyone have any experiences with
Exchangers? Do they work reducing humidity
In the summer?
Thanks

 

[raynist]

Do you have an exhaust fan in the attic? I hooked mine up this fall (wasn't hooked up, didn't realize) and the humidity in the house dropped by at least 10%. The humidity today in my gameroom where my tanks are is at 33% right now.

 

[mikesin]

There is an exhaust fan in the attic but it does not run in the winter, I think it is set to come on @ 100 degrees.

 

[raynist]

I added a humidistat on mine so it runs at a set temp, or a set humidity. It was $40 from amazon.

 

[mikesin]

Wow, I did not think humidity from the tank would get thru the ceilings and insulation. Do you also have a vent from the main living space to the attic?
What humidity setting does your attic fan turn on?
Thanks for the information.

 

[raynist]

No vent from the main living space, but I have an older house that isn't air tight. I would imagine humidiy from my gameroom/basement finds it way to the attic through the drop ceiling and through the walls.

 

[Adam]

mikesin,

The heat exchanger your are talking about is an HRV (heat recovery ventilator). I talked to a fellow reefer who has one and he said it works great in the winter when the outside air is dry, but not so much in the summer when it is humid.

That said, if you have central air, you can disable the HRV in the summer and the centrl air should dehumidify nicely.

Adam