Lifebreath 200MAX RX Supply Air Ducting, Direct Connection to Furnace Ductwork, Kitchen Grille

Supply Air Ducting

In homes without a forced air furnace, fresh air should be supplied to all bedrooms and living areas, exclud- ing bathrooms, kitchen and utility areas. It should be supplied from high wall or ceiling locations. Grilles that diffuse the air comfortably such as the Techgrille™ are recommended.

If the floor is the only option available, then special care should be taken in locating grilles. Areas such as under baseboard heaters will help to temper the air. Also optional inline duct heaters are available for mounting in the supply duct work to add heat if required.

In homes with a forced air furnace, you may want to connect the HRV/ERV to the furnace ductwork (see information below).

Direct Connection to Furnace Ductwork

Should you wish to hard duct the supply air directly into the cold air return of the furnace, remember to check the air flow balance of the HRV/ERV with the furnace fan both "ON" and "OFF" to determine that it does not imbalance the unit more than 10%. Also, it is advisable to include a short length of fabric flex duct or other non-metallic connector in this hard ducted line in order to keep the HRV/ERV separately grounded (electrically) from the furnace. This will avoid a possi- ble shock hazard to service people if a short to ground develops in one of the devices.

Indirect Connection to Ductwork

If permitted by local codes, an indirect connection may be made between the HRV/ERV supply duct and the furnace return plenum. The fresh air from the unit may be directed at a grille installed in the cold air return duct of the furnace. The fresh air supply outlet from the unit should be no closer than 4 inches (100 mm) and no more than 12 inches (300 mm) from the grille.

Stale Air Exhaust System

The stale air exhaust system is used to draw air from the points in the house where the worst air quality problems occur. It is recommended that return air ducts are installed in the bathroom, kitchen, and laun- dry room. Additional return air ducts from strategic locations (i.e. greenhouse, atrium, swimming pool, sauna, etc.) may be installed. Also, the furnace return duct may be used to exhaust from. In this method, the exhaust air is not ducted back to the HRV/ERV with "dedicated lines" from bathrooms, kitchens, etc. Instead, the exhaust air is drawn out of the cold air return of the forced air furnace. This method has become popular and provides good ventilation when installed in accordance with the instructions. The fur-

nace blower must be running when the unit is operating for this system to be effective.

Dampers and Grilles

The use of balancing dampers and/or adjustable grilles to balance the flow rates into various rooms is recommended. We suggest TECHGRILLE™ air dif- fusers.

•The TECHGRILLE™ is available in 4", 5", 6" and 8" (100, 125, 150 and 200 mm) sizes.

•The TECHGRILLE™ is a round, fully adjustable grille, which provides superior, quiet air distribution.

Techgrille Air Diffusers

We recommend the use of high mounted wall returns with grilles. The exhaust air duct from the kitchen should never be connected to a range hood. Instead, the exhaust grille should be mounted high on the wall at least 4 feet (1.2 m) horizontally away from the stove. A "flip-up", 6" X 10" (150 X 250 mm) rectangu- lar kitchen grille with removable grease filter is available (Part No. 10-002).

Dampers should be located just prior to the HRV/ERV to balance the stale air exhausted out of the house with a fresh air supply entering the house.

Removable filter

Kitchen Grille

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