Customer Service
Frequently Asked Questions: Indoor Air Quality

Why would I need an air exchanger for my home?

The air circulation within your home may be good, but more likely the air quality is poor. It's damp, stuffy, or making you sick. Replacing appliances such as a furnace or water heater, installing new windows or adding siding to a home changes the air leakage rate. Any improvements made to a home that reduces airflow in a house may result in insufficient natural ventilation. Excess moisture destroys your windows and building structure. Mold, mildew, carbon monoxide and chemical pollutants are harmful to human health. You need to build tight, but more important, ventilate right.

Would I be able improve my air quality with just a bathroom or kitchen ventilator?

Healthy indoor air requires you add a mixture of regular fresh outdoor air. Tighter building construction causes negative pressure when bath fans, kitchen range vents, clothes dryers and other exhaust equipment are in use. Your vent fans suffer. They will not be effective and motors will wear out more quickly.

Why is an air exchanger better than a regular bathroom or kitchen ventilator?

Ventilators do not recover the energy (heat temperature) from the air being exhausted. An air exchanger with a heat recovery core transfers the temperature to the fresh air being drawn into the home. Reheating costs become minimal in comparison to heating air being drawn in through cracks and leaks in your building structure.

Must I also install bath fans if I choose to install an air exchanger?

An IAQ vent system cannot be as effective if the high levels of humidity generated by today's shower and tub systems is allowed to dissipate throughout the entire house. It should be removed at the source by running a bathroom exhaust fan for 20-30 minutes after each shower. Your bathrooms should be properly measured and fans for each room must be chosen with proper CFM (Cubic Feet of air per Minute). Then the house's general ventilating system can control the moisture.

May I vent my bath fans through an air exchanger's ductwork?

It is not recommended that you do this. When an IAQ system has been properly sized and balanced, any vent fan that operates during operation of the IAQ will unbalance that system, rendering it ineffective. The high humidity from the bathroom, along with any odors, may be circulated throughout the rest of the house.

How much fresh air is needed in a home?

To calculate the minimum quantity of fresh air required in CFM (cubic feet per minute), calculate 10 cfm for each room (ex.: living room, bedroom, kitchen), 20 cfm for the master bedroom and 20 cfm for an unfinished basement. You can also consult an HVAC specialist to properly size your building.

Who installs air exchangers?

The choice is yours. You can do-it yourself or trust the installation of your Guardian Plus Air Purification System to our highly specialists and benefit from our exclusive 2 years warranty.

What types of controls are available to operate the IAQ equipment?

The CMR wall control allows to easily control your unit. It includes three modes (normal, boost and recirculation), a filter maintenance indicator and a fresh air indicator.

Where is an air exchanger installed?

The HR 2.5 and HF 3.0 units require a floor or pipe drain to evacuate the water produced by the functioning of the unit. They should be installed within an area of the house where the ambient temperature is above 10°C) (basement, furnace room, closet, etc.).

The HV 1.5 unit can also be installed in the attic.

Can I connect my air exchanger to my furnace so it only runs when my furnace is running?

No, it is impossible to synchronize these to systems. However, you can connect the HR 2.5 or HF 3.0 unit to a forced air system (but not the HV 1.5 unit). Take note that if you are in the habit of closing bedroom doors or other rooms you may have "dead air pockets" in your home. The furnace blower helps the fresh, dry air reach the rooms farthest from the ventilator.

Why must I have a balanced ventilation system?

Recent studies show that natural ventilation (leaks and cracks) does not provide adequate fresh air into houses. Energy efficient construction has challenged us to overcome the bad health effects and damaging humidity that tightly constructed buildings have caused. Natural ventilation does not provide adequate ventilation to control these contaminants.