HRV fresh air ventilation with filtered AC setup that has improved things for me.

[Guest guest]

For those who are mold sensitive and living in a hot/humid climate..

If you can afford to buy one more device to help you breathe, I

strongly recommend getting an aluminum core HRV.. and then maintaining

it well..

(not an ERV with an enthalpic core, which can end up growing mold, an

HRV w/ a washable aluminum core) in combination with an AC that you

clean religiously and an HEPA filter for the indoor air-

Leave both on..the HRV on 'low' and in cycle mode.. (on for 25% of the

time..only) and the AC is to remove the humidity that comes in with

the fresh air..

That combination is working well for me..

I use the HRV on very low.. really, unless you have a large house or

very large apartment, the very smallest HRVs would work to do that..

they are pretty cheap.. ~$400

My home isn't moldy, but its not new construction.. so this has proven

to be a big help...

The idea is to make your house as tight as you can, then introduce a

*constant* flow of clean (or cleaned) air.. this prevents air buildup.

I also - thanks to Jeff May's advice, put an approximately MERV 7

filter on my AC inputs..and close off the outside air vent

completely.. also clean them every 2 weeks or so.. I also leave them

on energy saver and unless its really hot, turn the AC off completely

at night.. (The HRV helps with cooling as well as fresh air) Again - I

also clean them very frequently and turn them off whenever I am

vacumning..

The ACs also have drains that doesn't allow water to pool on the

outside drip pan.. (it just drips right out) One doesn't even have an

outside air valve, the other - I closed it off..

The effect of all this on the ACs is to not only prevent mold food

from getting into the ACs.. but the ACs actually also end up cleaning

the air..because they move so much of it. I wash the fiters out when I

foam the ACs - about every two weeks..

The coils on the AC are spotless and stay that way..

The only remaining thing to do is to set up the HRV so that it wont

run when the humidity outside is VERY high.. (like when its raining!)

We have to do that manually now..

I also have a CleanStream (I think that is the name) GoreTex HEPA

filter for my shop vac - and clean it at least once a week..

We use both that and a sealed HEPA upright vac.. Basically, the HEPA

gets used one way or another every time I vacumn in our living

space....

I also have a fairly big HEPA air cleaner which so far I have not had

to use very much.. (mostly when contractors were here.. to catch the

dust..)

When the AC is running, the filters on the AC also help clean the

air.. There are also filters on the HRV, although they are not very

fine ones at all. Its a recirculating HRV so I also have a cleanable

foam approximately MERV 5 or 6 filter on the recirculating port input.

This all seems to be helping me get better.. I was miserable last

summer and fall, so far, this summer has been tolerable..

We got the HRV last fall and we used it during the winter a bit, even

though it hadn't been installed properly yet, and indeed, it warms the

incoming air so much that you can let it run 24/7 (on low)..

They are great!