Identifying and removing pollutants from heat recovery ventilators.

This study investigated the presence of allergens such as dust and molds in heat recovery ventilation systems and the duct work. It also looks at two different types of cleaning equipment and their ability to clean these pollutants from the rigid and flexible ductwork and heat recovery ventilator (HRV) cores in dedicated balanced supply and exhaust ventilation systems. Samples from the ductwork and cores of ten ventilation systems were tested for levels of dust and mold. The ductwork and cores were then cleaned using standard ductwork cleaning apparatus, then tested again to indicate the success of the cleaning process. All houses were tested for air and surface mold counts using an RCS air sampler and typical swab collection systems. Two of the ten houses were retested over a period of fifteen months. There were high mold counts on the surfaces of the supply air ducts. However, there was no correlation to house air mold counts, which were found to be inconclusive. It could not be determined whether airborne molds were considered a health risk in the houses as tested. It was also found that conventional equipment was not effective in cleaning the ductwork systems.