Professional ERV Airflow Balancing Services
Balance fresh-air supply and stale-air exhaust, maintain neutral building pressure, and optimize the performance of ERV and HRV ventilation systems.
Fresh Air Works Best When the System Is Balanced
SBC Testing offers precise Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) and Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) balancing services to optimize continuous fresh air delivery in high-performance homes.
Proper balancing helps ensure your mechanical ventilation system delivers clean, conditioned air while maintaining neutral house pressure and peak energy recovery efficiency.
Mechanical ventilation is a code requirement under the applicable IRC ventilation provisions.
View the referenced building code ↗Measure incoming ventilation air delivered to the home.
Tune both airstreams to maintain proper building pressure.
Verify exhaust airflow removing stale and moisture-laden indoor air.
Measure, Balance, and Commission the Ventilation System
Accurate airflow measurement and commissioning help ensure ERV and HRV systems operate as intended across different speeds and ventilation demands.
Supply and Exhaust Flow Measurement
Using specialized low-flow powered capture hoods and differential pressure manometers, SBC Testing accurately measures incoming fresh supply airflow and outgoing stale exhaust airflow.
Measurements can be taken directly at the unit's test ports or at interior registers, depending on the system configuration.
Neutral Pressure & Energy Core Optimization
An unbalanced ERV can create either positive or negative building pressure.
Excess supply can push indoor moisture into wall assemblies during heating months, while excess exhaust can draw unconditioned air through gaps in the building envelope.
Balancing supply and exhaust airstreams helps maximize sensible and latent energy transfer across the recovery core.
Multi-Speed & Commissioning Adjustments
Modern ERVs often use multi-speed ECM motors or adjustable dampers.
SBC Testing commissions and tunes fan-speed settings across high, medium, and continuous low-speed modes to align airflow delivery with ventilation requirements.
This helps match actual system performance to the intended mechanical ventilation strategy, including ASHRAE 62.2 design goals.
Final Ventilation System Commissioning
A balanced ERV or HRV should deliver the intended amount of fresh air while exhausting a corresponding amount of stale air.
Final commissioning provides measurable verification that airflow settings, operating modes, and overall system balance are working together as intended.
Precision Measurements at the System and Registers
ERV balancing relies on measured airflow rather than assumptions about fan speed or equipment ratings. Proper instruments make it possible to tune the system based on actual performance.
ERV Balancing in Practice
See an example of SBC Testing's ERV airflow balancing and ventilation commissioning work.
Let's Verify Your Ventilation System.
Whether you need initial commissioning, airflow adjustment, or verification of an existing ventilation system, SBC Testing can help measure and balance the system for proper operation.
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