What Is An ERV and Why You Need One In Your Soundproof Studio

erv hvac soundproofing ventilation May 16, 2022

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Learn what an ERV is and why I recommend one in your soundproof studio build. Don't make this big mistake I made and learn how an ERV helps with bringing in fresh air and pulling out stale air.

What Is An ERV?

An ERV is an acronym for Energy Recovery Ventilator. ERV's work by pulling in fresh air from the outside and sending that air into your studio room. They also remove stale air from your recording studio and send it back outside.

What makes an ERV special is the enthalpy core. The enthalpy core allows the heat and humidity from the air coming from the outside to mix with the stale airs heat and humidity without contaminating the air this allows the unit to keep your room comfortable. To help explain this you can see the diagram below.

Notice that the air enters from the left goes through the core and out the bottom right. The stale air comes in the top right and goes out the bottom left. When the fresh air goes through the core it picks up the heat or humidity in your room in the winter so that the new cold air coming in is not cold and dry. In the summer the fresh air picks up the cool dryer air in your room and transfers it to the hot wet air coming in. ERVs are great in more humid climates where wet air could be a problem in your new recording studio.

Why An ERV Is Important

Without using an ERV and a ventilation system in your soundproof studio you will get a build up of C02 in the room from your exhalation and others recording in your room. Too much C02 can cause headaches, brain fog and lethargy. Ideal C02 levels are 400-600PPM and certainly below 1000PPM (Parts Per Million). I went a year without an ERV in my studio and I had 1200-2600PPM in my studio during sessions and with a group of 4-5 people it got close to 5000PPM. All in all, you want fresh air in your room and ERV is a great option for getting in fresh air and transferring out stale air.

Which ERV Do I Recommend

I recommend the Fantech SE704N Series ERV. You will also need the supply and exhaust registers to bring in and pull out the air. The registers I recommend are the Fantech COMP4 supply and exhaust hoods. This ERV will give you 61 Cubic Feet Per Minute of airflow or CFM. A person needs around 15 CFM so if you have more than 4 people in a room at one time for extended periods of time you may want to look into getting a bigger model.

I hope this article was helpful in understanding how and why and ERV will help your soundproof home recording studio.

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What Is An ERV and Why You Need One In Your Soundproof Studio

What Is An ERV?

Why An ERV Is Important

Which ERV Do I Recommend

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