MESSAGE FROM ZEHNDER AMERICA:

Wildfires often make the news for the destruction they cause, but the smoke from these fires can travel hundreds of miles and cause health concerns far from the fire itself. 

Smoke can affect the quality of our indoor air. Many people will notice the odor, and for those with chronic health issues, it can pose a more serious health risk as well.  

If you have a Zehnder HRV or ERV unit, there are steps you can take to help minimize the impact of wildfire smoke in your home. If there is a local recommendation to turn off HRV or ERV systems, you can shut your system off temporarily, for no more than 48 hours (about 2 days) at a time, as turning it off for longer periods may cause other indoor air quality issues such as high levels of carbon dioxide or excessive moisture leading to mold. If you choose to turn your system off, make sure to monitor CO2 levels in your home closely. 

You can also run your system in “low” or “away” mode; this will ensure air circulation while minimizing the amount of smoke being brought into the system from outside. 

Make sure your filters are clean to maximize their ability to remove large particles from the air. Our F7 filters can remove the larger particles in smoke. If you have a filter casing on your ComfoWell silencer, we also offer an activated carbon filter which can help eliminate odors or an additional MERV 15 filter to catch particulates. 

Unit filters can be vacuumed to remove solid particles; you can do this weekly or even daily when smoke is heavy. This will help improve the efficiency of the filters. We recommend changing all intake and exhaust filters in your system once the smoke clears from your area if the event was prolonged or if air quality was seriously affected. In general, unit filters should be changed every six months and activated carbon filters when they are no longer effective at controlling odors. 

For more detailed information on what your Zehnder system can and cannot do when there’s heavy smoke, strategies on how to maximize indoor air quality during fires and how you can prepare your system for wildfire season, click here for tips from Small Planet Supply. 

MESSAGE FROM SMALL PLANET SUPPLY:

If you need to order filters, you can use the buttons to the right to order from Small Planet Supply in the USA and Canada. You can also contact Small Planet Supply if you want to add additional filtration using a Comfowell or have questions about your systems filter configuration.