Ductless Ventilation Revolution? A Look at the Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV

By Rise,

Last Updated: Oct 27, 2022

Many homeowners assume that retrofitting a ventilation system in their older home means installing ductwork and hiding large appliances in their attic, basement, or utility room. Home ventilation isn't what it used to be. New ductless ventilation units on the market, like the Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV, can ventilate, dehumidify, and bring in fresh air with just a small hole in the home's envelope.

What is in ERV or Energy Recovery Ventilator?
What components are included in the box of the TwinFresh Expert?
What does “ductless” mean?
How does the Vents-US TwinFresh Ductless ERV work?
Does the TwinFresh Expert heat and cool?
How big of a room will the TwinFresh Expert serve?
Is the TwinFresh Expert a dehumidifier?
How loud is the Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV?
Does it work?

What is in ERV or Energy Recovery Ventilator?

An ERV is a home ventilation device that improves air quality without sacrificing home energy efficiency. It continually runs to supply fresh air, ventilate stale air, and manage humidity. The ERV captures heat and energy from incoming or outgoing air, depending on the climate and season, to reduce the load on your home's heating and cooling system.

What components are included in the box of the TwinFresh Expert?

The Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV comes with the remote control, the outer ventilation hood, the inner control panel with air shutters, the air duct, and the ceramic core heat exchanger with MERV filters. The unit can be plugged into an outlet or hard-wired by an electrician.

What does “ductless” mean?

“Ductless” means no ducting traveling the length of your wall, ceiling, or flooring. A ductless ERV unit needs just one hole in your home’s envelope, about 7 inches in diameter.

Through this hole, you place a single air duct that contains a ceramic heat exchanger and MERV filter. The inside wall contains the fan and control panel, and the outside wall has the ventilation hood. There are many advantages of going ductless, including:

An easier installation
Easier maintenance, and
Less unnecessary loss of hot or cold.

A typical ducting system loses 25-40% of the energy put out by your heating or cooling system. Some beefier HRVs, those rated for high-performance homes like passive homes, can achieve impressive results at 80 to 90% efficiency. Still, those also come at a cost, and installation is much more involved than these ductless units.

How does the Vents-US TwinFresh Ductless ERV work?

In Regeneration Mode, the TwinFresh Expert removes stale inside air, brings in fresh air from outside, and even helps decrease the load on your home's heating and air conditioning systems.

The TwinFresh Expert operates on two cycles that are 70 seconds each. In cycle 1, warm stale air is extracted from the room. The air passes through the duct and past the ceramic exchanger, adding heat and moisture to the ceramic core, transferring up to 90% of the heat energy. After 70 seconds, the ceramic is warm, and the fan reverses direction.

In cycle 2, fresh intake of air from the outside flows through the ceramic core and absorbs the accumulated heat and moisture. The intake air brings the room to a comfortable room temperature and moisture level. Seventy seconds later, the ceramic exchanger is cooled down, the ventilator reverses direction, and the cycle is renewed.

Does the TwinFresh Expert heat and cool?

No, the TwinFresh Expert doesn’t heat or cool, but it stabilizes the intake air to room temperature to reduce extra energy load. Compare this to other ventilation sources like extraction fans and open windows, where you lose precious hot and cold air when you need it.

How big of a room will the TwinFresh Expert serve?

One unit will comfortably provide fresh, conditioned air for a 500 sq/ft room. Some homeowners use a handful of TwinFresh Experts that work together to ventilate their entire home. This unit shines as a standalone unit to bring fresh air into places that don’t usually get adequate ventilation, like bedrooms, basement living spaces, or detached offices.

Is the TwinFresh Expert a dehumidifier?

TwinFresh Experts on Regeneration Mode dehumidify the air to provide comfort. But if your room has a moisture problem with humidity levels around 60-70%, you need a stand-alone dehumidifier to tackle that problem.

How loud is the Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV?

When standing 10ft away from the TwinFresh Expert, it produces 0.2 sones at the slowest fan speed and up to 0.5 sones at the fastest. For comparison's sake, 1 sone is the sound of a whisper or a refrigerator running, so the TwinFresh Expert delivers as far as noise is concerned. It’s so quiet because it’s just a fan, filter, and ceramic core.

Does it work?

The TwinFresh Expert has been third-party tested and certified by the Home Ventilating Institute and Intertek’s ETL Certification program. Just like any product, this only works if installed properly. Explore the Vents-US TwinFresh Expert Ductless ERV on the Rise store, where you can find detailed product info to help you make an informed buying decision.

Last Modified: 2022-10-27T15:39:29+0000

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Rise

At Rise, we strive to make sustainable home improvement easy and accessible for everyone. Whether you're building or renovating, our thoroughly vetted building products will help you reduce your carbon footprint, lower energy costs, and create a more sustainable living or working environment.

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