I built the best DIY heat recovery ventilator I’ve seen on YouTube

I built a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) from only sheets of corrugated plastic and adhesive.
EDIT: SEE PINNED COMMENT for some corrected efficiency metrics. To summarize, my HRV is actually 60% efficient (which is still decent!), not 85%.

Even so, it works great! My HRV is powerful enough to deliver fresh air to most of my house, and it’s designed to use 4” thick MERV-13 filters to help keep harmful particulate (PM 2.5 and 10) out. It greatly reduces VOCs and CO2 as well. My indoor air quality has significantly improved. The cherry on top: it cost me less than $300 in materials to build!

Intro - 0:00
What HRVs do - 0:32
The drawbacks of other DIY HRVs I've seen - 1:18
My HRV (THE REVEAL) - 2:58
Its performance data - 5:12
The cost of building it - 7:25
The drawbacks of my design - 7:50

Below are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

The products I used for quantitative testing:

Aranet4 CO2 monitor/hygrometer: https://bit.ly/3yJrGnf (use my promo code RENEGADE to get 5% off)
Dylos DC1100 PRO Particle counter: https://amzn.to/3V1ssmy
Testo 405i hot wire anemometer: https://amzn.to/3WYn721

Necessary tools and materials (should cost $200-300 total):

-4 mm coroplast sheets: https://amzn.to/4aAGmC5
-48" drywall T-square: https://amzn.to/3ytJ3I7
-Utility knife: https://amzn.to/3UOsaPO
-X-ACTO knife: https://amzn.to/4bxG1kZ
-Hot glue gun: https://amzn.to/44UkyQH
-Hot glue: https://amzn.to/3UUIfUb
-2 pack of Filtrete MERV 13 filters (I now recommend using a 1" thick filtrete instead of 4" thick filterbuy because filtrete has been shown to be superior even when thinner): https://amzn.to/450JKFh
-Terrabloom 6" fan (easier to install, but not as powerful): https://amzn.to/3wZFIQD
-AC infinity 6" fan (harder to install, more powerful): https://amzn.to/3VgmPSP
-Pen or pencil

Want personalized guidance on improving your indoor air quality? Schedule a chat with me here: https://www.healthyhomeguide.com/sche...

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My video about why I now use an ERV instead of this DIY HRV:    • HRVs vs. ERVs: Why I Ditched My DIY H...  
My DIY ERV installation (step-by-step build):    • DIY Energy Recovery Ventilator Instal...  

Designed by Instinct’s video (this one is most helpful for actually building):    • DIY Heat Recovery Ventilator - Full B...  
AlexGs Aquarium’s video:    • DIY HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation)  

A few of you have requested CFM measurements for my HRV, so I’ve gone ahead and taken them! So, I measured the CFM at the supply outlet at various fan speeds. Here’s the data:

With an anemometer distance of 6-8 inches from the outlet:
-speed 1 of 8: ~100 cfm
-speed 3 of 8: ~150 cfm
-speed 6 of 8: ~250 cfm
-speed 8 of 8: ~330 cfm