Hi RMDT,
We installed the ERV-300 model last year from MTD and it seems to be working fine. Things have moved on a bit since though especially in the area of ducting, insulated flexible ducting being our option at the time. As far as I can tell there seems to be better options to this now i.e. ducting with noise reduction and better flow dynamics built in. Also, rigid/solid ducting appears to be a better way to go now from what I've been reading around the place.
We choose MTD at the time mainly for the following reasons
- Units low power consumption (20 watts) having said that our unit consumes 40watts at it's lowest setting, the extra load coming from the ducting. Disconnect the ducting and the load immediatley drops back to 20W
- Efficiency, their literature (at the time) claimed that the unit is 97% efficient.
- The documentation that was supplied was also quite good.
- Finally and probably most important to us was that they were very DIY supportive/friendly especially the rep we dealt with at the time. (We installed our unit ourselves)
Having said all that I'm sure that there are also other brands out there since we purchased that one should also consider.
Another point to bear in mind which isn't often considered is that this unit will eventually wear out and require maintenance. Motors will eventually need replacing so I'd also be asking some questions about this. For example will you still be able to easily get parts from your supplier in say 5+ years time. What are the time intervals before the unit requires a major overhaul? What kind of warranty is provided or should you consider a maintenance contract?
Regards
Fran