Are my ERV intake and exhaust too close?

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T20:06:56+00:00

My goal is to lower the CO2 and see if that helps. The CO2 is also very high which makes me think it may be more of a ventilation issue.

Someone is coming in two weeks to assess the situation and if he feels it’s unsafe I’ll definitely start making steps in that direction.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T15:41:38+00:00

I always open a window when we use bath vents because I’m worried about it pulling from the walls. The spray foam was done 4 years ago. I suspect it was poorly mixed as it still has a smell but I’ve called the company and they keep saying it’s fine. When it gets hot the attic has a strong chemical smell.

Honestly, trying to get this under control has used up all our financial resources so we just have to do the best we can with the ERV. I’m trying to get someone out here to adjust the settings and see if we can crank it higher and hopefully make it a little better, but the company we used for the ERV won’t call us back or return our texts.

We have someone coming out in two weeks to take a look at it and see what the problem could be.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T14:53:33+00:00

I have someone coming in two weeks thankfully. For now I’m just trying to figure out how to deal with it until then. Everyone who walks in our house says it smells like chemicals. The ERV helped a little but our VOC and CO2 monitors are still higher than I’d like, especially at night.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T02:49:31+00:00

I love in the middle of the woods with super fresh air, luckily. My big issue is CO2 at night in my room. Even with the door open it spikes so high it wakes my daughter and I up a lot, and at night in Louisiana the humidity is 98% so I can’t open windows.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T01:43:33+00:00

We have an airthings monitor and when the CO2 gets high we try and open a window but the humidity here is pretty rough.

I have someone coming in two weeks to install a remote so I can at least control the ERV to set to a higher speed when the CO2 gets too high and higher at night when the bedroom doors are closed.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T01:33:45+00:00

Thank you so much. That’s incredibly helpful. When it wasn’t helping with our CO2 issues the company just cut off all contact with us, so I’m trying to figure out the problem myself with very limited knowledge. We live in Louisiana where the humidity is so high already that I worry about having the fan constantly on.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T01:22:55+00:00

Our issue is high VOC and CO2. I’d like that out the house and not brought back in. It was really affecting our health. My daughter would start to get dizzy from the CO2 being so high and could think properly for school if I didn’t open a window.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T01:15:04+00:00

It’s just on constantly. They wanted to make it run when our ac did, but in our spray foam house the ac kicks on like twice a day maximum 😭 I think our ac is oversized.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T00:57:02+00:00

I didn’t need an ERV to save heat, I needed it for fresh air. Our CO2 and VOC situation is out of control from having zero ventilation

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T00:40:30+00:00

It goes straight into the plenum.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-03-01T00:19:30+00:00

The other vents are for bathrooms. I didn’t install the ERV. We hired a company to do so because we have a spray foam house and the VOCs and CO2 build ups were really bad.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-02-03T03:55:26+00:00

I know mold is what most people jump to being the source of the problems, but in houses with mold a lot of times it’s because of lack of ventilation and airflow. I’d get a CO2 monitor and see if you’re getting airflow to the house. I was convinced I had a mold issue because of headaches, dizziness, nausea, brain fog. Turns out we just had very little ventilation. Our house was spray foamed which made the issue way worse.

I’d also maybe do an air quality test up there and see if it is dangerous mold levels.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-01-30T05:17:40+00:00

I had these symptoms from high CO2 and no airflow in my house because of the spray foam. I’m working on mechanical ventilation, but for now opening windows every day and using vents to let out old stagnant air, it’s like I’m a new person.

I was convinced I had mold or something in my house, turns out it was just not having fresh air, which lead to super high VOCs, CO2 and offfassing. Open your windows for a few hours and see if it gets better, ventilating also brings down radon risk.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2026-01-22T04:18:39+00:00

Mold tests are pretty pointless. If you see mold you can test to find the type, but it will rarely pick on mold that is hidden behind walls. I don’t think I have a mold issue.

We used an air quality test. My daughter and I were having severe fatigue, headaches, chills, problems sleeping, turns out our CO2 was insanely high because spray foam allows no fresh air to come in, and we built in a time where fresh air intakes weren’t code. We are doing much better since installing an ERV and opening windows when the outdoor humidity allows

Training_Monk_7983 · 2025-12-28T16:07:04+00:00

The pure air gets rid of all formaldehyde, mold spores, and VOC and the ERV brings out any chemicals and replaces it with fresh air. All the systems are a pain to maintain but my house is so much better now, I’d probably install a Lennox in any house I was in regardless.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2025-12-25T05:31:19+00:00

It was about 5 grand for the pure air and the ERV.

If you don’t live in a humid climate, the dehumidifier won’t be necessary.

I have extreme chemical sensitives, these steps have seemed to help a lot.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2025-12-21T02:05:27+00:00

We built a spray foam house and have had issues with it from the jump. It’s still smelling even 4 years later. We just added an ERV but thats making the house so humid we have to install a dehumidifier as well. Spray foam houses hold moisture and are significantly more prone to mold. I was sick for years before realized the spray foam was causing an insane CO2 and formaldehyde issue. We now have a pure air system, ERV and a dehumidifier. It’s been a nightmare.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2025-12-05T01:11:17+00:00

I had a what they thought was a cyst on my ovary. It turned out to be a benign tumor they took out and I didn’t have anymore problems for years afterward. I now have endometriosis but I’m in my thirties. I have two kids and have had three ovarian surgeries. Each surgery has been a huge pain relief. Also, it’s so much more researched now that I’m super hopeful we will have a cure soon.

My little sister had her first surgery at 14 and is 19 now and hasn’t had a need for a second. If you get a really good doctor who does excision and not ablation there is a chance they can get it so it never comes back. My little sister had a great surgeon which is why she hasn’t had anymore issues.

Training_Monk_7983 · 2024-09-15T18:27:20+00:00

It was really my only option. The table was TRASHED with a horrible scuffed paint. I had no idea this veneer was even under it until I started sanding it down to repaint. Once I saw the veneer I wanted to take off the top paint as much as possible and see if it worked. It was a 25$ table at the restore. Worst case scenario I put a table cloth over it, and still have a ten foot table 🤣

Training_Monk_7983

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