I hear you on the energy efficiency thing—sometimes it feels like we’re trading one problem for another. I’ve seen a few builders around here actually using vented nail bases and making sure there’s a real airflow path, but it’s still rare. The irony is, all these “tight” homes are supposed to be healthier, but if you trap moisture, you’re just asking for mold. Have you seen any good solutions that balance airtightness with proper venting? I’m curious if anyone’s tried those mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery... do they actually work in practice, or just look good on paper?
The irony is, all these “tight” homes are supposed to be healthier, but if you trap moisture, you’re just asking for mold.
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually seen a few cases where folks went all-in on mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (HRV/ERV) and it worked out better than expected. One client had a super tight build—think triple pane windows, spray foam everywhere—and the HRV kept humidity in check even through a wet spring. The trick was regular filter changes and making sure the installer actually balanced the system. I do think some of the “vented nail base” stuff is overkill unless you’re in a really tough climate. Sometimes old-school passive venting still has its place, especially if you don’t want to rely on another gadget that can break down...
- Had the same debate when we built last year. Ended up with an ERV.
- Tight house, lots of insulation, but I still crack a window now and then.
- Honestly, the ERV does its job, but you really have to stay on top of cleaning the filters.
- Noticed if we skip that, humidity creeps up and windows start sweating.
- Passive vents sound simpler, but in my climate (humid summers), they just didn’t cut it.
- If you’re not into maintenance, tight + mechanical might be a pain... but it’s worked for us so far.
I get the appeal of ERVs in a tight house, but I always wonder if we’re trading one set of problems for another. We had a client with an ultra-sealed build—nice and efficient, but after a storm knocked out power for a couple days, the mechanical ventilation went down and humidity spiked fast. They ended up with some minor water damage around the windows because condensation just pooled up.
I’m not saying passive vents are perfect (especially in muggy climates), but it’s kind of wild how reliant these new builds are on powered systems just to keep things balanced. Maintenance is one thing, but what about outages or if you’re away for a while? Sometimes old-school leaky houses had their own issues, but at least airflow wasn’t totally dependent on a filter you might forget to clean.
Not sure there’s a perfect answer. Just seems like we might be creating different risks—less obvious maybe, but still something to think about if you’ve ever had storm-related interruptions or travel a lot.
That’s a real concern, honestly. I’ve got a pretty tight house myself, and after a short outage last summer, I noticed the same thing—humidity shot up fast, and the windows started sweating. The ERV is great when it’s running, but it does make you realize how dependent everything is on electricity. I’ve looked into battery backups for the ventilation system, but that only buys you so much time. Sometimes I wonder if we’re over-correcting for drafts and just trading one headache for another... especially in places where storms knock out power every year or two.
