Outdoor air is usually cleaner than indoor air, but not when it's loaded with wildfire smoke, pesticide drift, ground‑level ozone, or factory odors. Those gases, AKA volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other chemicals, sail straight through MERV or even HEPA filters.

In this video I show why activated carbon belongs on a fresh‑air intake and how pairing it with a basic energy recovery ventilator (ERV) keeps the benefits of ventilation while stripping out:

• Wildfire smoke gases and lingering campfire smell

• Lawn‑care and farm pesticides before they hit your lungs

• Ground‑level ozone during high‑AQI summer afternoons

• Sour “rotten‑egg” sulfur compounds from lake algae die‑offs

• Industrial VOCs and refinery odors that drift through neighborhoods

• Everyday vehicle exhaust, farm smells, dust, and pollen when teamed with a MERV‑13 pre‑filter

You will get practical tips on estimating carbon life, knowing when to swap media, and the few situations where it is safer to shut the system off completely. Whether you rent an apartment or own a house, this approach gives you fresh air with far fewer gases and odors.