Drimaster Experiences

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

I want to know if anyone had used these units and what their experience was?

http://www.nuaire.co.uk/Product/Residential_Products/Positive_Input_Ventilation/Drimaster_2000

Robert

2Sheds

We got one last year and alas it doesn't do the job for us.

It blows cold air from the loft into the house and as we open plan stairs up to the 1st floor landing makes the lounge feel colder.

You can get a heater to add on to the drimaster but leaving a 1kW heater on all night during Autumn/Winter will cost quite a bit.

We still get condensation in the bedroom, although I have to admit it's not as bad as it was, but I was using a hand towel this morning to wipe down the bottom 6 inches of windows.

I did get in touch with Nuarie when we first had it installed and they were very helpful making a few suggestion, like making sure the eves of your loft are not blocked with insulation.

My last email to them 2 weeks ago was not replied too though and I'll be emailing them again today.

I'll post up some pictures on here soon.

My best suggestion is see if you can find out if anyone else in a very similar house to yourself has got a Drimaster and had success with it.

2Sheds

After a not so cold night, a couple of pictures from this morning, not as bad as before the Drimaster, but after paying £300 or so quid and having the hallway draughty

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

2Sheds

Just wondered if you had any more to add on the comment:

"like making sure the eves of your loft are not blocked with insulation"

I know mine are. That's because we have a chalet style house with a sloping roof space and the 4 inch cavity between the plasterboard and roofing felt is filled with 4 inch insulation.

I have considered making a Heat Exchanger to see if that helps.

Robert

littlesnuggy

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd wrote: »

2Sheds

Just wondered if you had any more to add on the comment:

"like making sure the eves of your loft are not blocked with insulation"

I know mine are. That's because we have a chalet style house with a sloping roof space and the 4 inch cavity between the plasterboard and roofing felt is filled with 4 inch insulation.

I have considered making a Heat Exchanger to see if that helps.

Robert

In that case, try a Flatmaster instead, which is fitted 'through the wall' rather than in the loft space.
http://www.nuaire.co.uk/Product/Residential_Products/Positive_Input_Ventilation/Flatmaster

dampdaveski

nx,
I fit these units regularly and 99% of the time there are no problems. when considering one of these units you should always bear in mind there is a potential trade off between having a cooler hallway at times and nt having a bad condensation problem.
(I have a 2000 unit in my house btw)
2sheds, without wanting to interfere, but from your pics it looks like your house might be a 60's-70's built cavity construction house, is there tile vents on the roof or do you just have soffit vents?
also what speed setting is the fan on? having the fan on too high can sometimes exacerbate the problems
Are your bedroom doors well fitted? and do you keep them closed to at night or ajar?, even ajar during the day would help?
Lastly and this might sound stupid, (but it's happened) is your drimaster unit connected to a permanent live, we've had an instance before where our sparky didn't double check and every time the landing lights were switched off the unit went off, so correspondingly condensation problems built up overnight when the lights were off.
PM me if you don't want to post on here,
DD

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

dampdaveski

As this is your area of expertise, could you comment on if the eves of your loft are blocked with insulation, then this could cause condensation problems?

Post 4 above gives a few more details.

2Sheds

dampdaveski wrote: »

nx,
2sheds, without wanting to interfere, but from your pics it looks like your house might be a 60's-70's built cavity construction house, is there tile vents on the roof or do you just have soffit vents?
also what speed setting is the fan on? having the fan on too high can sometimes exacerbate the problems
Are your bedroom doors well fitted? and do you keep them closed to at night or ajar?, even ajar during the day would help?
Lastly and this might sound stupid, (but it's happened) is your drimaster unit connected to a permanent live, we've had an instance before where our sparky didn't double check and every time the landing lights were switched off the unit went off, so correspondingly condensation problems built up overnight when the lights were off.
PM me if you don't want to post on here,
DD

Hi DD
The house is a 3 level terrace townhouse built in 1964, cavity walls with apparently a 3" cavity, but under all the windows it's block and render.
There are soffit vents in the roof, which the insulation covered so I moved that back and you could see daylight and feel a draught afterwards.
The bedroom doors are closed at night and opened all day, there are not well fitted at all the opposite !
The drimaster 2000-S has been set to 4 continuously since I installed it (ex-sparks) about a year ago.

This picture below shows one of the windows one morning last February with the top opening left slighty ajar all night, the room is approx 14' x 11' with only 1 person sleeping in there!!




I was hoping it would work great and then I'd be making a few quid fitting it in the neighbours, but they don't seem get any condensation of note!

We've cooked dinner tonight hardly any steam in the kitchen as it was mainly microwaved and there no one having a shower until the morning. I'll still be getting the towel out tomorrow morning


Cheers 2Sheds

2Sheds

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd wrote: »

dampdaveski

As this is your area of expertise, could you comment on if the eves of your loft are blocked with insulation, then this could cause condensation problems?

Post 4 above gives a few more details.

nx

The tech support guy at Nuaire advised me to clear the eves, as it's blocks the fresh air flow into the loft and the Drimaster could be recirculating slate air


2Sheds

iamcornholio

2Sheds wrote: »

nx

The tech support guy at Nuaire advised me to clear the eves, as it's blocks the fresh air flow into the loft and the Drimaster could be recirculating slate air

2Sheds

Eaves should be clear but if clearing them is a problem, then just go around and poke your hand through the laps in the roofing felt to separate them as they stick together over time. This normally does the trick, but another option is to place a small bit of wood in the laps to keep them open

This provides enough air for the unit in the loft

Your Drimaster is not a miracle cure for condensation, and you will still get it on some glass edges. What the Drimaster does is constantly move the air around the property so as to prevent moist air settling in room corners which are the common places for mould to develop.

This type of positive pressure fan does work, and is a last resort for problem properties suffering from condensation related mould

2Sheds

One of the bedroom windows this morning, no showers or baths the night before, although 30mins ironing was done in the lounge.



I'll try and post a layout of the house and where the drimaster is situated, I'm going to try emailing Nuaire again and ask for a replacement under the 5 yr guarantee