Ventilation improvements necessary?

Richyyy

Due to condensation and damp/mould issues I had a company called Envirovent look at my house and have received a quote for over £2,000 for their advised improvements. They include new Cyclone7 fans in kitchen and bathroom - new fans are definitely needed, but over £300 each seems like a lot - and a Mr Venty Eco2 unit mounted in the loft (that part's over £1000).


Does anyone have any experience with these sorts of improvements, or advice on alternatives? Even advice on alternative companies (there don't seem to be many who specialise in these sorts of things) or equipment? I'm not against the idea but just wonder whether it's worth the expense.

Hoploz

What sort of house is it? I find it hard to believe that these sorts of 'fixes' would be required. Are there special circumstances that make it differ from a standard construction?

Richyyy

Pretty standard two-floor (plus loft) semi-detached house. The bathroom is small and has never had great airflow, but outside of that there's nothing particularly unusual.

Hoploz

Most ordinary houses just require windows to be opened and heating to be used, in order to stay free of condensation. Extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens are important, a window in the bathroom is preferable. A vented tumble dryer. Double glazing. Adequate ventilation to the loft space is also important. You should not 'need' anything high-tech to remain dry.

Hoploz

Is it modern, built with cavity walls?
Or older with single skin walls?

Type of plaster & paint finishes can cause Damp patches where walls can't breathe. Cavity wall insulation can cause damp.

??

tacpot12

If you generates a lot of moisture, you will need some form of active ventilation. I'm surprised Envirovent recommended extractor fans AND a whole house ventilation system, but you might need additional extraction in the kitchen and bathroom. The Cyclone7 fans seem to offer dubious benefits - their main feature is that they filter the air before exhausting it - this is supposed to protect the internals of the fan, but also creates a need to clean the fans.

£1000 is a lot for the whole house ventilation system, unless you don't have trickle vents on your windows and Envirovent are going to fit them to all windows.

I think I would go with the Mr Venty Eco2 (if the price is right) and get a local electrican to fit a humistat controlled extractor fan in the bathroom. I'd wait to see if the whole house ventilation system manages the condensation in the kitchen, or get a nice cooker hood and have the electrician fit it.

Richyyy

It's a rented property, so I can never be 100% sure about how well the place is being treated. Not modern, as illustrated by the wooden sash windows, rather than double glazing and PVC. There was no mention of vents or anything like that. Only elements beyond the two fans and the Mr Venty was trimming a few doors (too tight and therefore restricting airflow) and an RCD spur necessary for the bathroom fan.


Thanks for the comments so far - already giving me food for thought.

SuzieSue

Do a search on this forum. There have been a few threads about Envirovent and similar systems.

Richyyy

SuzieSue wrote: »

Do a search on this forum. There have been a few threads about Envirovent and similar systems.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did search for 'ventilation' before posting the thread, but apparently that wasn't a common enough term. 'Envirovent' got me more results.

Furts

Richyyy wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion. I did search for 'ventilation' before posting the thread, but apparently that wasn't a common enough term. 'Envirovent' got me more results.

I would not touch the Mr Venty Eco idea with a bargepole. You have to cost out what work is really required, and then factor in the sales commission, the tv advertising, and all the sales spin and BS that goes with this. You will then see you are being conned.



Old wooden sash windows leak heat like a sieve. But they also provide copious ventilation. This should have been pointed out by your sales person but I would not be surprised if this was not. Equally with tlc old sash windows can be massively improved without any technicalities. I recently did tho a rental with sealant, screws, filler, draught strip and so on. The materials cost was almost zero, but the time mounted up. However a day can transform such a situation.


Condensation can be a huge issue on the old sash windows, but again by applying tlc as I did there was a massive improvement.


The rental also received a methodical technical makeover on drafts, gaps, holes. cracks, seals ... and it was transformed in this respect. A huge difference and unrecognisable from what was there before.



Remember all Mr Venty Eco wants to do is sell you as much kit as possible at the maximum prices. Also, nobody goes to a sales company and says "what can you sell me to rectify an issue" without first doing savvy homework.

Richyyy

Well this thread would be part of my savvy homework .


The windows do need a bunch of work doing on them, but as you say I would've expected their poor condition to somewhat aid ventilation rather than make it worse. I think I'm going to replace the two extractor fans - likely with more sensibly priced options than those suggested by Envirovent - and see if that makes a meaningful difference. Then decide on anything further.


But other people will also inevitably find this thread when they do the search suggested above, so if anyone has any further advice, please don't hesitate to offer it.