Loft vent/fan causing freezing house

Iguanatwins

I'm currently living in a privately rented shared house. We have found that a ceiling vent above the stairs has a motorised fan which is transferring cold air from the loft into the upstairs of the house. The fan has a notice which says do not switch off. I believe this fan is leading to our house to become much, much colder with the winter weather coming in. Anyway I was wondering if anyone could give some advice on if there is anything we can do with it? I reckon it's most likely to prevent damp in the loft, but the cold is becoming unbearable and we are already spending more than we should on heating.

Any suggestions would amazing right now.

that

at a guess, this is what you have got, and probably why you have it
https://www.nuaire.co.uk/condensation-cure-landlords

speak to the landlord

MR_M_P

I'd simply switch the fan off

C_Mababejive

So it puts the house under positive pressure presumably forcing the warm air out through vents? Lovely..

Fire_Fox

DO NOT just switch it off. If you already did, switch it back on.

That type of ventilation system is to prevent poor indoor air quality damaging your health and damaging the fabric of the building. Damage caused by condensation damp and mould can be charged to your deposit.

If you smoke or have asthma a chest infection may mean the NHS pay for your heating and food for a week or two. If not, a chest infection will make work/ uni/ life ten times more rubbish than it was last January.

Ventilation sytems that force air down from the loft are recycling the heat that naturally rises from a home that is used and heated normally. Better than bringing in freezing external air.

If you are spending excessively on heating insulate yourselves and your home properly. Close all curtains and blinds tightly, top and bottom left and right. Line thin curtains with cheap fleece blankets, and/ or use a concertina blind (£3 IKEA). None of this needs sewing skills, money or fancy tools just Google and a little time.

Remember what your Geat Nan/ Mum said when you were kids because mature women are always right. Wear clothes in layers, tracky bottoms not jeans. Blah blah.

Buy a good duvet (or a winter-summer combo). Heat yourselves for pennies with plug in electric underblankets and heated fur throws. Only downside is you won't want to get up for work/ uni etc.

tacpot12

Fire Fox is correct. These positive pressure ventilation systems are designed to collect fresh, dry and warm air from the loft and push this into the house to ensure that damp air is forced out. Yes, some of the air forced out will be warm, it needs to be to stop the moisture condensing out.

The fresh air is taken from the loft because this will be warmed by having the heating on in the house. You should find that the air coming in via the loft is warmer than the air outside, but it will not be as warm as the air in the house. You could investigate whether the system you have can have a heater fitted. Some can so that the air coming into the house is warmed as it enters.

unforeseen

My loft isn't warm. The insulation is too good to allow any appreciable heat loss through the upstairs ceiling to the loft. It is maybe 1 or possibly 2 degrees warmer than external. However that is 6 or 7 degs min cooler than the the house

If you have a warm loft then you need to look at the installed insulation.

Fire_Fox

unforeseen wrote: »

My loft isn't warm. The insulation is too good to allow any appreciable heat loss through the upstairs ceiling to the loft. It is maybe 1 or possibly 2 degrees warmer than external. However that is 6 or 7 degs min cooler than the the house

If you have a warm loft then you need to look at the installed insulation.

Insulation at the expense of ventilation is widely acknowledged to cause as many problems as it solves. The move now is for an overall strategy not a random fan here or vent there.

If this PIV system has been recommended and installed by a BPEC qualified Domestic Ventilation Installer then it should be right for that specific property.

sevenhills

I have a vent in my chimney breast, in the living room. I believed this was making my house colder, I sealed it and now my room is 2*c warmer.
I own my own house though, if I get any damp issues I will have to think again.

gardner1

sevenhills wrote: »

I have a vent in my chimney breast, in the living room. I believed this was making my house colder, I sealed it and now my room is 2*c warmer.
I own my own house though, if I get any damp issues I will have to think again.

If your chimney breast houses a gas fire you need an air vent