How to get new windows inspected?

Bendy_House

Cool - sounds as tho you have it all in hand. (Ouch! Sorry! )

Condensation on the inside does not mean they are 'duff'. It's actually very hard for a DG unit to 'be' duff; they will all be far superior to SG.

Cond on the inside just means that the inside glass is at a temp that allows moisture in the air to condense on it. That doesn't mean it's actually 'cold', just coldER than other surfaces. It can equally mean that there's just too much moisture in the air, so it cannot 'help' but condense out. For instance, you could have a perfectly warm room and windows, but if you produce excessive moisture, you'll still see them fog up. Just wait until you cook chrimbo dinner - a HOT but steamy kitchen, and cond-running windows. UNLESS you ventilate it all away using the extractor.

So, the guy was right - first thing to check is adequate ventilation. When that room is not being used, turn off the heating, crack open the windows to 'vent' setting, and CLOSE the internal door. I bet the panes will be dry after a couple of hours.

Bendy_House

If the condie windows are bedrooms, then you should also trickle them overnight - folk should be warm under their duvets.

Condie occurs more overnight because (a) the outside temp falls - and so does the glass temp, (b) the inside temp falls as the heating is turned down, so the cooler air cannot 'hold' as much moisture so some condenses out, and (c) in bedrooms, people expire a fair bit of moisture via breath & body.

Two ways to prevent condie happening overnight - one is to keep the heating high (you'd clearly be nuts), and t'other is to ventilate it all away.

Bendy_House

If you find condie forming on any other part of the window, say around the frame edges, THEN I'd be concerned that they may not have been fitted properly. Eg, the gap between the frame and wall might be draughty or cold to not having been foam-filled or sealed properly.

If there's a gap there but simply covered over by a strip of plastic trim, then the only insulation betwixt out and in will be from ~6mm of PVC (to the cavity).

FreeBear

Bendy_House said: Cool - sounds as tho you have it all in hand. (Ouch! Sorry! )

We have a special place lined up for you after that crack... Free tomatoes & other rotting fruit & veg available

Bendy_House said: Two ways to prevent condie happening overnight - one is to keep the heating high (you'd clearly be nuts), and t'other is to ventilate it all away.

Third option - Thermal curtains to reduce the amount of moist warm air getting to the window.

Bendy_House

Hmmmm....tomaaaaatoes.

PoGee

Thanks for advice regarding condensation - it was a bit difficult to grasp (!) initially but got it eventually. I opened the trickle vents and the next morning was fine but then again it wasn't one of those very cold mornings. I'll invest in thermal curtains...unable to put up the faux wooden blinds just yet. But shocked my kids when I told them I'd bought net curtains. Let's say they're embarrassed and refuse to have them in their rooms. Nets were dirt cheap from a company called Net Curtains Direct.

FreeBear

PoGee said: but then again it wasn't one of those very cold mornings. I'll invest in thermal curtains...unable to put up the faux wooden blinds just yet. But shocked my kids when I told them I'd bought net curtains.

It was only 12-13°C down here overnight, previous night it got down to 6.7°C. No condensation inside or out this morning.

Net curtains will do nothing to combat condensation, and I'm not surprised the children are embarrassed - It's something a granny might put up

greenface2

fensa / certass / assure ect will just take readings of the thermal values of the glass / possibly check the B>S mark if its toughened . if newly installed they need to have trickle vents installed if more than 25% of the house has been fitted since this summer .( unsure if that applies to Scotland ) I thought they did before England and wales made it mandatory . Your local building control will sign it off but I doubt they would give you much advice to give you peace of mind to ensure it was installed properly . Insulation and screws in the right places ect . 

FreeBear

greenface2 said: if newly installed they need to have trickle vents installed if more than 25% of the house has been fitted since this summer .( unsure if that applies to Scotland ) I thought they did before England and wales made it mandatory .

Trickle vents in England & Wales are not mandatory, despite what many say in the DG industry. Part F only specifies "background ventilation", and leaves it up to the individual as to how this is provided. It can be a wall vent, A PIV or MHRV system, or trickle vents shoved in to your nice new (and previously draught free) window frames.

There is one further cop-out in the guidance documents - If the property is adjacent to a busy road, trickle vents are not mandatory on the side facing the road.

Can't find the latest rules for Scotland (there are amendments coming in December 2022), but the old ones do mention trickle vents (as well as alternatives). I do believe Scottish rules also mandate background ventilation.

BUFF

FreeBear said:

greenface2 said: if newly installed they need to have trickle vents installed if more than 25% of the house has been fitted since this summer .( unsure if that applies to Scotland ) I thought they did before England and wales made it mandatory .

Trickle vents in England & Wales are not mandatory, despite what many say in the DG industry. Part F only specifies "background ventilation", and leaves it up to the individual as to how this is provided. It can be a wall vent, A PIV or MHRV system, or trickle vents shoved in to your nice new (and previously draught free) window frames.

There is one further cop-out in the guidance documents - If the property is adjacent to a busy road, trickle vents are not mandatory on the side facing the road.

Can't find the latest rules for Scotland (there are amendments coming in December 2022), but the old ones do mention trickle vents (as well as alternatives). I do believe Scottish rules also mandate background ventilation.

My understanding of Scottish regs. is as per yours - a level of background ventilation is mandated but how that is achieved is not i.e. trickle vents are not  mandatory as long as there is an alternative supply of required airflow. I also have a hazy recollection that there is also not a requirement in replacements where the existing did not have them but I would need to check.