Trickle Vents on Windows

koalakoala

I’ve never had a Fensa certificate in Scotland.

I actually love trickle vents, I hare the idea of not getting fresh air in my house at all times.

We are on a helicopter flight path, very noisy outside but hardly any noise inside with them open

Postik

Some people love trickle vents, others hate them.  I strongly suspect some are better quality than others.

My old house didn't have trickle vents and on a cold winter's morning the windows would be streaming with condensation.  My new house doesn't get this, but all is not always as it seems:

1. I barely get any condensation even with the vents closed.  I believe this is because whether they are open or closed, they are still letting air out.  Great for condensation reduction, perhaps not so great for heating bills.

2. The ones in my lounge were badly fitted and even when closed you could literally feel a draught from them.  I blocked them up with a large car sponge cut into strips and it's been fine since.

3. I live in a windy location and occasionally some of them do whistle.  I've found they tend to whistle more when closed as air tries to force its way in.  Sometimes opening them slightly seems to relieve the pressure and stop the whistling.

4. Personally I would prefer not to have them and would leave the windows open a crack on the latch, but sadly my wife and kids would never let me get away with this in the cold weather, so perhaps it's just as well I have them.  I just wish some of them were fitted better - the lounge ones let in a strong draught (until I blocked them up), I have one that won't close fully and another than won't open.

5. I almost forgot to mention, they let in a lot more noise than I would expect.  Sometimes if there is talking or a car outside I have to double check that the window or the vent is closed.  Usually it is, and it seems that having a hole straight through the frame lets in far more noise even with the vent closed.  Fortunately I live in a very quiet location, but if I were next to a school or a busy road I think it might drive me crazy.

akira181

I find trickle vents largely stupid for the issues you described. 

Time and money has been spent developing double glazing to be thermally efficient, seal out wind/draughts, and the noise of the outside world. Then (presumably) politicians decide that all new builds must meet minimum energy efficiency standards, resulting in new builds being too airtight when built correctly. So the same politicians decide that double glazing must have large holes direct to the outside to fix the ventilation issues they created, effectively reducing the benefits of double glazing.

The floor/ceiling voids in the building are ventilated and not airtight to any modern standard. I think I'll forego the trickle vents and and save myself some potential annoyances.