Kilt

We’re in a property that’s had a Villavent (now systemair) in for about 20 years. the programmer doesn’t work any more and Systemair say there’s no parts for it now, however it’s still seems to be chugging away. anyways... we’re doing lots of refurbishments and I’ve noticed the flexducts are chocked with dust.. Has anyone done any deep cleans? I’ve read about companies with giant hoovers to suck/blow dust out and varies contraptions to actually go up the ducts. Worth bothering with? It’s not broke at moment but I do think it could prob run more efficiently if it wasn’t so clogged up. Filters are generally pretty clean, but we’ve def grease staining on the slates around the exhaust vent.

Thanks! its been used on all our timber windows and on a recent Timber door we had put in. Sadly the storm threshold they used/came with the timber door isn’t fit for purpose. So put a better one in today.

It’s just like linseed oil putty but looks to have sand in it. anyone know it’s name? I need to order some more to replace old stuff that was under an external door threshold.

Missus is a biochemist and I showed her the skill builder and she laughed out allowed. just money making. scent option.. fair enough. But you could just have a scented filter instead. probiotics? Nonsense. Introducing good bacteria to eat bad bacteria? Their sales pitch is the friendly bacteria will get rid of the smells caused by bad bacteria etc.. but if mvhr is setup well then you shouldn’t have the bad smells.. and even if you do, on the site on skill builder, Robin Clevit has a boost setting on his which’d sort smells right out. mid it doesn’t, then no matter of probiotics is going to help with rotten food in the bid or a bad night on the curry and booze! ?

no, none. I think to get a tray in, it'd have to be built into little window above, its why I've avoided it. My final thread of hope is that window is rotten and water's getting in there. It's going to be replaced in next few months (maybe). I don't think the idea of a tray crossed our builders mind. Quoted for 4 bodies to get the new lintel in, turned up with one and himself and some head scratching. Ended up me having to borrow a manatu from local farmer and helping get it in myself. I think the original DPC above the lintel might have got damaged when old one came out, hence him wrapping the back of the new one... Sadly I think that's just exacerbating the issue as any water hitting lintel or wicking through as you mentioned, hits DPC and flows nicely onto window head.

yeah this sounds familiar... we've issues with ours due to above. Our branch pointed fingers at builder error and they pointed fingers at window company not doing correct job. Builders assume a slider can be packed up, were as window co want perfect level and no work. Have you scope for window to come out and go up? Might be easier than trying to lower floor? I take it there's UFH in the screed? Sounds like your John Knight will be able to advise if it's too low.

Aye its definitely been bodged from day 1 when house was built (we're putting an RSJ in living room as joists are failing). It was just fact the compriband has never dried out, that made me think. I totally agree getting the wooded head out, pVC trims off and having a good look would be the best start. I can't see how its getting into the cavity.. the pointing is brand new and perfect.

Which branch? For me it seems Internorm are let down by their fitters. We had two windows fitted and they didn't use compriband (ah we only use that on the eco-housing etc) and there was gaps in the foam and external silicone. I'm probably going to go with simple upvc windows to replaced the rest of the rotten timbers, purely because I've had excellent recommendations on the fitters. I'd rather have crap windows fitted well than expensive excellent ones badly... If anyone can recommend a north of england/south scotland branch, that have decent fitters (who use the right products, not just foam and silicone) I'd be all ears.

Yeah.. cavity tray is prob last resort, but what should really be there. I've been recommend Stormdry cream.. but had hoped the re-pointed would have fixed this. The property does have a cavity, but all this issues are before cavity, as it's old stone walls (+700mm), with a timber kit on the inside. The window's installed in/under the stone, 150mm before the cavity starts.

Yeah I've pressured washed it before now, to try and re-create the issue, but nothing. Seems to only occur with south-westerly storms, after a period of wet weather. How would you get the wood head out? Just recip saw it out? There's not scope to get access to screws without window coming out. Also there will be no way to get another wooden header back in... however...... The wooded head is pretty laughable really, window company insisted on it, size class etc. I had a nightmare fitting it... they then only fired one measly screw into it, with no packers. I questioned it and the fitters said they'd sufficient anchors on the sides and base, it was just a belt-n-braces hole filler. I'm not going to be able to get that all ripped out until after winter. Any recommendations for someone to make good again? I'm not window fitter.

Hmmm... I would have definitely expected there to be some mm on the threshold, above finished floor level. I know the desire is to have it completely flat/seamless finish between floor and window. But to help with water ingress, we were told to have it as high as possible, but max is to have floor finish at threshold aris. Yours looks to be above this. Who specified the finished floor level? What threshold depth did you go with? I take it the window moves freely? Here's ours, if that's of help. (the finished floor is a currently bathroom board, but its exactly floor level finish, give or take 5mm). On a side note, how well protected are your external drainage holes? There's a known issue with drainage on these doors. Under storm conditions, the internal channel can fill up with water. I was told that Internorm have been able to create the issue in their Lab! 2 years on, no fix!

the lower lintel is a replacement. Top lintel has +20 years on the lower one, even though they "colour matched". However you can see how wet the gable end is, and where the moisture is still lurking. Above the new lintel its been repointed and totally packed with mortar, just a few months ago, in NHL 5 lime. It was originally poorly done in portland cement and not really smeared into the back. Hence me being utterly at wits end.. sorely tempted to brick up the whole window! ?

this is what I think, there's definitely no where for it to go... except internally. Last winter we had some severe leaks coming in through the internal structural lintels, so we raked out all the old pointing, and totally repointed the whole gable end over the summer, skew/coping stones were all rendered and sealed up. Touch wood, we've had no recurrence of these leaks so hoped we'd fixed all the moisture issues... But this compriband/DPC issues has returned.

there isn't one no.. but builder said its not normal practise for a have a drip on a lintel. The sill obviously does...

after last nights storm there's a puddle on the window head that's been dripping on the floor. Window is south/south-south-east facing. Photo below.

finished PVC trim & stone quoins

Had a window installed last year, the head is permanently wet. Any advice or thoughts would great be appreciated as we're nearly 2 years into this debarcle. There was a cock up in measurements/builder installation error, which meant a new lintel ranged from 0 to +10mm above the new window head. (Window company blamed builder, builder blamed window company). It reality, the window company are not picking up any of the slack or blame and could have done a hell of lot more to help the builder, but the builder did cockup and put a new lintel in 5/10mm higher than original one, and then wrapped back in DPC. If the window company hadn't taken 30mm off vertical measurements "to aid installation", we'd not have these issues. 30mm seems ridiculously excessive. The window company sealed the gap above the window (badly) with illbruck compriband, then installed PVC trim over the top to bridge gaps (pictures are before gaps filled and PVC trim went on). The illbruck compriband is always wet and is now utterly sodden after the storms. It almost dried out over the summer, but is now soaked again. The window head is currently open to the internal air temp, so I was initially (wishfully) thinking it might just be a condensation build up, but there's too much water now to just be condensation. The whole wall where this window is located has all been repointed, so there should be any water ingress from there. My thoughts are, there should be a drain installed somewhere... Should the illbruck compriband be ripped out, so its not serving any purpose? (PVC trim acts as weather protection). Help!!! this gap was filled, prior to PVC trim going on. Stone quoins now cover the jambs.