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Trickle Vents........and what defines a room


Rob99

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I understand that we need 5000mm2 in each habitable room but how do you (or more importantly I guess, building control) define a room.

 

Usually if its a box with a door and window thats fairly obviously a single room but we will have a dining/kitchen area with a 2m opening between them and no doors.

 

Does that mean it's a single room or two rooms?

 

My main reason for the query is that the dining room area will only have a wall of bifold doors and a couple of windows, all in aluminium and i don't want to have to fit trickle vents in them as it means another 50mm profile section at the top to fit the vents in.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

 

Edited by Rob99
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9 hours ago, Rob99 said:

I understand that we need 5000mm2 in each habitable room but how do you (or more importantly I guess, building control) define a room.

 

Usually if its a box with a door and window thats fairly obviously a single room but we will have a dining/kitchen area with a 2m opening between them and no doors.

 

Does that mean it's a single room or two rooms?

 

My main reason for the query is that the dining room area will only have a wall of bifold doors and a couple of windows, all in aluminium and i don't want to have to fit trickle vents in them as it means another 50mm profile section at the top to fit the vents in.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

 

Trickle vents are a pain in the Arse

We make our home as air tight as possible and have to put vents in everywhere 

and they look awful 

 

I had this conversation with BC

Every window

We have an Orangery with two lots of four sash window

Eight vents 

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I had to get them added to the extension as a retrofit because there is no MVHR vent in there even though it’s linked to 2 rooms with MVHR either side. I told BC I would never use them but he said tough they were needed. I have 3 windows and a set of French doors in there but only had to get them fitted in 2 of the windows. They’ve been closed ever since.  

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I've heard stories of people sticking the trickle vent cover on their windows at BC inspection time, with no actual vent hole in the window behind them...

 

I'm not sure what would happen if the BC took a closer look.

 

Edited by AliMcLeod
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I could have done that I guess as in the end I sent photos to prove they had been put in (only thing needed to get the completion certificate) but it’s done now  anyway. The joiner did suggest the stick on approach as it happens ? but I didn’t want to get into a row about it. 

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3 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Unscrew the vent, tape over and put them back ... job done ..!

 

For some, the issue is having to have the physical vent itself, rather than the loss of airtightness it causes. Most of the ones i've seen are pretty ugly, and the more discrete ones can be very expensive.

Edited by AliMcLeod
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My BC has recently been for his next to last visit.  The windows have been in on his last 2 visits - he hasn't mentioned trickle vents at all and I don't have them.

 

Not sure if he'll pick it up on his final visit - I suspect that so long as I don't mention them neither will he.  

 

I asked him on his last visit if there was a problem with me not having a level access threshold.  He said 'if you were building it to sell then I would insist on it but as it's for you to live in it's not really an issue.  You can fit a ramp later if you need one.'

 

His last visit was meant to check on the insulation but as the plasterers have been held up by various things most of the roof insulation isn't in yet.    He just said 'why would you not do it right, it's in your own interest to make sure it is put in, send me some photos when it's done.'  

 

 

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They don’t check much IME but they do get bees in their bonnets about some pretty inconsequential (IMO) things. I’m amazed he’s not bothered about your threshold though. It was a massive deal here, and how does he know you are living in it really? Just because you said so? 

 

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Bloody awful things. Can't see how they comply with Part E anyway.

 

I've a couple of DG windows from Wickes. Removing the vents and the "routed" holes in the upvc were just full of plastic swarf. It's the noise that they let through I don't like.

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2 hours ago, newhome said:

They don’t check much IME but they do get bees in their bonnets about some pretty inconsequential (IMO) things. I’m amazed he’s not bothered about your threshold though. It was a massive deal here, and how does he know you are living in it really? Just because you said so? 

 

Yeah! lol

 

He has also heard me rant about BB as well.  He asked BB for the roof calcs when he came just as BB was finishing the roof.  They have never been sent so he offered to chase Billy for them.   

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I'm not completely against trickle vents per se but I do not want to have them fitted in my expensive aluminum bi-folds and windows in the new rear extension.

 

The other part of my query is about defining rooms.......how is this done as far as BC are concerned? I will have 3 "spaces" all linked by larger openings of between 1.8 and 2.4m so is this one room with 3 "zones" or 3 rooms? If one room then the trickle vent issue is sorted, if 3 then it will likely involve an argument with BCO......!!

 

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On 07 September 2018 at 10:03, AliMcLeod said:

I've heard stories of people sticking the trickle vent cover on their windows at BC inspection time, with no actual vent hole in the window behind them...

 

I'm not sure what would happen if the BC took a closer look.

 

I am not planning trickle vents or mvhr in my sun room.  But perhaps I might stick a dummy mvhr vent in the ceiling?

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