iSelfBuild Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Has anyone come across EnviroVent? They claim to solve damp and condensation problems: https://www.envirovent.com/products/positive-input-ventilation-piv/ One of the ground floor flats that we rent out is suffering from bad condensation and mould growth. We have tried to educate the tenant in opening windows when they are cooking or having a shower but it seems to be unmanageable for her, it doesn't help that there is no curtains (just blinds) and just laminate throughout so nothing can absorb the moisture it's just sitting there. I think there has also been blown in cavity insulation in the walls so that's not helping. I was wondering if a small MVHR unit would improve things, seems you can get them for about £350.00 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blauberg-DIY-Small-MVHR-Kit-For-1-Bed-Flat-Or-House/132915124708?hash=item1ef25bd9e4:m:mMoRQ5RO3d5S4v15tExXW6w&frcectupt=true Although I think we would struggle with running pipes etc. I have Enviro Vent coming out to do a survey so will share our experience, they seem to have good reviews on Trust Pilot - has anyone any experience with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Friends with a concrete prefab were considering it but decided against it due to cost. Not that expensive, more a case of not having a pot to piss in! As I understand it that system was to be loft mounted and just sucked in fresh air and forced it out of the gaps in the fabric. There was talk of drilling through the solid concrete ceilings. (Of course ewi and mvhr would be the way to go). Edited March 28, 2019 by Onoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 A friend had it installed in her 1960’s bungalow. No matter that she opened windows she still had the problem. I dont think it was cheap but it seemed to work and the bunglaow was vastly better. Unit was in the loft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 45 minutes ago, iSelfBuild said: Has anyone come across EnviroVent? They claim to solve damp and condensation problems: https://www.envirovent.com/products/positive-input-ventilation-piv/ One of the ground floor flats that we rent out is suffering from bad condensation and mould growth. We have tried to educate the tenant in opening windows when they are cooking or having a shower but it seems to be unmanageable for her, it doesn't help that there is no curtains (just blinds) and just laminate throughout so nothing can absorb the moisture it's just sitting there. I think there has also been blown in cavity insulation in the walls so that's not helping. I was wondering if a small MVHR unit would improve things, seems you can get them for about £350.00 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blauberg-DIY-Small-MVHR-Kit-For-1-Bed-Flat-Or-House/132915124708?hash=item1ef25bd9e4:m:mMoRQ5RO3d5S4v15tExXW6w&frcectupt=true Although I think we would struggle with running pipes etc. I have Enviro Vent coming out to do a survey so will share our experience, they seem to have good reviews on Trust Pilot - has anyone any experience with them? If it is a small property then something like this in the kitchen and bathroom would help - basically you just need air changes to get the moisture out, this would do that and retain heat. Wire it into the lighting so she has no choice but to use it. https://www.fastlec.co.uk/hr100r-vent-axia-hr100r-rs-heat-recovery-units.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Tell us about your windows and your ventilation. Is your damp related to the building or the lifestyle? Sounds like lifestyle but single glazing or no dpc could be the basic cause. I generally recommend Nuaire piv, and have had them in a number of houses for a number of years. It is part of my standard fitout for the resilience. Have a look at the Nuaire Flatmaster, which is from about £200 eg Look on their site for the info or eg https://www.juiceelectricalsupplies.co.uk/no-loft-positive-input-ventilation-unitnuaire-flatmaster.html for 195 or 380 for 2. https://www.nuaire.co.uk/residential/positive-input-ventilation-piv/flatmaster For normal PIV, generally you need a void to pull air in from, and to make sure it is sealed from the interior or it will just circulate the damp. I do have units fitted into the end voids in warm roofs that seem to work ok. If I need an outlet due to good sealing I fit something like a Vent-Axia Lo Carbon Tempra HR fan or a Centa T as an outlet, as they both have configurable trickle plus a boost at the other end of the property. The Tempra may be a touch noisy for some if where they spend all their time. I have not fitted Mvhr but presumably you need really good sealing etc. Am sure the Envirovent are OK, but ai have no experience. If they can show they are in social rent organisations then they are robust. F Edited March 28, 2019 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSelfBuild Posted March 28, 2019 Author Share Posted March 28, 2019 26 minutes ago, Ferdinand said: Tell us about your windows, your insulation and your ventilation. Is your damp related to the building or the lifestyle? I generally recommend Nuaire , and have had them in a number of houses for a number of years. It is part of my standard fitout for the resilience. F When I think about it then I'm not shocked there is a problem here. Did the refurbishment 8 years ago now so forgot how bad it was. All the windows are double glazed upvc, the walls will be red brick cavity - either no insulation or blown in insulation. The only ventilation is by an extract fan in the bathroom. There is an extract in the kitchen as well... but that's a recirculating one as the hob is on the wall adjoining the next property. She also has a freezer in the bedroom! This looks a great unit! Thanks for the recommendation. So the unit basically just sucks fresh air in from the loft and heats it if it's below a certain temperature. We could fit that in the access hatch in the kitchen as there is just enough loft space. Where would all this fresh air escape? Do you think it's wise for me to also fit some sliding air vents in the lounge and bedroom as this unit would pressurise the house or do you think there would be enough natural escape? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 14 minutes ago, iSelfBuild said: Do you think it's wise for me to also fit some sliding air vents in the lounge and bedroom as this unit would pressurise the house or do you think there would be enough natural escape? I don’t know the property but I expect it will find a way out unless it’s really airtight, give it a go and see how it performs , you could always add a vent at a later date. I have a PIV in my cold loft to try and deal with damp...... it’s definitely improved things but My attempt to get the other house hold occupants to open windows and cook with lids on etc has not been a great success so I still need to be very vigilant and respond with bleach spray if i see any mold.. in my situation I am not surprising as the house needs knocking down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSelfBuild Posted April 3, 2019 Author Share Posted April 3, 2019 (edited) Just had the surveyor round, a loft kit won't work due to poor layout, it wouldn't really be effective for the rest of the house. I'm going to replace the bathroom fan with a more powerful one and link it so that it comes on with the light. Also going to duct in a proper fan in the bathroom and link it with the recirculating cooker hood so that it comes on with that. Add in an small air vent in the bay window in the lounge. Under the stairs the surveyor is thinking he can fit a loft PIV system (wall mounted) 200mm vent into the hall which will be inline and will need to core out to the outside. Seems to think the ones designed for flats are nowhere near as good as the loft versions so would rather fit a wall mounted one. I do quite like the Nuaire system with the heating fan. Edited April 3, 2019 by iSelfBuild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 In the bathroom can you have a fan with a delay start timer? Also, do they like to dry clothes on the radiators? If so, a continuous fan near the source would help. Duct out the cooker hood if pos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 (edited) On 03/04/2019 at 13:45, iSelfBuild said: Just had the surveyor round, a loft kit won't work due to poor layout, it wouldn't really be effective for the rest of the house. I'm going to replace the bathroom fan with a more powerful one and link it so that it comes on with the light. Also going to duct in a proper fan in the bathroom and link it with the recirculating cooker hood so that it comes on with that. Add in an small air vent in the bay window in the lounge. Under the stairs the surveyor is thinking he can fit a loft PIV system (wall mounted) 200mm vent into the hall which will be inline and will need to core out to the outside. Seems to think the ones designed for flats are nowhere near as good as the loft versions so would rather fit a wall mounted one. I do quite like the Nuaire system with the heating fan. Adding a little more to this thread. I usually go for the basic Nuaire, or the "Hall Control" one, which allows it to be changed from behind the outlet standing on a stool. If it is not an active cold draught that can be felt Ts leave them alone IME. The very basic one only has "loft control". The way I set it up is to work out when the draught can be felt and go one setting lower. I have not gone for the one with the air heater, as I do not think it adds much (compared with say adding a tower rad in the bathroom, which won't be much more ££), and iirc they have a "stop blowing when the incoming air is below 3-5C" setting. It may also necessitate extra wiring (say 500W rather than 5W), which would prevent using the lighting circuit. I have one with an alternative feature which is a WiFi monitoring from outside which is for the future if I should need it. I think your fitting into the hall may work OK. I have one with an outlet in the landing wall (in my own house) coming from a mini-end-roofspace due to an extension in the roof by the previous owner. F Edited April 14, 2019 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Having observed yesterday only my 2nd occurrence of a T switching off a single room HR Lo Carbon Tempra fan in a number of years (a little thrummy in the setting), I have tipped my policy towards fitting one of these where noise is sensitive eg where it is in the kitchen rather than utility. It is a similar fan, with a background low setting, and a timed boost wired to the light. It is a drop in relapcement for a trad "on with the lights") bathroom fan. Cost is reasonable. Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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