Double Glazing Condensation

Soldato
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Open plan doesn't really have much effect. It would probably spread the moisture around a larger area rather than concentrate it in one room. The humans in the house are the problem with all that breathing and sweating that they do.


A PIV unit is usually situated in the loft and will serve the whole house. The ducting coming from it is quite large so you would situate the diffuser on the landing somewhere.

Honestly I swear by them. I fitted a lot of them at work and decided to install one in my old house and it took care of the condensation problems I was having there. Now that I have moved I will be installing another as the house constantly feels stuffy.

By squeezing out the damp air and replacing it with clean dry air it helps with allergies as well.

I'm looking at getting a Drimaster Eco Heat - I'll do the unit installation myself and get a sparky to wire the fused spur.

BUT - I'm not sure where to mount the vent! We live in a 2 storey property, so either upstairs on the landing or in the hall, but I note that the instructions say for the higher fan speeds (6) it must be 1m from any walls.

Based on the 2 pictures here - https://imgur.com/a/2VoBa

I think the best location is between the 2 downlights in the first picture?
 
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We have MrVenty - http://www.envirovent.com/home-vent...ouse-ventilation/mr-venty-eco-sub-2-sub-loft/

1960s 3bed semi, no trickle vents on the windows and no windows open. Running MrVenty, which is mounted in our upstairs hallway ceiling we get no condensation in the whole house.

It's brilliant in all honesty, we only ever have it on medium which seems to be fine. You can't hear it at all, the only thing you can do is feel a slight cool draft when your sitting under it, but it's only about the same as having a window open a crack. They do also do one to heat the air as it's pumped in. Running costs seem very low. The only other thing we have in an extractor fan in the bathroom.
 
Soldato
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Norwich
We have MrVenty - http://www.envirovent.com/home-vent...ouse-ventilation/mr-venty-eco-sub-2-sub-loft/

1960s 3bed semi, no trickle vents on the windows and no windows open. Running MrVenty, which is mounted in our upstairs hallway ceiling we get no condensation in the whole house.

It's brilliant in all honesty, we only ever have it on medium which seems to be fine. You can't hear it at all, the only thing you can do is feel a slight cool draft when your sitting under it, but it's only about the same as having a window open a crack. They do also do one to heat the air as it's pumped in. Running costs seem very low. The only other thing we have in an extractor fan in the bathroom.

Do you mind if I ask how much it cost to install, did you have the survey and have them fit it all?
 
Soldato
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We have MrVenty - http://www.envirovent.com/home-vent...ouse-ventilation/mr-venty-eco-sub-2-sub-loft/

1960s 3bed semi, no trickle vents on the windows and no windows open. Running MrVenty, which is mounted in our upstairs hallway ceiling we get no condensation in the whole house.

It's brilliant in all honesty, we only ever have it on medium which seems to be fine. You can't hear it at all, the only thing you can do is feel a slight cool draft when your sitting under it, but it's only about the same as having a window open a crack. They do also do one to heat the air as it's pumped in. Running costs seem very low. The only other thing we have in an extractor fan in the bathroom.

That looks fantastic but I fear a little too late in our renovation. Plus we have a converted loft.

Off to research that some more though.
 
Soldato
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We rent a property currently which suffered with quite bad condensation. We got one of these units installed but I’m not totally convinced. Yes if you have it on full whack it does massively help with the condensation and the air is cleaner but there are some big drawbacks. The inbuilt heater isn’t great and the house can be Baltic in the winter months. In the summer you get the loft smell pumped around the house as well as the warm air from the loft. It could just be that ours is crap but I would take these things into account.
 
Soldato
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We rent a property currently which suffered with quite bad condensation. We got one of these units installed but I’m not totally convinced. Yes if you have it on full whack it does massively help with the condensation and the air is cleaner but there are some big drawbacks. The inbuilt heater isn’t great and the house can be Baltic in the winter months. In the summer you get the loft smell pumped around the house as well as the warm air from the loft. It could just be that ours is crap but I would take these things into account.

Interesting, as that is the first remotely negative thing I've heard about PIV so far, either here or elsewhere. Which one did you get?
 
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I'm looking at getting a Drimaster Eco Heat - I'll do the unit installation myself and get a sparky to wire the fused spur.

BUT - I'm not sure where to mount the vent! We live in a 2 storey property, so either upstairs on the landing or in the hall, but I note that the instructions say for the higher fan speeds (6) it must be 1m from any walls.

Based on the 2 pictures here - https://imgur.com/a/2VoBa

I think the best location is between the 2 downlights in the first picture?
Hard to really tell from the pictures. I'd want it over the staircase really so long as it is safe enough to access with step ladders, I'd also be tempted to lose a spot light to make room for it.
 
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We rent a property currently which suffered with quite bad condensation. We got one of these units installed but I’m not totally convinced. Yes if you have it on full whack it does massively help with the condensation and the air is cleaner but there are some big drawbacks. The inbuilt heater isn’t great and the house can be Baltic in the winter months. In the summer you get the loft smell pumped around the house as well as the warm air from the loft. It could just be that ours is crap but I would take these things into account.
That doesn't sound right. You shouldn't need it on full whack and if you are getting smells then I'd suggest that there are other problems in the home. Possibly a leak in the roof perhaps, something like that. Have you checked the filters? They might need changing.

PIV units are great but they aren't a magic bullet. They help a lot with clearing up condensation but if there are other damp problems in the house then those issues will need to be resolved.

Anyway I hope you can get it all sorted as damp in the home is not just unsightly it's actually unhealthy.
 
Soldato
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Beginning to get interested in these PIV units.

I know the most important think I need to go is to get extractor fans in the bathroom and kitchen. Both rooms need "doing", so will get them wired in when the rest of the work is going on... some time next year I'd expect. Whereas a PIV is something I can install right away. I'm just not too sure how much improvement we will see until we get those extractors installed.

At the moment, most of the house is humid, 70%+. Especially the kitchen, even in the mornings well after we've been cooking.
 
Soldato
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That doesn't sound right. You shouldn't need it on full whack and if you are getting smells then I'd suggest that there are other problems in the home. Possibly a leak in the roof perhaps, something like that. Have you checked the filters? They might need changing.

PIV units are great but they aren't a magic bullet. They help a lot with clearing up condensation but if there are other damp problems in the house then those issues will need to be resolved.

Anyway I hope you can get it all sorted as damp in the home is not just unsightly it's actually unhealthy.


I wouldn’t say there is a damp smell in the loft, nothing to suggest we have any damp issues (other than small bits of mould around some upstairs windows where the frame meets the wood) no mould on walls etc. I suspect they’ve put a really crap system in, I will see if I can dig out the manual for it.
 
Soldato
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Just had a chap round for a quote from envirovent and got to see the unit, pleased to report no pushy sell and just a good explanation as to what setup we would need - two diffusers in our property.

It was pretty interesting seeing the humidity numbers and the cold spots where our issues with mold have been and how different the temp there is to a few inches away - helps to visualize the problem!

Awaiting the quote and while it’s expensive esp compared to buying a nuaire and fitting I have to say just having it all fitted and guaranteed is very appealing.....
 
Soldato
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It was pretty interesting seeing the humidity numbers and the cold spots where our issues with mold have been and how different the temp there is to a few inches away - helps to visualize the problem!

Good sales trick then :) Big numbers and fancy IR pictures...
 
Soldato
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Good sales trick then :) Big numbers and fancy IR pictures...

Not really as I know we have high humidity hence running a dehumidifier lots, there were no IR pics just a temp thingie pointing out were we get mold issues the temp is lower in those spots causing the mold.

It didn’t sell me anything because I know the issues, it’s interesting to put numbers to the problem is all!
 
Soldato
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Awaiting the quote and while it’s expensive esp compared to buying a nuaire and fitting I have to say just having it all fitted and guaranteed is very appealing....

so it is a PIV, did he also discuss MVHR solution/cost , with evacuation/heat-exchange. ?
You don't have any neigbours with similar property/problem, which could be the best recommendation.
 
Soldato
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so it is a PIV, did he also discuss MVHR solution/cost , with evacuation/heat-exchange. ?
You don't have any neigbours with similar property/problem, which could be the best recommendation.

Yeah, I’m only interested in PIV, most neighbors here are elderly living on own so not good sample!
 
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Moved into our new property about 5 months ago and realised quickly we needed new windows. The currently double glazing was 25 years old, seals broken and handles all very tatty. We had condensation on the majority of windows. Had new windows put in last week, and whilst condensation still exists, it so much better than before (this could also be because we do keep windows open for ventilation). Funnily though, our middle pane on the bay window was constantly steamed up during the night and morning, and it turned out the pane had been fitted the wrong way around, a quick swap and much better now.
 
Soldato
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Sooooo we had a PIV unit fitted today and well it’s too early to draw any conclusions but with windows all shut it cleared bathroom and kitchen windows vastly quicker than normal - usually use a dehumidifier and have windows open after baths/cooking so a positive start...
 
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