Condensation A Thing Of The Past Says Harrogate Homeowner

Condensation A Thing Of The Past Says Harrogate Homeowner

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Anna Woollven, a homeowner living in Harrogate, is reaping the rewards of a Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) system supplied and installed by EnviroVent.

Mrs Woollven, who lives in a five bedroom home with her husband and three children, had noticed that condensation levels had been getting increasingly worse this winter, so much so that mould was forming on some of her curtains. She had also noticed that some rooms, such as the bathroom and her son’s bedroom, had started to feel damp.

In an effort to identify the extent of the problem she purchased a humidity sensor, which revealed that many rooms had almost 80% relative humidity. This moisture laden air was providing perfect conditions for condensation to form on colder surfaces such as windows and curtains and, ultimately, mould growth.

As Mrs Woollven’s son suffers with asthma, which she knew could be exacerbated by dampness and spores from mould growth, she decided to act quickly. The family had recently upgraded the thermal performance of the home, with cavity wall and loft insulation to help to make the 1930's property more energy efficient and air tight. However, this had simply exacerbated the problem as the lack of ventilation simply trapped the moisture-laden air inside the home where it formed condensation of cooler surfaces.

Living in Harrogate, she had seen EnviroVent’s vehicles operating from its headquarters in the area and decided to contact the company for help.

Mrs Woollven explains: “A ventilation specialist from EnviroVent visited my home and explained that we had inadvertently created greenhouse conditions by sealing up all the gaps in which air could flow through. The house was getting more humid and apart from a couple of extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom, which didn’t run for long, there was no other form of ventilation. Obviously in the winter we didn’t want to keep having to open the windows to let cold air in, as this would waste energy, so an active ventilation system was just what we needed.”

EnviroVent’s ventilation specialists recommended a PIV unit, which, for this home, included a central unit situated in the loft, plus two additional extractor fans in the bathrooms. The ventilation system gently ventilates a home from this central position, transforming a stagnant, stale atmosphere into a fresh healthy and condensation-free living space.

This innovative ventilation solution draws fresh air into the dwelling from the loft space where, during the winter, the temperature will be slightly higher than the outside air. The system filters the incoming air before delivering it into the property. This has the effect of diluting the moisture-laden air without having to open the windows, displacing and replacing it with clean, tempered and filtered air.

Our PIV units are renowned for their quiet and effective operation, quickly eliminating condensation problems and providing a much healthier level of indoor air quality. The unit is optimised to ensure minimum energy consumption and offers a low maintenance and trouble free solution.

Mrs Woollven continues: “I was pleasantly surprised with how affordable it was to fit a PIV system. I expected it to be much more and it was certainly less expensive than replacing all my curtains! We saw immediate benefits, the condensation stopped forming straight away and we don’t have to worry about mould anymore. It’s early days yet, but my son also seems to be having less problems with his asthma.”

Rebecca McLean, Marketing Director at EnviroVent, said: “Many homeowners are recognising that when they upgrade the insulation and improve the air tightness of their properties for energy efficiency reasons, they can end up with a problem with condensation and mould growth. Our ventilation systems provide an answer to this common issue, helping maintain adequate ventilation in order to prevent condensation forming. This is really making a difference for people by protecting the fabric of a home, whilst improving air quality for the health and wellbeing of occupants.”

EnviroVent is one of the pioneers of Positive Input Ventilation (PIV). The company manufactures a range of whole house ventilation systems, such as MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) as well as producing a wide choice of mechanical extract ventilation solutions, including innovative extractor fans.