Yorkshire Housing Puts Mould In Its Place With EnviroVent

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Yorkshire Housing, a registered social landlord which manages 16,000 tenant homes in the Yorkshire region, has found the answer to a persistent mould problem in a block of flats in Wakefield.

Ings Beck Mews, which is located close to the town centre, is a 1970s, concrete built apartment block comprising of 50 flats. During winter 2013/spring 2014, Yorkshire Housing received persistent complaints from tenants about condensation, leading to mould growth in their homes. Despite the maintenance team using several different mould treatments, the problem would not go away, so Yorkshire Housing contacted ventilation specialist EnviroVent to provide a long term solution.

EnviroVent carried out a full survey and inspection of all flats on the scheme and found that many of the existing extractor fans were not working or had been switched off by tenants and, in addition, the ducting was ineffective.

The company recommended replacing all existing kitchen and bathroom extractor fans with EnviroVent Filterless Fans and Filterless Infinity Fans.

Filterless Infinity Fans are extremely robust and designed specifically to meet the needs of social housing where there is a requirement to remove moisture and improve indoor air quality for all in the dwelling. Ideal for bathrooms, kitchens and WCs, Filterless Infinity Fans can be fitted to walls or ceilings and are supplied with a seven year maintenance free warranty.

Filterless Extract Fans are a major advancement in extract fan technology and have been designed to deliver very low maintenance, excellent life-time values and low energy costs.

EnviroVent also installed anti-tamper switches to ensure that residents were not insolating fans making them ineffective. Whilst carrying out the work, EnviroVent also upgraded some of the ducting with insulated ducts in the roof space.

The works were carried out across all 50 properties within a three week timeframe in order to minimise disruption to residents. 

Neil Clipstone, Maintenance Surveyor at Yorkshire Housing, said: “Condensation and mould growth has been a persistent problem throughout this block of flats during the colder months, taking much of our maintenance team’s time. We are very pleased with the extract fans that have been installed by EnviroVent and the speed and efficiency with which the works were carried out.”

He adds: “We have had a number of EnviroVent systems, such as Positive Input Ventilation, fitted to individual homes in the past, but nothing on the scale of this project. We were therefore confident in the quality of their products and knew that EnviroVent had the experience of working in tenants’ homes. We are delighted to report that we have had no cases of mould at Ings Beck Mews since the new fans were installed. Over the long term, this will protect the interior walls and ceiling of the building whilst helping to prevent health issues associated with mould growth.”

John Moss, Northern Regional Sales Manager for EnviroVent, said: “Apartment blocks are more prone to issues with mould and condensation and older style flats are often badly ventilated. We were really pleased to be able to help Yorkshire Housing resolve this important issue for tenants.”

Extract fans from EnviroVent are a great choice for apartments and can be fitted into individual ‘wet rooms’, such as kitchens or bathrooms. These units are the energy efficient, modern alternative to a traditional kitchen or bathroom extractor fan. They control humidity levels without any need for intervention by the occupant.  The units offer very low maintenance, are environmentally friendly and are designed to last the lifetime of the building.

EnviroVent's Filterless Fan Range and Positive Input Ventilation systems are designed and manufactured by the company in the UK.