Air vents

clint123 · 30-01-2012 7:02pm #1

I'm thinking of getting the cavity wall's insulated , and the company that came out said I must have Air vents in each room , to get the SEI grant. is this true? or is he just trying to get more money out of me ? any idea how much it would be to get 5 vents fitted ?

What is the benefit of getting them ? as I want to get the walls insulated to keep the heat in, surely a vent will let the heat out ? or am I wrong ?

thanks folks.

exaisle · 30-01-2012 7:34pm

Are there no air vents at the moment? OR...is your house a sealed house that uses some form of mechanical ventilation?

clint123 · 30-01-2012 7:53pm

House is 30 years old. No Vents in it at all. just normally open the window's to air the house/rooms out

BryanF · 30-01-2012 8:52pm

your contractor is correct, proper ventilation is called for in the building regulations and a requirement of the SEAI when getting grants.

wes31 · 30-01-2012 9:02pm

The guy knows what he is talking about you will need a good source of ventilation.

Al Capwned · 31-01-2012 1:35pm

Yeah, i heard of this requirement before.

you can use the traditional method - using a 4" pipe, angled slightly downward from in to out and covered with vent covers inside and outside (example pic here)

or maybe fit something like these to your existing windows

farbe · 31-01-2012 9:09pm

Yes, I have been told by one company that I need to put in air vents to get the grant but a second company said they hadn't heard of it been disallowed by not doing so. If you put vents on the windows it could change the guarantee if they are pvc. My pvc windows can been left in a venting position all the time and the boiler is in a shed outside. Would this suffice

BryanF · 31-01-2012 9:58pm

farbe wrote: »

My pvc windows can been left in a venting position all the time and the boiler is in a shed outside. Would this suffice

no, see my post above

u2thepale · 01-02-2012 4:48pm

Hi, recently had cavity wall beads pumped in the walls, all of our rooms have no vents .. however it is something I'm looking into (as well as getting new windows) as we are now getting much more condensation on the windows especially in the bedroom......

I'm presuming this is because the room is now warmer then before and the warm air is hitting the cold windows...

there is much more condensation on the windows than last winter when we didn't have the walls pumped

BryanF · 01-02-2012 5:01pm

u2thepale wrote: »

Hi, recently had cavity wall beads pumped in the walls, all of our rooms have no vents .. however it is something I'm looking into (as well as getting new windows) as we are now getting much more condensation on the windows especially in the bedroom......

I'm presuming this is because the room is now warmer then before and the warm air is hitting the cold windows...

there is much more condensation on the windows than last winter when we didn't have the walls pumped

your presumption is correct, moisture will condense on the lowest temp surface which is now your glazing - changing the windows will help your thermal comfort and energy spend, but you still need to deal with the ventilation issue. if you are willing to go for a more overall refurbishment you may find that a mechanical ventilation solution with either heat recovery or demand controlled would work but otherwise consider installing wall vents

clint123 · 01-02-2012 9:25pm

Yes the sales guy did mention that without the vents I would have a big problem with condensation and mould then on the walls at the side of the windows, curtains etc !!...

I ended up buying some small vents in Goodwins only €3 each, so waiting on my builder to fit them next week.

farbe · 02-02-2012 12:03am

How much roughly would it cost to put in the type of vent discribed. Are the vents on windows successful as I have been told that the covers get damaged and cause trouble to repair.

clint123 · 02-02-2012 11:23am

Im not to sure to be honest, as Im getting a friend of mine to fit them for me,
the job seems simple enough to be honest, and I wouldnt reckon it would cost a lot, you can use tradesmen.ie for a quote, ya get 4 quotes from 4 different builders that can do it.

farbe · 02-02-2012 11:39pm

Tks a mil for suggestion and help. Would like to hear from anyone who put vents on pvc windows after installation. Is this costly and what type of vent is recommended. I have been told tht the covers can fall off and this means one is unable to close vents at all then.

elaverty · 03-02-2012 12:11am

u2thepale wrote: »

Hi, recently had cavity wall beads pumped in the walls, all of our rooms have no vents .. however it is something I'm looking into (as well as getting new windows) as we are now getting much more condensation on the windows especially in the bedroom......

I'm presuming this is because the room is now warmer then before and the warm air is hitting the cold windows...

there is much more condensation on the windows than last winter when we didn't have the walls pumped

Same problem here,got cav wall insu and also a boiler upgrade,so ive heat in the rooms like never before,,so im thinking could it be a case that the walls are probably only really drying out honestly for the first time,my house is 6 yrs old,now i know thats a awfull long tyime for walls to dry out,but my original plumber made a balls of my central heating and we never had the type of heat that we have now.
I have vents in all the rooms,but im haveing a particular bad condensation problem in the master bed room,so far as to say the misses thinks the headboard was damp this morning aswell as the window boards,so i brought in a dehumidifier that i have and ran it for 2hrs and collected about 200ml of water in the 2 hours,,,which seems excessive to me ?...So basically could it just be a case that the house is drying out i wonder...I suppose it is a good thing in a way,proveing that the heat is staying in the house,but i hate to think that we are breathing in this air all the time,,thanks for any imput yous may have,,,

BryanF · 03-02-2012 1:15am

elaverty wrote: »

Same problem here,got cav wall insu and also a boiler upgrade,so ive heat in the rooms like never before,,so im thinking could it be a case that the walls are probably only really drying out honestly for the first time,my house is 6 yrs old,now i know thats a awfull long tyime for walls to dry out,but my original plumber made a balls of my central heating and we never had the type of heat that we have now.
I have vents in all the rooms,but im haveing a particular bad condensation problem in the master bed room,so far as to say the misses thinks the headboard was damp this morning aswell as the window boards,so i brought in a dehumidifier that i have and ran it for 2hrs and collected about 200ml of water in the 2 hours,,,which seems excessive to me ?...So basically could it just be a case that the house is drying out i wonder...I suppose it is a good thing in a way,proveing that the heat is staying in the house,but i hate to think that we are breathing in this air all the time,,thanks for any imput yous may have,,,

screams of inadequate ventilation and poor windows, nothing to do with your house drying out, for the next week open your window every night, you'll see quick enough if that's the problem

elaverty · 03-02-2012 8:52am

BryanF wrote: »

screams of inadequate ventilation and poor windows, nothing to do with your house drying out, for the next week open your window every night, you'll see quick enough if that's the problem

Its not a case of poor windows anyway,,i couldnt have got a better window or dearer at the time as they are Marvin windows,,and surely 1 4inch vent in each room would be adequate ?...

BryanF · 03-02-2012 2:50pm

elaverty wrote: »

Its not a case of poor windows anyway,,i couldnt have got a better window or dearer at the time as they are Marvin windows,,and surely 1 4inch vent in each room would be adequate ?...

not necessarily.what makes you think these window frames have a surface temp adequate to avoid moisture forming on them? or maybe its the manner in which they are installed? or maybe the vents do not have sealed piping in them angled correctly? or maybe there is another problem that has been shared here on boards..

i use a RH sensor and surface temp pointer when surveying peoples homes and while it may not specifically be your windows or vents its often a % of these things, also factoring the amount of moisture being generated in your home..

but if you prefer to think that its you home drying out after six years, then I'll say no more;)

MicktheMan · 03-02-2012 3:16pm

elaverty wrote: »

Same problem here,got cav wall insu and also a boiler upgrade,so ive heat in the rooms like never before,,so im thinking could it be a case that the walls are probably only really drying out honestly for the first time,my house is 6 yrs old,now i know thats a awfull long tyime for walls to dry out,but my original plumber made a balls of my central heating and we never had the type of heat that we have now.
I have vents in all the rooms,but im haveing a particular bad condensation problem in the master bed room,so far as to say the misses thinks the headboard was damp this morning aswell as the window boards,so i brought in a dehumidifier that i have and ran it for 2hrs and collected about 200ml of water in the 2 hours,,,which seems excessive to me ?...So basically could it just be a case that the house is drying out i wonder...I suppose it is a good thing in a way,proveing that the heat is staying in the house,but i hate to think that we are breathing in this air all the time,,thanks for any imput yous may have,,,

I have seen this a number of times now. Remove the vent covers and check that the vents have not being blocked up with insulation. There should be a sleeve in the vent seperating the wall cavity from the vent.

elaverty · 03-02-2012 11:48pm

MicktheMan wrote: »

I have seen this a number of times now. Remove the vent covers and check that the vents have not being blocked up with insulation. There should be a sleeve in the vent seperating the wall cavity from the vent.

Thanks,the vents are clear,,they used a 4inch pipe,,,How do you mean a sleeve in the vent ?..

BryanF · 03-02-2012 11:55pm

farbe wrote: »

Yes, I have been told by one company that I need to put in air vents to get the grant but a second company said they hadn't heard of it been disallowed by not doing so. If you put vents on the windows it could change the guarantee if they are pvc. My pvc windows can been left in a venting position all the time and the boiler is in a shed outside. Would this suffice

do you want to give us a bit more info on your house and ill answer your questions as best I can here

waht age is the house?
have you any problems with mould etc?
when were your windows installed?
are you have major work done on your house?
as in could you consider a whole mechanical system if a good level of air-tightness can be achieved?
is it cavity pumping your doing?

yes the wall vents are more expensive, and i would recommend a 'draft reducer' type (that does not restrict air movement but stops a gale blowing )

http://iconstruction.ie/products/natural-wall-ventilation.htm

* i just picked these at random to give an idea of what you could use

here's what the window vents look like http://www.cosyhomestore.ie/acatalog/TrickleVents.html

Air vents

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