Condensation cures: positive input ventilation systems?

[nocarsgo]

We've just moved into a house with obvious condensation problems. Black mould staining all over the place (although it looks "old"), musty smells, water running down the windows in the morning, etc.

It's not hard to see why, ventilation is non-existent! There isn't a single air brick in the entire house, not even the bathroom. Maybe this is common in newer builds (this house was built in 1980) but it seems strange to me.

We've had an electrician in and he mentioned that he recently installed a PIV system from a company called Nuaire. I've done a bit of Googling and it seems to be exactly the sort of thing we're looking for, and relatively inexpensive (around £300 for a loft unit).

Anyone got any experience of these?

[PigletJohn]

opening windows is cheaper. A 1980 house might have trickle vents in the windows, or you may be able to get them made by a person with a drill.

the previous occupiers might have been in the habit of draping wet washing around the home, which is a dreadful source of condensation, damp and mould.

start with a powerful extractor in the bathroom, preferably set to come on with the light switch and run on for 20 minutes. Look for one with a ball bearing motor or a centrifugal fan, both are quieter than average.

also a cooker hood for the steam as well as the cooking smells.

If there is water running down the kitchen window for no apparent reason, there may be a water leak, possibly under the floor, making it damp. Water leaks in other rooms are usually radiator pipes.

[nocarsgo]

It's been rented for 6+ years, so yes, who can tell what the previous occupants did, but whatever it was they were unconcerned about the mould and smells.

Don't really want to have windows open all winter, I am a delicate flower and get cold easily Wet windows is an upstairs problem, thankfully. Have concerned a bathroom extractor fan, but having just moved out of a house that had one, I am enjoying life without the bloody awful noise. And, that bathroom still got mouldy.

Have you any opinions on PIV systems aside from cost?

[wonkylegs]

I've put them in, in new developments and have had no problems but I think it's worth investigating the source of your condensation first before making the leap to an expensive system.
Modern houses aren't generally built with air bricks they are used to ventilate the void under a suspended timber floor. Modern houses tend to have a solid concrete floor so don't have a void to ventilate. The solid floor has a membrane in it to prevent moisture from coming up through the floor.
Modern houses use a combination of trickle vents generally in windows and extract ventilation.
Make sure all trickle vents are open, clean and not painted over. I've seen a house where they complained of condensation but had lived for 10 yrs with windows with stickers over the vents which say" remove after installation", no-one thought it might be an idea to remove these.
Not all extractor fans are made equally. Cheap and nasty often equals noisy and inefficient and these annoy people so they don't put them on and then find they have problems. Unfortunately the vast number of housebuilders put these in because they are cheap and they don't care once they sold you the house.
Sometimes underpowered units are also put in and therefore also give people problems.
Get a decent quiet extractor sized for your requirements for both the kitchen & bathrooms.
I would also tackle the mould/staining by scrubbing it off with either dilute bleach solution or anti mould solution so that you can see if you've solved the problem or if it returns in certain areas.

[nocarsgo]

Right, I'm off to Google trickle vents because I've never seen or heard of them and am pretty convinced the windows don't have them!