2 different ventilation options

[endecotp]

Say the fan is on 30minutes a day. So what if it's extracted into the room or extracted outside?

As long as those are the 30 mins when steam is being produced during cooking then that is exactly what is needed.

 

[HawkEye244]

Do that. When people ask here about dampness, the three questions are always "Do you have a kitchen extractor? Do you have a bathroom extractor? How do you dry clothes?". Fix those and if there is still a problem then investigate more.



I don't think you've proved that. Do you see evidence of penetrating damp coming through the walls? More likely, being a basement means that the walls are cold, resulting in condensation, and possibly that the outside air (which is exchanged via the trickle vents and other "leaks") is relatively cold and moist.

Yes I know that I just said it's cold.Aim is to thermaline that wall and then consider fan options. It makes no sense to spend time ducting a hood that's on 30minutes a day if at all. I will of course be asking the tenant if he uses the hood. The walls are dry. There is a DPC in the floor. It's caused from the lack of air ventilation and the fact it's a basement.

I don't know what he does for washing and drying at the moment. Will be asking. As I said I won't be ruling out the fan but I think warming the wall first is the key priority don't you ? There's no reason why trickle vents should ever be closed that I can think of.

 

[endecotp]

It makes no sense to spend time ducting a hood that's on 30minutes a day

I disagree. Would you say the same about an extractor fan in a shower room?

I don't know what he does for washing and drying at the moment. Will be asking.

Very good idea!

I think warming the wall first is the key priority don't you ?

Insulating the wall is a good thing. Havig said that, beware that the condensation and mould will just move somewhere else if the humidity is still high and other walls are not insulated.

There's no reason why trickle vents should ever be closed that I can think of.

They should be closed, to conserve warmth, when they don't need to be open to reduce humidity.

 

[HawkEye244]

I wouldn't say the moisture from a hot shower is the same as cooking, but yeah I acknowledge the issue which is why the bathroom is extracted, and that's a direct response to using the shower and it turns off on the timer. Not sure how often he boils water but that's usually the worst offender. Things may have changed a little with the washing machine he had added to the kitchen.

So we're in agreement then; warm the wall first and then duct the hood to outside.

I still don't get the logic behind trickles being closed. Ultimately if you are closing them to conserve heat the room/building isn't warm enough and it should be which means you are having to compensate by restricting airflow in/out of the space. I've never known anyone to go around their house when it's cold closing trickles.

 

[endecotp]

I've never known anyone to open trickle vents. Or even fit them, in most cases.

 

[HawkEye244]

I've never known anyone to open trickle vents. Or even fit them, in most cases.

Bad practice. I'm not going to compensate bad practice.

 

[noseall]

Bad practice. I'm not going to compensate bad practice.

You need to phone the manufacturers and insist they start making trickles without closers on them. Or just accept that they can be open or closed depending upon circumstances.

 

[Doggit]

Unfortunately, tenants are a law unto themselves, and will never treat the property in the same way that you would.

You first need to line the outside wall in the kitchen, then either fit an extractor hood, or wall extractor that's fitted to the light switch. Then you need to make it a stipulation in the tenancy agreement that the property must be kept ventilated, as any mold will be the tenants fault, and any necessary treatment will be taken out of their deposit.