Lofty whole home ventilation system - any good?

[davebwithane]

Can't really leave my windows open at night as we are close to the road and we work during the day

 

[JohnD]

There is no insulation in our loft.

are you serious?

 

[davebwithane]

Sorry what I meant was no insulation on rafters due to no felt on roof. There is insulation on the loft floor

 

[Brennn]

Thanks everone, this thread has been most informatiove.

I've just move into a damp bungalow, although I now realise how much my actions are contributing to this! From the info on this thread I think it would be a good idea to install a Drimaster. However somthing is confusing me, I'll also need to install extractors in the kitchen and two bathrooms (currently there are none).

Do you think I should install a Drimaster and 3 separate extractors, or might it be a good idea to interconnect the ventilation systems somehow and have a central one that does does the lot. If I'm going to do that now is the time while I'm pulling the place apart.

 

[davebwithane]

Hi
The Drimaster will only blow air into your house, it will not extract kitchen smells or bathroom steam. I believe you can get all over house systems, but I think they are very expensive and you would need to talk to an expert.
Cheers
Dave

 

[JohnD]

I've just move into a damp bungalow, although I now realise how much my actions are contributing to this!

Start by improving your behaviour. Buy a washing line, open the windows, don't drape wet washing about the house, fit and use bathroom and kitchen extractors.

Then see if you still have a problem, and, if so, why.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses

 

[Brennn]

We have a washing line but it's been so cold we haven't ventured out much, and have been drying most things inside. The washing's fluttering away nicely outside at the moment

We had a gas leak and had no central heating or hot water recently for a couple of weeks, so I'm getting hardier. Until I read about it here I just didn't think how much vapour drying clothes put into the atmosphere. Obvious when you think about it!

We need to unstick some of the windows too.

 

[cyclingscott]

Hi,

I found this topic looking for some information on "whole-house ventilation systems" and have read through the comments above with interest.

My situation is that I have a slightly damp basement in my house. I only use it for storage but I don't want mould growing on my stuff so I am trying to get rid of the damp. I was put in contact with a company who came and had a look last night and suggested a system similar to a Lofty. To be fair he did also say that drying washing indoors and cooking was causing much of the problem. I don't think that I can realistically stop drying washing inside-I have a small garden but more to the point I live in Wales and we do get more than the average amount of rain here. I have windows open as much as possible but this doesn't seem to help much.

So I guess my question is does anybody have any suggestions? Will a positive pressure system help? Is there anything else I can do? Anybody else had a similar problem?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[JohnD]

how about getting a garden shelter like a car port to dry your washing under?

if you insist on draping wet washing around the house, you might as well throw buckets of water against the walls and your house will always be damp

as for the basement, you need enough air-bricks on each side of the house to get a throughflow of air.

if the floor is not concrete, you can reduce moisture transmission by digging it out and laying a new floor with dpm, but damp will still come through the walls unless you spend a lot of money tanking it.

 

[euharper]

It's been great reading this forum as we are being advised to install a Lofty too. 1930's bungalow with mould growing in the wardrobes. A dehumidifier helped this in the Winter, but after a wet August the house smells musty and mouldy again. The windows have been permanently open since May before anyone asks! Clothes dried outside.
One of the questions that doesn't seem to have been answered is the running cost of the Lofty/Nuaire. Does anyone have any idea of average electric bill costs with the systems running? Also, with the cold air coming out through the loft louvre doesn't this also conflict with heating costs too as I would assume you'd need more heating. Our house is pretty cold anyway in the winter and we have to have the wood burner on near enough full time as well as the crappy storage heaters.
We haven't got a lot of money so really need to balance the costs carefully!
Many thanks for any replies.

 

[^woody^]

These are very low wattage typically less than 20w, so pennies per week

 

[ajrobb]

If you like, once it's been installed for a few weeks I'll let you know what our experience is.

Hi Paul,
How did it go?

 

[ajrobb]

1930's bungalow with mould growing in the wardrobes.

Wardrobes, or any large furniture, placed against outside walls can cause condensation. If you can't move the wardrobe to an inside wall, for the sake of your shoes, I'd run a small tubular heater in the wardrobe for a few hours every night.

http://www.dimplex.co.uk/products/domestic_heating/miscellaneous_heating/T_Range/index.htm

 

[macc70]

Has anyone done a DIY with one of these systems? Is it a DIY job?

 

[yvonneirene]

Please can anyone tell me how noisy these systems are at night? We live in a bungalow and are thinking of getting one, but I am worried about the noise.