Trickle vents - help reduce mould?

[Coker]

We're getting mould appearing around our bedroom windows, and in small areas elsewhere in the bedroom. The room was redecorated after we moved in about a year ago, and previous mould was treated, cleaned up etc, and now it's recurring it's buggering our wallpaper and curtains up.

I'm assuming this is some sort of circulation issue, and is caused mostly at night by the heat/moisture of us breathing whilst asleep?

Our uPVC windows don't have any vents, and I'm told retrofitting trickle vents might help. Is this correct? Or am I better of fitting a whole new window unit?


Any advice appreciated, cheers.

[Coker]

Thanks all for the replies.

The dehumidifier is an option, although she wouldn't have it on at night cos I suspect it'll be too noisy - unless there are very quiet units available these days?

The issue certainly lessens on the less-cold autumn/winter nights, when we can have a window open (or at least on "vent"). The problem with that is going to be freezing our proverbials off in bed when it really is cold though.

The PIV thing is interesting, I've never seen those before. I'd have to give them a ring and discuss which one would be best suited, there's quite a few options there. Would that really be so effective though when it's peculiarly cold outside and warm in our bedroom, with the bedroom door shut? Our landing is quite open and has an inaccessible window high-up so leaving our bedroom door open just fills the room with light, which might aid air circulation but doesn't help when trying to sleep...

[Coker]

Superb, thanks very much chaps for the info and links.

Considering these PIVs are something I'd never even heard of until a couple of hours ago, I'm now feeling much more positive about sorting this problem out. I've ordered a humidity meter as well, just in the interests of science for before and after PIV tests.

Cheers all

[Coker]

barryrs said:

I agree that the PIV system will almost certainly fix your issues however just as I'm reading this an advert for this appeared on TV.

Can't comment on it's effectiveness http://www.unibond.co.uk/en/moisture-absorber/aero...

Going to pick one of those up tomorrow until I get a PIV sorted. For a few quid it seems worth a pop cos it might just help in the meantime.

[Coker]

V8A*ndy said:

I have one of those.....

All the houses in the development had them from when built.

It's now blocked up and switched off.

All it did was blow cold air into the house in the winter time and the local farming smells to. A local land fill added to the smell at certain times as well.

You can get ones with a heater I believe.

We now run a dehumidifier with carbon filters and an extraction system above the showers.

Much more effective IMO, for us anyway.

Oh, well I've just ordered one with the heating element... It seems it's working for some people here so fingers crossed it works for us.

[Coker]

HotJambalaya said:

Quite fascinated by this PIV thing, like the op had never heard of it. I will also be calling them. Given how the work I assume they'd be quite a good combo with trickle vents.

Coker, you've ordered one? When does it come?

Sorry for the late response, I've not checked back in here in a few days.

I ordered directly from Nuaire. I phoned them at about 4pm and the unit was with me by lunch time the following day! Great service.

However, after discussing this issue with a friend of mine, who is very interested by the whole thing and waiting on the results of my installation before ordering his own, he then found the exact same heated unit on Amazon for £328 delivered. Nuaire charged £383. I phoned Nuaire back and bizarrely they told me that they cannot price match! So they arranged for a courier to come and collect FOC and I ordered the Amazon unit, which arrived this morning (ordered on Monday).

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nuaire-Drimaster-With-Heat...


I also got the humidity monitor set up... 86-88% in our bedroom in the mornings! Now wonder we have mold issues...

Sparky coming this weekend to fit the unit.



edit: RE: the comments about opening the window... Surprisingly enough, we did think of that. Fine when it's not cold, not an option when it is. We get puddles on the window sill. Even on the moderate nights when we can have the windows "on the catch", we still get windows swimming in water. If we're going to continually ruin wallpaper and curtains and have moldy patches on the ceiling, then I'm willing to give the Drimaster a whirl.

Edited by Coker on Wednesday 21st October 22:59

[Coker]

Sleepers said:

Sounds familiar.

Our old house had UPVC sash windows installed by the previous occupier with no trickle vents and suffered the issue you mention.

We just contacted a local window company who retro fitted trickle vents on all the windows for peanuts.

Immediately the house felt so much healthier with issues sorted

Cheers

I actually bought some trickle vents from Amazon with a view to installing them myself. They're in the garage waiting to be fitted. Before I butchered the window frames, though, I thought I'd ask here to see if they're worth doing. Seems to be a mixed bag bag of answers. Perhaps I'll fit them well as the Drimaster unit.