Condensation vs Nuaire Drimaster

[robemcdonald]

I’d be worried about condensation, but to be honest if the PCB is sealed it’s not too much of an issue. If I was a betting man I would say it voids the warranty though.

[xyz123]

shady lee said:

Cooler drafts in winter, wife complained.

Also we found out main issue was when the heating knocked off at night-morning, also that in our house having it on a schedule still maintained the Rh level desired. I also have the Rh sensor.

There was some talk about the MK1 drimaster needing to be on 24/7 due to condensation forming on the PCB, but I think they/you guys sealed the eco to stop this happening.

Mines been on a WiFi timer for nearly 4 years now with no problems, here's my schedule that works.






It's to be noted that I also installed a "to outdoor" cooker hood, a massive inline mf100t shower fan and a dmev in the porch. Piv can do so much but it helps to address all sources I think.

Here's the RH and boost switches for a non heat model if anyone is interested, the Rh Ramps the fan up and down to reach the set humidity.

Edited by shady lee on Thursday 26th November 14:12

Can i please ask how you did that? Did you have power circuit/socket in the loft or tapped onto the lighting circuit to wired to a socket? Thanks

[shady lee]

robemcdonald said:

I’d be worried about condensation, but to be honest if the PCB is sealed it’s not too much of an issue. If I was a betting man I would say it voids the warranty though.

Oh yeah I agree 100% with the warranty.

I took a gamble tbh, been fine though.

Bearings will fail now I've said that

[skinnyman]

If you're never supposed to turn it off then why can you pay the extra for the version with various sensors and things? If the idea is to set and forget, why have this option?

I didn't fancy having it running all day, or on particularly mild days, so figured if I wired it up with a WiFi plug I could control when it's on/off.

Or is the ideal you choose your setting and leave it on that forever? I mean, I assume it doesn't need running in the summer

[robemcdonald]

It just has to run all the time.

The various sensors just change the amount of air supplied.

The main reason for continuous running is to protect the electronics from condensation.

All units have a facility to show how long they have been run for. This allows landlords to monitor if the tenant is turning the unit off.

[shady lee]

skinnyman said:

I mean, I assume it doesn't need running in the summer

The unit turns off automatically in summer when the loft temps reach 21c, mine starts back up early hours in the morning when it's cooked down, quite nice as it then pumps cooler air into the house.

If I were you, I'd get one and see how you go first.

Then after a month of monitoring you can make decisions on speed, Schedule etc.

As Rob has mentioned, warranty wise, they are supposed to run 24/7.

I think the idea is to run them at speed 3 or more for the first week or two anyway.

Edited by shady lee on Thursday 26th November 16:04

[skinnyman]

Hmmm, the link unit with the humidity sensor comes in @ £440, vs the £300 I've paid for the basic unit.

I guess I'll just leave ours on 3 for the first few weeks, then drop down to 2 and see how we go.

[Dave3166]

This is the hall in the tenants semi detached bungalow.
Would it be better installed by the back lounge door or front door. I would need to move sensor if by front door.
But then sensor would be to far from gas boiler.


You can see space I have between loft hatch and lounge door, also space between front door and loft hatch.

Front door is right by front bedroom door,
which is to the right. This is where the condensation & mould forms, around the two back corners.

[Dave3166]

By lounge door at far end, unit would go between the light and door.

[morfmedia]

You probably need to check where your loft ladder folds into if you have one too....

[shady lee]

Also check your loft has ventilation, from what I read 1960"s bungalows are bad for humidity trapping because the roofs are not/poorly ventilated.

If there's no fresh air in the loft you may be pi**ing in the wind with the piv.

[Dave3166]

morfmedia said:

You probably need to check where your loft ladder folds into if you have one too....

Don’t have a loft ladder, so no worries there.

[Dave3166]

shady lee said:

Also check your loft has ventilation, from what I read 1960"s bungalows are bad for humidity trapping because the roofs are not/poorly ventilated.

If there's no fresh air in the loft you may be pi**ing in the wind with the piv.

I’ve installed about 10 soffit vents now & about 10 lap vents.
Loft used to sweat, but vents cleared that up.

[Roboticarm]

I've just finished installing mine, I'm a total DIY novice but there is a really good YouTube video from the manufacturer which talks through the process.
My loft is boarded so had to remove and trim a board, then used the supplied template and the £7 plasterboard saw recommended above to cut the hole. As recommended earlier in the thread the Rawl plugs don't seem fit for purpose so I placed some wood on the loft side to give the screws something to bie into. The unit hangs from a joist so a single screw sorts that and then it's a case of connecting the unit to the controls on the vent and then connecting the unit to the vent using the supplied hose, getting the hose on was actually the hardest part.
Took me less than an hour including the clean up afterwards.
Just needs the electrical connection sorting which is booked for next week
Will report back once it's running with the findings in terms of performance

[Dave3166]

Roboticarm said:

I've just finished installing mine, I'm a total DIY novice but there is a really good YouTube video from the manufacturer which talks through the process.
My loft is boarded so had to remove and trim a board, then used the supplied template and the £7 plasterboard saw recommended above to cut the hole. As recommended earlier in the thread the Rawl plugs don't seem fit for purpose so I placed some wood on the loft side to give the screws something to bie into. The unit hangs from a joist so a single screw sorts that and then it's a case of connecting the unit to the controls on the vent and then connecting the unit to the vent using the supplied hose, getting the hose on was actually the hardest part.
Took me less than an hour including the clean up afterwards.
Just needs the electrical connection sorting which is booked for next week
Will report back once it's running with the findings in terms of performance

Sounds good, will be interested how you get on.

Will be ordering one today, to fit into my rental property next week.

Are you using a plug on yours just in to a socket in the loft or putting in a fused spur.

[Roboticarm]

It looks like you could just use a plug however the instructions state a fused spur so I thought it best to go down that route

[TheInternet]

Can anybody explain if these work markedly better than just leaving some windows ajar, and if so, why?

[robemcdonald]

TheInternet said:

Can anybody explain if these work markedly better than just leaving some windows ajar, and if so, why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_bwEDT8KgU&t=5s

So a couple of key points:-

1. The PIV creates positive pressure in the dwelling. This promotes air movement in areas that normally wouldn't see it. This prevents condensation forming.
2. The air from the PIV is filtered. The air from your window is not.

Cheers

Rob

Edited by robemcdonald on Monday 30th November 15:03

[Heaveho]

New to this, so possibly already been asked, or even more likely, a daft question! Could you run one of these specifically to clear up condensation in the loft? Dealing with a specific issue and wondering if this might solve it.

Edited to say, forget it, already twigged I'm barking up the wrong tree here!

Edited by Heaveho on Monday 30th November 17:59

[Roboticarm]

Heaveho said:

New to this, so possibly already been asked, or even more likely, a daft question! Could you run one of these specifically to clear up condensation in the loft? Dealing with a specific issue and wondering if this might solve it.

Edited to say, forget it, already twigged I'm barking up the wrong tree here!

Edited by Heaveho on Monday 30th November 17:59

In the standard install the pipework directs the air from the loft into the house. However I guess you could leave the pipe in the loft, but my understanding is the whole aim is that the loft has fresh air via the eves so of your loft has condensation then it wouldn't help