Articles
Damp and ventilation go hand in hand with energy saving. Properties that have damp will usually be worse at retaining heat and also just “feel colder.” Ventilation is necessary part of reducing dampness, especially due to condensation. However it needs to be managed ventilation so that, unlike unwanted drafts, it is not constantly at odds with whatever you do to mitigate heat loss.
However we have a strange irony. Elsewhere on the site we talk about reducing drafts to save on heat loss, however there is a potential problem in that drafts (a bad thing) have the side effect of providing ventilation (a good thing). As we mentioned on the draft exclusion page drafts are basically uncontrolled ventilation, so we need to talk about ventilation in the context of having airflow where we need it. Using the previous weed analogy, it is like having past in the garden where you want them as opposed to where you don’t (weeds).
Not only do we want this airflow in places where it is useful, but we should look at how to minimise the sort of heat loss we would typically have if we just relied on drafts as ventilation.
Damp & ventilation case studies
Damp and blocked cavity At one of our recent workshops we were alerted to a damp problem in an Edwardian house in North Shirley.… ... Read more
Damp solid floor Typically in larger Victorian and early 20th century properties there was a room at the back of the house called… ... Read more
Cavity wall damp problems While we had floorboards lifted to carry out the underfloor insulation, we noticed that where the joists met the outside… ... Read moreShare:
