Small back bedroom, cold (very) in winter. Some creeping greyish mould appearing on one wall. Was considering triple glazing for warmth and sound insulation, with a trickle vent. Any thoughts - what not to do/to do? TIA Brigid
This is a balancing act. Triple glazing is very insulating and does indeed greatly reduce noise if properly fitted. Trickle vents are neither of those things. They are, in fact, the exact opposite. Trickle vents only provide adequate ventilation when it is blowy outside. If the wind is blowing on to that side of the house the moisture in the room will not be vented out of the house but in to it.
Given the presence of mould it is clear that the room needs improved ventilation. What alternative ventilation could be provided?
How about a single room MVHR? Failing that a trickle extractor fan
Thank you @Tim_Gilbert - I am not sure what that is? it sounds quite complicated? Maybe the old fashioned opening and closing the window should suffice although the trickle vent can be opened and closed…
Please let me know what part is complicated or you don’t understand and I will explain in a different way.
I suspect that you might believe that I am referring to one combined contraption that is both window and extractor. This is not the case. The window and frame should be completely airtight when closed. The extractor is a separate installation on your wall.
Incidentally, if you are erring towards ventilation by leaving the window open then don’t bother to fit an efficient one! There is no point in fitting a top grade window just to leave it open.
Hi Brigid,
I’d say triple glazing is definitely worth it, it makes a significant difference in terms of warmth and sound proofing. On our recent order the difference between double and triple glazing was a cost increase of around 17% and we’ve really appreciated the difference they’ve made (particularly in terms of traffic noise). It’s worth noting that you will lose some solar gain with triple glazed, which is the only real downside and might be a consideration on south facing elevations.
Tim is correct that it won’t necessarily solve your issue with damp and mould though and you should investigate a mechanism for dealing with this. It’s worth noting that Carbon Co-op members get a 25% discount on Aereco systems (see member’s area).
At our house we recently had decentralised mechanical extract ventilation (dMEV) installed in the kitchen and bathroom, which has really helped to reduce humidity. These were the units provided, purchase and installation was covered for free under a Government grant scheme. As always the quality of assessment and installation varies depending on contractor (so ‘grant receiver beware’), but you could always share any assessment reports or recommendations on the forum for comment before committing.
dMEV systems are less efficient than the MVHR systems that Tim mentions, but they may be a cost effective and low maintenance option to explore.
Hope that helps,
Matt
1 Like
Thanks so much for this info! really helpful! Thanks, Brigid