We hate to be the ones to say it… but condensation season is coming.

As we head into autumn and winter, we close the windows, we turn the heating up, and we spend more time indoors.

All of which contributes to the ideal environmental for condensation.

We’ve spoken before about how important ventilation is for managing moisture in the home. But having a fan installed doesn’t automatically mean everything is sorted.

 

When was the last time you actually checked it?

Maintaining your ventilation should be like maintaining your car. You wouldn’t go 3 years without checking your tyre tread, so why have you not checked your bathroom fan since it was installed?

Extract fans spend most of their lives quietly sitting on a wall or ceiling, so it can be surprisingly easy to ignore them until there’s a problem.

A good place to start is to switch it on and check that it actually runs.

Does it start when it’s supposed to? Does it sound normal? Is it extracting air effectively? If it’s controlled by a humidity sensor? And if so, is it responding when humidity rises?

And if it’s a continuously running fan, it should be doing exactly that… running continuously.

If something doesn’t seem right, don’t wait until you’ve got condensation running down the windows to investigate it!

 

General maintenance

General maintenance is also extremely important. Over time, dust and dirt can build up on covers, grilles and within the fan, which isn’t going to help it do its job.

So it’s worth checking the condition of your ventilation and cleaning accessible parts in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Last month we spoke about controls. Having the right fan is one thing, but making sure it operates when you need it is another.

Does it come on with the light switch? Does it have a timer? Does a humidity sensor automatically increase extraction when moisture levels rise? Or is it designed to run continuously at a low level?

Whatever the strategy, now is a good time to make sure those controls are actually working as intended.

 

Is it actually the right fan?

If you’re regularly dealing with condensation, damp or mould despite having ventilation installed, the existing fan may not be providing the right airflow for the room or property.

The ventilation strategy might not suit how the home is being used. Or perhaps an old intermittent fan isn’t giving you the level of moisture control you need.

An intermittent extract fan may be perfectly suitable in one property, while another could benefit from continuous extraction through dMEV or MEV, or a different whole-house ventilation strategy altogether.

If the existing solution isn’t doing the job, replacing it like-for-like isn’t necessarily the answer.

 

Don’t forget how air gets IN

This is important all year round, but even more so in Winter when it’s not top of your list to open your windows when it’s -3º outside!

If you’re using extract-only ventilation, replacement air needs a way into the property too.

That could be through background ventilation such as window trickle vents or wall grilles.

So while you’re checking the extract fan, make sure these aren’t closed, covered or blocked.

We know opening a trickle vent in winter can feel slightly counterintuitive when you’re trying to keep the house warm… But your ventilation system needs a route for air to move through the home.

 

When moisture is allowed to build up, it can create the conditions for damp and mould, as well as damage to paint, plaster and other parts of the building.

So before winter arrives in full force, give your ventilation a quick health check.

If you’re a distributor or installer, now is also a pretty good time to start having these conversations with your customers too.