THE OPTIONS
(Must be considered in the context of the Housing
Fitness standards and Governments Best Value Initiatives)
The Environmental Protection Act, The Housing Acts, The
Landlords and Tenants Act, and all the fitness standards state that a
dwelling must be free from any dampness or defect prejudicial to the
health and safety of the occupants. The medical evidence that dampness,
condensation and consequential mould growth is prejudicial to health is
overwhelming and in court cases is never challenged. Any dwelling affected
by dampness or mould growth is a serious health hazard and renders the
property unfit.
Whatever remedial action is taken therefore, must
effect a total eradication of dampness, condensation and mould growth from
the entire dwelling, otherwise the property will not pass the fitness
standard.
The equipment and procedures available for eradicating
dampness and reducing humidity levels within a dwelling are diverse,
though most are capable of doing what the manufacturers claim. Great care
must be exercised however when opting for a specific piece of equipment or
a system, to ensure that it is not only capable of dealing with the
problem throughout the entire dwelling but that it is also the best
practicable, most cost effective solution in the context of the
Governments Best Value Initiative.
It must always be remembered that the dwelling is a
family home, the place where people spend most of their lives and stale,
polluted air will be most damaging to the health of the infants, to young
children with their immature immune systems, or to the elderly, who it is
known are vulnerable and likely to develop respiratory problems as a
result of dampness and mould growth.
Under the law, Landlords have an absolute duty of care
to ensure that dwellings are kept completely free from dampness and mould
growth which is why it is vital that any remedial procedure or system
totally eradicates dampness and mould growth from the entire dwelling
rather than from a limited area or single room.
The direct costs of dampness condensation and mould
growth include remedial works, mould cleaning, redecorating, replacement
of damaged property such as carpets, curtains and furnishings.
These obvious costs pale into insignificance however,
when compared to the ‘hidden’, or 'covert' costs associated with damp
related problems, and in the case of a housing association or an authority
landlord, can lead to an enormous waste of precious resources not only to
the authority but to their tenants.
We detail below some of the equipment and procedures
used by many Landlords, in their attempts to eradicate condensation and
mould growth problems, most of which are futile and doomed to fail.
PASSIVE VENTILATION:
Passive ventilation is a term that encompasses
airbricks, trickle vents, gaps around doors & windows etc.. Though it
has no direct energy consumption, passive ventilation nevertheless is
usually expensive to install, has no heat recovery benefits and wastes
energy at the expense of the occupants by continuously allowing warm air
to escape.
The replacement air, being cold air from outside is
either drawn in or blown in via the available natural leakage points,
inevitably creating draughts and reducing temperatures still further.
Natural leakage points whilst creating air changes, can
never create the complete air changes required to eliminate the pockets of
stale humid air which allow mould to develop and thrive, as they are not
guaranteed to be either continuous &/or sufficiently powered.
A common response when surveyors are confronted with
complaints of condensation and mould growth is to instruct the tenants to
open their windows, this is the most basic form of passive ventilation and
from the tenants point of view the most expensive because apart from being
a security risk it allows all the heat in the property to escape,
open/gaps around windows are also the most common source of penetrating
dampness in buildings.
DEHUMIDIFIERS:
Dehumidifiers work by drawing warm moist air into the
unit where it is cooled so that the excess moisture condenses and collects
in a container or is dispersed outside the building via a drainage pipe.
Ideally the dehumidifier should be plumbed in
permanently, to ensure that the automatic container full cut out is never
a factor that affects the performance of the unit, which may in turn
reduce the mobility of the unit.
The units will reduce humidity levels and warm the air
with energy removed during the cooling process but as a general rule
dehumidifiers are noisy, expensive to run and have no facility for
bringing in the all important fresh air supply.
Dehumidifiers, if they are to be used as whole house
solutions to condensation and high humidity problems, need to be kept
running continuously if they are to keep pace with all the moisture
created by the occupants in their day to day living habits.
If dehumidifiers are used intermittently, the moist air
migrates from room to room and is continuously being absorbed into the
fabric or contained in pockets of stagnant air in concealed cupboards
furniture etc.
The running costs of approximately 2.7p per hour make
it prohibitive to keep dehumidifiers permanently running.
CONVENTIONAL EXTRACTOR FANS:
Conventional extractor fans are generally sited in
bathrooms, W/C's and kitchens, and literally just extract air from that
location. With these extractor fans, replacement air comes directly from
adjacent areas rather than an external fresh air supply and as a
consequence this replacement air is usually stale, polluted and musty, and
of no benefit to the occupant or to the aim of lowering humidity levels
within the dwelling.
Experience has shown that it is not possible for a
conventional extractor fan to prevent moisture from migrating to adjacent
rooms and as a consequence they are of limited use when dealing with
condensation and mould growth problems.
For these extractor fans to be able to deal with all
the water vapour created at source i.e. when cooking, washing, drying
etc.. in a kitchen, it would need to be capable of creating an air change
every minute and require fan blades as big as a typical kitchen window.
Most extractor fan manufacturers pre-set their humidity
controls to come to boost at 65% R.H. rather than the optimum 50%. It is
obvious therefore that the majority of the water vapour created in
bathrooms and kitchens will escape and migrate to adjacent areas and at
best the fan would need to be operating permanently, even to maintain the
excessive 65% RH. In reality extractor fans under tenants control are
rarely used.
The current F1 Building Regulations for
ventilation, whilst giving individual guidelines for bathrooms and
kitchens are meant to be taken in context with the whole house
requirements, including bedrooms and living rooms.
Most of the water vapour produced in the kitchen and
bathroom, inevitably migrates to the lounge or the bedrooms, where it is
absorbed into the building fabric, into the carpets, the curtains etc..
creating conditions in which condensation and mould growth can develop and
thrive.
Conventional extractor fans are energy wasters; they
exhaust expensively produced heat.
A typical 4" extractor fan for example, expels
warm air at the rate of 100m3 per hour, wasting a minimum of
0.75kW of energy in the winter months, which for people on low incomes is
a serious matter.
Conventional extractor fans are frequently used in
rooms other than bathrooms and kitchens in an attempt to eradicate mould
growth. This has no technical merit and merely adds to the occupant’s
energy bills.
Conventional extractor fans are, rarely serviced and
maintained properly and grease, towel lint, hair spray etc builds up
ultimately clogging the fans. The London Fire Brigade pinpoints such build
ups as being one of the main causes of fires in extractor fans.
MOULD CLEANING, ANTI-MOULD PAINTS & CHEMICALS:
Companies who use chemicals to clean off mould growth
and as additives in paints, provide at best only a temporary solution as
they do not attempt to remove the causes and sources of the excessive
humidity which allows mould growth to develop and thrive. The use of
chemicals does not prevent the water vapour from building up in source
areas, or stop it from migrating around the dwelling and being absorbed
into the building fabric, into the carpets, into the curtains etc..
Anti-Mould paint may prevent mould growth from
developing, for a limited period of time, on a wall or ceiling that has
been coated, but it will not, can not prevent mildew developing on clothes
in a wardrobe or cupboard, or on children's bedclothes.
No amount of anti mould or Anticon paint can prevent
condensation running down a window or mould growth developing on the
glass, on carpets, on curtains or any other surface not coated with the
product.
Coating with anti-condensation paints has no dramatic
effect on the humidity levels within a dwelling, the thickness of two or
three coats of paint, though able to absorb a certain amount of water
vapour like a sponge, can only absorb to fibre saturation point, at which
point, like a sponge, it will reject any excess water.
An average family, in the course of their day to day
lifestyle, produces over 5,000 litres of moisture a year, much of which is
absorbed into the fabric, it can be seen therefore that Anticon paint will
soon become saturated if there is no means of reducing or controlling the
water vapour creation.
DRY LINING - INSULATION- DRAUGHT PROOFING:
The purpose of dry lining is to insulate, and
insulation when used as the means to eradicate condensation and mould
growth problems will fail.
Day to day moisture production by the occupants carries
on, like a continuously boiling kettle, and, even though thermal values
improve enabling more moisture to be held in the air, sooner or later,
during the night for example, temperatures will drop and the surplus
moisture will be deposited on cold surfaces such as window glass and on
the surface of the dry lined walls. Once condensation and surface moisture
appear the U-values immediately plunge and precious heat drains away.
The remorseless bombardment of moisture will eventually
lead to the dry lining becoming saturated like any other organic material
and mould growth will develop on the surfaces and even worse behind the
surfaces creating conditions in which mildew, mould and wood rotting fungi
such as dry rot and wet rot can develop and thrive.
Decay of organic materials result in the creation of
toxic gasses, which further pollute the internal air supply and endanger
the health of the occupants.
DOUBLE GLAZING:
Double glazing like dry lining or insulation helps to
improve the thermal barrier between the internal and external
temperatures, however, the conditions within the property can still cross
the dew point, at which surface condensation will still occur on the
windows or it will move to the next coldest location where there is little
or no air movement i.e. on the lintel over the window or door, on the
window frames, behind the built in cupboards, inside the drawers, on
clothes inside cupboards etc..
Double-glazing simply seals in the moisture; hence it
is likely to make condensation problems worse elsewhere. The proof of this
is that most double-glazing companies sell windows with trickle vents,
which surely defeats the purpose and expense of having the windows
upgraded in the first place.
INPUT VENTILATORS:
These "positive pressure units" whilst
being capable of controlling condensation problems, inevitably create a
'chill factor' because, 24 hours a day, winter and summer, their function
is to bring in a continuous supply of fresh air from outside the building.
They rely on internal heating levels being sufficiently high enough to
warm up the cold air being brought in so that the 'chill factor' is not
noticed.
In social housing, with people on low incomes, adequate
heating is often non-existent and in cold weather, even though in some
cases the equipment is thermostatically controlled, the occupants turn off
the equipment rendering it ineffective as a solution to condensation
problems.
The running costs of this type of equipment are usually
very low, but the 'chill factor', particularly in damp, poorly heated
dwellings, does have a significant impact on the overall cost of heating
the air.
WHOLE HOUSE HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS:
As agents for ABB, Kiltox can supply the finest heat
recovery systems available, systems that are well capable of resolving
condensation and mould growth problems throughout a dwelling.
With whole house systems, however, the air supply and
exhaust has to be ducted to and from individual rooms and this can on
occasions look unsightly, in many cases requiring extensive, 'boxing-in'
etc.. to disguise it. In addition, the air movement capability required to
create the whole house air changes means that the units are often large,
difficult to site and sometimes too noisy for the occupants comfort.
As a general rule whole house heat recovery systems are
not considered to be the most cost effective cure for condensation and
mould problems in occupied dwellings or for responsive maintenance
purposes, they are more suited for new build projects, when the
'boxing-in' can be disguised and made part of the decor.
KAIR HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATORS:
Kair Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV's) have a
continuous running input/extract capability, hence they create continual
air change throughout a dwelling, with replacement air being brought in
from outside the building, fresh and filtered thereby creating dramatic
improvements in the quality of the internal air supply.
With up to 85% heat recovery and low running costs, the
units are energy efficient and far more efficient and cost effective than
conventional extractor fans, or dehumidifiers, and are guaranteed to
totally eradicate condensation and mould growth from any room in which
they are fitted.
When combined into a 'whole house' system, Kair HRV's
always achieve a complete cure to the worst of condensation and mould
growth problems within a few hours, no matter how severe the problem, how
many people living in the dwelling or how varied their lifestyle.
KAIR HRV's, because of their energy efficiency, can be
and are being supplied/obtained by Local Authorities and Housing
Associations, on grants.
Grants for Home Energy Efficiency, Energy Conservation,
Improvement Grants to restore the dwellings to fitness, Disability Grants,
Housing Grant Restructure and regeneration discretionary Grants.
There are no energy grants for conventional extractors
as they waste so much energy.
KILTOX SURVEY SERVICE:
Kiltox can provide full damp surveys embracing all
aspects of dampness, including penetrating dampness, rising dampness,
interstitial condensation or cold bridging and all our surveyors are
specialists in the field of dampness in buildings.
KILTOX ONE STOP SHOP:
Kiltox can provide all your requirements for dampness,
condensation and mould growth control.
We are the only company to have a British Board of
Agrément Certificate for a Chemical Damp Proofing and Replastering System
and we are manufacturers of some the most effective waterproof renders
available, renders which, because of their quick drying capability, enable
redecoration to take place in weeks not the many months required by most
other materials.
Our bulk quotation services and our Kair for life long
term guarantees on dampness and air quality are unique and provide long
term solutions to what are serious health hazards.
'KAIR FOR LIFE SYSTEMS' can be supplied and installed,
with 5 or 10 years service and maintenance included for under
£2,000, and
all our agreements are renewable.
For further information call Kiltox
on 08451 66 20 40.
KILTOX CONTRACTS DIVISION:
Kiltox Contracts Division supply and install our unique
chemical damp proofing and replastering systems and Kair ventilation
systems.
Kiltox provide a monitoring service until such time as
the tenants are satisfied and will refund all monies paid should the
systems fail to do what we claim.
Kiltox Kair systems have never ever failed to resolve a
damp or condensation problem in social housing and we can provide
references from our Housing Association and Local Authority client base to
verify this.
Finally, wherever there are dampness, condensation and
mould growth problems, it is imperative that, whatever remedial action you
decide upon, action should be taken very quickly the health implications
of condensation and mould growth being so serious.
We enclose information leaflets that pinpoint many of
the hidden or covert costs associated with dampness, condensation and
mould growth problems. The facts contained in them may be contentious but
are based on information freely available in the public domain, based on
case histories, on published medical evidence, on the laws of the land, on
established guidelines, on B.R.E information, University research and much
more.
The facts with regard to the health and legal aspects
can be backed up by official documentation and the liabilities and
penalties to any Landlord for failing in their duty of care are severe,
often running into thousands of pounds. The costs and consequences of
trying to defend what is basically indefensible or delay what is
inevitable are very expensive indeed and include:
Damage to health of the occupants both Physical and
Mental.
Huge amounts of expensively produced heat wasted.
Cumulative administration costs spent dealing with
the complaints often totaling £10,000 to £20,000.
Legal costs defending actions brought under the
Environmental Protection Act and other housing acts with compensation
or damages of £5,000 or more.
Void properties, which would otherwise be available
for habitation.
Almost all of these costs can be avoided if the
problems are correctly diagnosed and the necessary works are carried
out.
WHY TAKE CHANCES WHEN YOU CAN TAKE KAIR?
© Kiltox – July
1999 – May not be reproduced without our express written permission
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