What are Whole House Ventilation Systems

The most effective way of permanently dealing with condensation problems in your home before they lead to damp and mould is to improve your ventilation.  Removing moisture laden air before it has the opportunity to come into contact with cool surfaces and deposit the water vapour as condensation is key to prevent condensation spreading in your home and creating damp and mould.

The right ventilation system for your home will depend on a number of factors including the size of the property, the number of sources of moisture that are present, and any specific conditions that you need to deal with such as high levels of radon gas in your area, or allergies.  Speaking to a ventilation specialist will help you to identify what you need to get the best possible results.

A simple extractor fan in a bathroom, kitchen, or utility room can be highly effective in removing moisture from that specific room and preventing it from escaping into other rooms in your home where it can cause problems, however in some cases, a whole house ventilation system will be more effective.

What is a whole house ventilation system?

Quite simply, a whole house ventilation system is one that works in multiple rooms and controls air flow through the entire building rather than handing a single room.

A whole house ventilation system has a central unit which is connected to the exterior of your property through which air is drawn and distributed through different rooms depending on where air needs to be introduced or extracted.

Types of whole house ventilation system

Whole house ventilation systems can work in one of two ways:

• Drawing fresh air into the building to displace the moisture laden or stale air
• Extracting air from the building from multiple rooms to be replaced by air from outside

A ventilation system which actively draws air from the exterior is a positive input ventilation system (PIV), whereas the whole house extractor is a Mechanical Extract Ventilation system (MEV).  MEV systems might be combined with a heat exchanger to capture warmth from the extracted air to increase the temperature of the incoming air and save energy.  This is known as Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR).

Both types of system are highly effective at reducing humidity to stop condensation damp leading to mould, and both need to be professionally installed in your home.

MEV systems are usually installed in new build properties, or as part of a major renovation because they require more extensive work to fit whereas PIV systems can be retro-fitted into almost any type of property where there is space for the central unit to be installed – usually in the loft.

Use our product selection tool to find out which ventilation system might be right for you.

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Find out More

Whether you have discovered condensation in multiple rooms and want to stop it from developing into damp or mould, or simply want to improve the quality of the air throughout your home, a whole house ventilation system will help.   Contact us today to book your free home survey.  Our local ventilation specialists can visit your home, identify the causes of condensation and mould, and provide you with advice about what whole house ventilation system could work best for you.  Simply fill in your postcode below to find details of your local EnviroVent specialist.

Learn More about How Different Ventilation Systems Suit Different Properties >