Condensation is a natural reaction to excess moisture in the air however you'll know if your home has a severe condensation issue if:

✔ You have streaming windows every morning.

✔ There are water droplets on the walls.

✔ Your paint work and/or wallpaper is bubbling.

✔ It takes hours for condensation to dissipate after cooking or showering.

Mould is a fungus that breaks down dead material. It grows in our homes because they offer the ideal conditions for it to grow – namely moisture, warm air, and materials to feed on, such as wood, carpet and dust. It will continue to develop until it’s cleaned and removed. However, dead spores can be just as harmful to our health, so it’s important that you take care when getting rid of it. The key things to look out for;

✔ There is a musty smell in the air.

✔ You can see a colony of mould on a wall or surface.

✔ There's mildew on the window sills.

✔ Asthma symptoms are worse.

Damp is the most trickiest to diagnose as there are different types of damp.

Penetrating damp is caused when something has gone wrong and broken, for example; a leaking pipe, burst gutters or pipes, eroded cavity insulation or a hole in the roof. As the name suggest you will usually see damp patches penetrating your paint work or wallpaper. Once you have remedied the source of the damp i.e. plugged the hole in the roof then you can look towards a ventilation solution to ensure your property stays dry.

Rising damp is often regarded as the worst type of damp and can be easily misdiagnosed. Rising damp is a relatively rare form of damp that affects the walls of buildings. It occurs when moisture from the ground level travels up through the walls by capillary action. Around the affected wall, you get other porous building materials such as plasterwork and the timber found in the floor boards, joists and skirtings. These materials will also absorb the ground water easily and you may find evidence of wet rot in the timber. If you suspect your property has rising damp you need to consult a damp professional not a ventilation solution.

The effect of not having good indoor air quality in the home is dramatic. The average person spends 90% of their time indoors. The indoor living environment is therefore crucial to the health of the occupants. Here are the key signs that your indoor air quality needs improving;

✔ You are suffering with frequent headaches.

✔ There is excessive dust in the property.

✔ There's a feeling of 'stale air' throughout the property.

✔ Stale odours linger - if you can still smell last nights dinner your property does not have adequate air flow.

Radon gas is a naturally occurring radioactive gas, which can enter your home from the ground, exposing you to doses of radiation. Radon is incredibly dangerous because you can't see it, smell it or taste it. If you suspect you have a severe radon issue you need to purchase a test. If you are concerned radon may be a threat in the future you can buy a detector, similar to a carbon monoxide detector.

Positive input ventilation brings fresh air into a home, and dilutes the radon. The flow of air and radon from the ground may also be reduced.

A positive ventilation system can be effective in homes with radon levels up to and around 500 Bq m-3.

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