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Bathroom Air Vents
8 Answers
Two years ago we bought a house with Persimmon/Sovereign going for a part buy part rent. We've had loads of troubles with it, we're also aware Persimmon were featured on Watchdog more than once.
Our bathroom is in the middle of the house and as such, have a vent wired to the light switch. A while back that fell down in the loft so all the damp air was being pumped into the loft - caused some mould.
After some fighting they eventually came out and repaired it. I was told by a neighbour when he had his done that the vent instead of going vertially straight up to the roof with no bends should actually be going out the side of the house at the nearest point instead as several homes have had water dripping back down into the bathroom and in some cases the fan has shorted.
When the chap came to fix it I mentioned this to him he said no, nonsense. We've had puddles in the bathroom and thought we'd had a leak elsewhere and only a few mins ago noticed a heavy and fast dripping from the vent.
THREE QUESTIONS PLEASE!
1. Should the air vent be going straight up or should it be going out at the nearest point?
2. Is there a minimum length these vents should be? There's enough distance there for the damp air to condense on the inside of the tube.
3. Where do we stand with getting them to come back and get this fixed after they have already been out to repair it?
Our bathroom is in the middle of the house and as such, have a vent wired to the light switch. A while back that fell down in the loft so all the damp air was being pumped into the loft - caused some mould.
After some fighting they eventually came out and repaired it. I was told by a neighbour when he had his done that the vent instead of going vertially straight up to the roof with no bends should actually be going out the side of the house at the nearest point instead as several homes have had water dripping back down into the bathroom and in some cases the fan has shorted.
When the chap came to fix it I mentioned this to him he said no, nonsense. We've had puddles in the bathroom and thought we'd had a leak elsewhere and only a few mins ago noticed a heavy and fast dripping from the vent.
THREE QUESTIONS PLEASE!
1. Should the air vent be going straight up or should it be going out at the nearest point?
2. Is there a minimum length these vents should be? There's enough distance there for the damp air to condense on the inside of the tube.
3. Where do we stand with getting them to come back and get this fixed after they have already been out to repair it?
Answers
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So you bought FROM Persimmon and not Sovereign? What I am trying to get at is who you have the contract with.
Is the two year warranty up? In any case did you make them aware of the problem before the end of the one year warranty or the two?
Just a thought but is the extractor man enough to do the job? Or have they put in a bog standard one that can't cope?
Is the two year warranty up? In any case did you make them aware of the problem before the end of the one year warranty or the two?
Just a thought but is the extractor man enough to do the job? Or have they put in a bog standard one that can't cope?
Simply on the physical matter of a vertical or not for the ducting, there is no "must" or "should" unless requirements for location and/or clearance around the terminal are in place through building regulations. What seems clear in your case is that the loft space is uninsulated and unheated and this leads to condensation running back down the ducting. Insulating/lagging the ducting well will radically change that.
1 The Building Regs are quite sloppy over this, Zebby. Bathroom extraction must be 15 litres per second, and fitted with a timed overrun. Other than that, it's a matter of "good practice".
It's perfectly normal to rise vertically to a slate/tile vent in the roof covering. The trouble is, a fully insulated duct should be used. It rarely is though.
Next best is to bend the duct into a "swan-neck". This at least traps condensate so that it can't run back into the room through the fan. (Rather like a sink waste trap or U-bend.) This is Ok, but relies on eventual evaporation from the "trap".
My preferred method if no wall ventilation is possible, and it has to go through the roof, is to run the duct horizontally. Lay the duct across the ceiling joists and cover the whole thing with the roof insulation. Where the ceiling meets the roof, fit the vent slate right there.
2 No minimum length ......... but see (1) above.
3 Now you need expert legal advice. The fault(s) has been identified and reported during the warranty period, so it is still valid. Don't quote me, but I believe faults remain valid for a period of six years after notification.
Buy/rent is theoretically a great idea. Often the only way to get a first property. It WILL have been tied up legally regarding liability for defects. The trouble is that,with both Persimmon, and Sovereign, you have only been able to deal with salespeople; office dwellers; and largely gutless admin....... who are likely to be completely uninterested and unqualified to give legal opinion.
Go to it, Zebb. You have been badly let down.
It's perfectly normal to rise vertically to a slate/tile vent in the roof covering. The trouble is, a fully insulated duct should be used. It rarely is though.
Next best is to bend the duct into a "swan-neck". This at least traps condensate so that it can't run back into the room through the fan. (Rather like a sink waste trap or U-bend.) This is Ok, but relies on eventual evaporation from the "trap".
My preferred method if no wall ventilation is possible, and it has to go through the roof, is to run the duct horizontally. Lay the duct across the ceiling joists and cover the whole thing with the roof insulation. Where the ceiling meets the roof, fit the vent slate right there.
2 No minimum length ......... but see (1) above.
3 Now you need expert legal advice. The fault(s) has been identified and reported during the warranty period, so it is still valid. Don't quote me, but I believe faults remain valid for a period of six years after notification.
Buy/rent is theoretically a great idea. Often the only way to get a first property. It WILL have been tied up legally regarding liability for defects. The trouble is that,with both Persimmon, and Sovereign, you have only been able to deal with salespeople; office dwellers; and largely gutless admin....... who are likely to be completely uninterested and unqualified to give legal opinion.
Go to it, Zebb. You have been badly let down.
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