Ventilation Doncaster: Extractor Fans and PIV

Nearly a third of Doncaster's homes were built between 1945 and 1972. Most have since had double glazing, cavity wall insulation and draught-proofing, and they are warmer for it. But the moisture from cooking, washing and breathing now has fewer ways out, and condensation on bedroom windows is the common result.

Good ventilation removes that moisture in a controlled way.

Doncaster at a glance

House types: 45.5% of Doncaster households live in a semi-detached house, 24.1% in a detached house and 21.1% in a terrace. Only about 8.6% live in a flat. Source
Age of homes: 29.3% of Doncaster's homes were built between 1945 and 1972 and 20.6% between 1919 and 1939. 13.3% date from before 1919. Source
Record heat: Gringley-on-the-Hill, about a dozen miles south-east of Doncaster across the Nottinghamshire border, reached 40.1°C on 19 July 2022. Source

Start with extractor fans

Every kitchen and bathroom should have a working fan that vents outside. Check the fan pulls air by holding a tissue to it. Many fans fitted decades ago are weak or vent into the loft.

Humidity-controlled fans switch on automatically and run on after a shower. Approved Document F sets minimum extract rates for new fans.

Clean fan grilles and check ducts in the loft haven't been crushed or come loose. A fan that is noisy but weak often has a blocked or disconnected duct rather than a faulty motor.

PIV for semis and bungalows

A positive input ventilation unit in the loft pushes filtered air into the home, gently pushing damp air out. It suits two-storey semis and bungalows, where the unit can feed the hallway. Running costs are low.

Trickle vents and windows

Many replacement windows fitted in Doncaster homes since the 1990s have trickle vents in the frame. Open them, especially in bedrooms. They let a small, steady amount of fresh air in and can cut condensation on their own.

If your windows have no vents, an installer can add them or fit a through-wall background ventilator.

Keeping cool

With 40.1°C recorded nearby in July 2022, summer ventilation matters too. PIV units should have a summer cut-off so they don't push hot loft air inside. Night-time cross ventilation, opening windows on opposite sides, helps cool a house down after a hot day.

Doncaster homes and what they need

Interwar and postwar semis

Bathrooms on an outside wall are easy to fit with a through-wall fan. Internal bathrooms need ducting through the loft.

Red-brick terraces in town and the former pit villages

Keep airbricks under suspended floors clear. Blocked airbricks lead to damp joists and musty smells.

Bungalows

A PIV unit in the loft can serve the whole home from a single ceiling diffuser in the hallway.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Doncaster work across areas including Bessacarr, Balby, Armthorpe, Bentley, Wheatley, Hatfield, Thorne, Mexborough, Conisbrough and Tickhill.

View Doncaster on Google Maps

Questions people in Doncaster ask

Is MVHR worth it?

Mainly in new builds or deep retrofits, where the house is airtight. In most existing Doncaster homes, good fans and PIV do the job.

Who pays for ventilation in a rented home?

Normally the landlord. Report condensation and broken fans in writing, and keep a record.

Sources

Also nearby: Ventilation installation in Sheffield, Ventilation installation in Hull, Ventilation installation in Wakefield, Ventilation installation in York

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