Ventilation Edinburgh: Fans and PIV for Old Homes

Old stone buildings were designed to breathe, with open fires, draughty sashes and chimneys pulling air through. Many Edinburgh flats have since had fires blocked up, windows sealed and floors carpeted, which cuts draughts but traps moisture. Putting controlled ventilation back is often the fix for persistent condensation.

Edinburgh at a glance

Homes that are flats: 63.2% of Edinburgh households live in a flat, maisonette or apartment, against 34.4% across Scotland. Source
Age of homes: Only 57% of Edinburgh dwellings were built after 1945, the joint lowest share in Scotland with Glasgow (72% nationally). Source

Internal bathrooms

Tenement conversions often created bathrooms with no window. These rely entirely on a ducted extractor fan. If it is noisy, weak or runs only while the light is on, moisture spreads into the rest of the flat. A quiet fan with a humidity sensor and an overrun timer is a cheap upgrade.

Chimneys and vents

Blocked fireplaces should keep a small vent so the flue can carry moist air away. Check that air bricks under suspended timber floors are clear, too. Both are free airflow that older buildings were designed around.

Condensation on sash windows

Single-glazed sashes are the coldest surface in many Edinburgh rooms, so water collects on them first and runs onto the sills. Secondary glazing raises the inner surface temperature, and a little background ventilation stops the moisture building up in the first place.

PIV and MVHR

Positive input ventilation suits houses with a loft and some flats. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is best fitted during a major renovation, when ducts can run under floors and through ceilings. In a listed building, ask about consent before any new openings in the outside walls.

Edinburgh homes and what they need

Stone tenement flats

Kitchen extraction often vents into a shared lightwell or close. Check the duct actually reaches the outside air.

Interwar and postwar suburban semis

Loft-mounted PIV units are an easy retrofit. Make sure the window trickle vents are open and not painted shut.

Georgian and Victorian main-door flats and townhouses

Basement rooms often stay damp. Ventilation helps, but check for water getting in from the street side or a leaking area drain first.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Edinburgh work across areas including Leith, Morningside, Marchmont, Bruntsfield, Stockbridge, Portobello, Corstorphine, Gorgie, Musselburgh and Dalkeith.

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Questions people in Edinburgh ask

Does fitting a new extractor fan in Edinburgh need permission?

Usually not for a like-for-like swap. A new hole in the front wall of a listed building or a building in the World Heritage Site may need consent.

Will PIV make my flat cold?

Most units temper the incoming air with a small heater. The drier air also feels warmer and heats more easily.

Is a dehumidifier worth it in a tenement flat?

It helps when drying laundry indoors or in a room with no window. It works alongside extractor fans rather than replacing them.

Sources

Also nearby: Ventilation installation in Glasgow, Ventilation installation in Dundee

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