COMPLETE WITH:-

END CAPS & FIXING SCREWS

Available in Brown

Colour Match for Mahogany or Rosewood

For Mixed Colour unit, Tan & White please see listing in our EBay Shop

A robust smooth slim elegant rounded design

Snap on quick fit end caps

Positive open and close action

Integral flyscreen in external hood

Can be fitted to give updraft or down-draft

Suitable for PVCu, timber and aluminium windows

Tested in accordance with BS EN 1027:2000

Manufactured in UV stabilised high quality PVCu

Achieves a water tightness limit of 400 p.a.

Positive open and close action

Independently acoustically tested in accordance with BS EN20140-10:1992, ISO 140-10:1991

Distance between fixing holes - 380mm

Width of unit 25mm

Height of inside unit 20mm

Height of hood 25mm

(All measurement are approx.)

Price is for 1 unit, 1 inner & 1 outer hood

Modern Living
In a world of increasing environmental concerns and rising energy prices the modern home has become much more energy efficient. Generally this is a good thing but there can be some associated drawbacks with this new way of living. Up to about the late 1960’s there was natural ventilation in many homes because of the lack of double glazing, poorly fitting windows and doors and open fire places. Present attitudes have eliminated natural ventilation by the use of double glazing, draught excluders, fitted carpets (preventing air movement up through suspended wooden floorboards) and the removal of open fire places with the introduction of central heating.
Buildings have been effectively sealed and provide better conditions for condensation and airborne contaminants from flooring materials, furnishings and cleaning products.  Not to mention exhaled air and (possibly) tobacco smoke can build up and are adverse to health. Damp can arise from the many sources of water vapour in the modern house. Current building regulations require ventilation be fitted to new homes to maintain a flow of healthy fresh air through the house and prevent internal air contamination and damp.
However they are often omitted from replacement windows because their function is not fully understood and because of the increased costs.  And yet indoor air quality and effective ventilation is more important now than ever, not only for the buildings but for its occupants.

The Repercussions of Air Tight Homes

Fresh Air is healthy, stale air is not. Here’s why.
The usual concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is 20.9%. Without adequate ventilation this level is reduced surprisingly quickly by breathing and combustion.
The air we breathe is a mixture of gases including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, argon, and trace gases. Each day we inhale around 14,000 liters of air as we take about 26,000 breaths
(That’s equivalent to about 150 full bathtubs)

As we process a breath of air we remove a certain amount of the oxygen and exhale unwanted gases. If the house or room does not allow the air to be replenished with fresh air the oxygen levels drop as we re-inhale the same air again and again. This is obviously unhealthy.  If there is a smoker in the house the used air will also contain some very toxic gases which will be breathed by all the occupants in the house. There are many articles on the physiological affects of poor air quality.

Moisture is produced in abundance in modern living conditions. Inadequate ventilation will cause damp, mould and rot. Here are some of the sources:-

Breathing
An average person inhales and exhales a volume of half a litre of air with every breath. The exhaled air is at 100% humidity. This means that two sleeping adults produce 1 ½ pints of moisture every 8 hours which is absorbed as water vapour into the atmosphere. Also we perspire 24 hours per day.

Cooking
Saucepans and kettles generate steam which is absorbed by the surrounding air. An average gas cooker can produce approximately 1 ½ pints of moisture per hour by burning gas.

Washing up
The vapour cloud given off by hot water is rapidly absorbed into the atmosphere.

Bathing, Laundry and Wet Clothing
These are major sources of water vapour in the home. Remember even cold water constantly evaporates in to the atmosphere.

Heaters
A flueless gas heater can produce up to 2/3 pints of moisture per hour. Paraffin heaters produce 8 pints of moisture for every 9 pints of fuel burned.

Indoor Plants
A frequently unrecognised source of water vapour.  Not only from plants but the soil they are in.

Flushing Toilets
Water is atomised every time you flush. Water and the other are expelled into the atmosphere without being seen. Time to move your toothbrush to another room.

Fridge
Fridges remove moisture from the fridge mechanics and expel this moisture at the rear as vapour near the condensing coil.

To illustrate how much water vapour is in the air, fill a glass from the cold tap. Water droplets will form on the outside of the glass as moisture from the air condenses on the cold surface, like dew on a cold morning.
The normal moisture content of air is dependant on air temperature the warmer the air the greater capacity to hold moisture average humidity is about 40% to 60% with optimum humidity being 50% for a healthy human environment.
Humidity falling lower than 40% is also adverse to a healthy environment but excess moisture in the air will be absorbed into the fabric of the building causing damp and rot. Hence roofs are vented as are wooden suspended floors.

Poisonous Gases. Carbon dioxide might be grabbing all the headlines but its carbon monoxide that is the killer. The emission of carbon monoxide from badly serviced heating systems in poorly ventilated rooms has caused death in extreme cases.
In some areas radioactive Radon gas can permeate up from the ground and build up in poorly ventilated houses. Methane and Second hand tobacco smoke.

Other Causes of Household Air Pollution. Electrical devices and some man made products such as Nylon, rubber and plastic produce positive ions which attract atmospheric pollutants, dust particles and harmful airborne matter into interior spaces, all obviously unhealthy.
Conversely, negative ions enhance your feeling of well being. Mother Nature constantly produces negative ions outside the home, from rainfall and wind for example, but not having adequate ventilation means negative ions will not get in. To experience the affect of negative ions take a shower or turn on a cold tap and place your head close to where the water is striking the surface of the sink. You will smell a sweet cold odour. This indicates the presence of negative ions, the same as after a rain storm, sitting by the sea or a waterfall. That is why the Victorians recuperated near the sea and is why you find the shower invigorating.

Recommendations, Regulations and Figures.

It is the law that ventilation be provided in every new house or extension built onto an existing property and any property that is rented. The calculation for ventilation required for a new home takes into account the size of the dwelling, amount and types of rooms.  This is too complicated to explain here.

The recommendation for existing properties is approximately 4000mm2 of air movement for a habitable room like a living room or bedroom and 2000mm2 for a non habitable room like a toilet or bathroom.
Home owners can easily become confused making it difficult for the salesperson to justify the product and additional expense.

To illustrate this point please consider a typical scenario:
Sales person “Here you are Mrs Smith all your windows for only £3500”
Mrs Smith “Yes that looks good but what are these trickle vents on your quote?”
Sales person “They allow you have ventilation all of the time.  It’s a good idea and helps stop condensation”
Mrs Smith “I am replacing the windows because they are draughty and my windows don’t cause condensation at the moment “
Sales person “The new windows are air tight, and may cause condensation which is why we have the trickle vents. The trickle vents aren’t draughty and you can close them if you wish”
Mrs Smith “Why should I spend money on something that I will not use? I want to lower my heating bills.  That’s why I want new windows but to buy new windows with a hole in them to let air in! No thank you!! “
Faced with this scenario the sales person often omits the trickle vents as it complicates and may jeopardise the sale, especially when condensation on the windows is mentioned.
In brand new houses occupants often fill the vents with cotton wool and close them without realising that the bricks, timber, concrete and other materials in average three bedroom houses absorb approximately 1500 gallons of water during construction which will dissipate into the internal air during the drying out period.
Occupants of bed-sits which are built to building regulations will have fire doors with fire strips so smoke can’t enter or leave the room. Obviously neither can fresh air but even if trickle ventilation is fitted tenants often close them due to the previously explained misunderstanding of their purpose.

Two Products with Synergy

For ventilation to work properly a minimum of two vents is needed. One in isolation will do very little, more than one vent allows cross ventilation, fresh air in and stale air out.

Trickle Vent
Used in toilets, porches, conservatories, cloak rooms, living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and hallways etc. They are available in many colours and designs normally fitted in to the sash, vent (opener) or head of a window.
You simply control with a finger touch lever to open or close the vent.

Can easily be retro fitted to an existing window with a series of holes ranging depending on trickle vent design and size from 8mm to 13mm.
Circular clear plastic vents can be fitted into the glass but this will affect the longevity of a double glazed unit, not a common solution anymore and expensive to fit.

Auto Vent
This vent is fitted through an outside wall
This vent opens and closes depending on the moisture content thereby not wasting heat.  It is particularly good for bathrooms as it avoids the need for a noisy fan.
A combination of auto vents and trickle vents will work together allowing moisture laden air to be exchanged for fresh air and will minimise the energy wasted.
In a house of multi occupancy (HMO) or bed-sit the auto vent is the superior solution.
Unlike the trickle vent it cannot be blocked or closed and it avoids the noise of an extractor fan. When doors are opened and closed the auto vent also automatically opens allowing an exchange of air adding a second benefit to the primary role.

Summary – the Two Benefits
First is eliminating damp that will form in corners of rooms, behind furniture, on windows and external walls (especially if north facing) and mould (fungi) on window seals and internal window cills. Not forgetting damp clothes, bed linen and creatures that thrive in these conditions such as silver fish, lice and house mites. In fact there have been approximately one hundred species of fungi detected in dwelling houses. The species commonly encountered were Penicillium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus, and Mucor. Fungi specifically encountered on paint and plaster were for example Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium purpurogenum and Mucor plumbeus.
Second is the exchange of air. Air quality is very important. We need fresh air to be healthy. It helps with our moods and our general well being and allows a good nights sleep. It also helps to eliminate positive ions, chemicals, particles, dust, viruses and air borne spores that can come from damp and other people. Replenish negative ions and oxygen.

Please Note Mechanical ventilation that uses a motorised fan to extract air from the kitchen can not be solely replaced with trickle ventilation as all trickle vents are for background ventilation and will not remove cooking smells or toilet odour efficiently. If a gas appliance is fitted then permanently open ventilation is mandatory as it can be a life saver some 10,000mm2 is the minimum.

When gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, excess carbon monoxide is produced, which is poisonous. You can’t see it. You can’t taste it. You can’t even smell it. But carbon monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours.

You are particularly at risk when you are asleep because you cannot recognise the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. These include tiredness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, pains in the chest and stomach pains. These symptoms can mimic many common ailments and may easily be confused with flu or simple tiredness.

Every year about 20 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the U.K. Many others also suffer ill health. Possible causes can be:

* your appliance was poorly installed
* your appliance is not working properly
* your appliance has not been checked for safety or maintained regularly
* there is not enough fresh air in the room
* your chimney or flue gets blocked up
* non-CORGI-registered engineers to install or maintain your appliances

Auto Vent Fitted on an Outside Wall

* Silent in operation

* No power required

* Cost free operation

* Only opens when certain humidity is reached

* Opens when the door is used allowing fresh air in and stale air out

* Minimising the escape of warm air

* Minimum external acoustic impact

* Easy installation

* Fit and forget product

Trickle Ventilators Fitted in to Windows

* Silent in operation

* No power required

* Cost free operation

* Can be closed in very cold weather

* Easy installation

* Unobtrusive

* Draught free

* Minimum external acoustic impact

In a bedroom especially a bed-sit, fitting a trickle vent to the window and an Auto vent fitted in the wall allows cross ventilation.  The optimum results will be achieved in air circulation, minimising moisture and air quality related problems, minimising the loss of valuable heat while retaining maximum intruder security.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THIS AUCTION:
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