The Ugly Truth About Airtight Buildings

[@edmundhodgson2572]

I do maintenance on student houses and see it all the time. They're all solid walls, small rooms and loads of laundry drying. The landlords seem to think there are leaks, but when I explain this to them they just look at me like I'm stupid. I've sent them all links to this, Thanks Roger

[@SkillBuilder]

It is hard to make people see that moisture has to go somewhere. I don't know why it is so complicated for them

[@worldadventureman]

The problem is a lot of these regulations are written either entirely or with the help from companies that have a vested interest in selling some new fangled product. These days we have huge corporations that have very diverse businesses but the backing of huge in house legal departments and lobbyists that have a focus to increase profits.

[@Onkarr]

🏅

[@johnnorris1983]

No . The regulation comes from small minded short gain people (politicians) good doo wellers who only see half the problem. The When it’s not broke fix it guys. The lets base lives on assumptions. And the “All jobs take only 5 minutes “ accountability from the not getting the hands dirty brigade.

[@johnnorris1983]

Raise the voting age to above stupid.

[@worldadventureman]

@@johnnorris1983 No those politicians don't come up with anything. They are told what to do by private interest groups and lobbyists. And those people and groups have an ulterior motive and it's usually based around profits for someone.

[@cuebj]

It's both - lobbyists and stupidity. We have a remarkably good parliamentary select committee system where stuff gets properly thrashed out but we have (mostly) remarkably stupid ministers appointed by prime ministers who don't want rivals for the top job. PMs can't handle details themselves, and are planning for post politics non-executive directorships. Unless psc comes up with recommendations on agrees with, psc will be ignored

[@daimonmt]

I don't mind Roger's rants as they're a Breath of fresh air.😄

[@RyanBissell]

I see what you did there.

[@hittitecharioteer]

@@RyanBissell Keep up 🤝🖖🏻🇮🇪

[@frenchfryfarmer436]

Nice

[@robertevans2253]

I’m a surveyor, spot on vid as usual, like the one on heat pumps. Governments don’t tackle the issues properly in the regs and detailing is everything. It needs a big rethink, contrast how much effort and tech goes into a new car v how we build/ refurb. MVHR is the way to go, but it all costs and those in crappy housing already will struggle. Head scratcher for sure….

[@richardlyon67]

I have an airtight ("PassiveHouse" standard) house. I have a forced air ventilation system. The house has no heating system. It never falls below 18 degrees (I live in Scotland). Humidity is around 30%. CO2 is around 600ppm with two occupants. My energy bill is around 15% of a house built to current building standards. I built it because, as an oil and gas professional, I know where energy prices (and availability) are heading.

[@frenchfryfarmer436]

Yup ...UP (if even available)

[@MRSketch09]

I've got a question... how'd you handle humidity in the bathroom? & kitchen? Just curious.

[@kerrynofford4727]

@@MRSketch09 It is dealt with by the mechanical ventilation system. Suck it up, spit it outside while heat is recovered from the moist air to help heat incoming "dry" air.

[@dimitritzer5028]

@@kerrynofford4727 Very interesting! I have been looking into this tech for quite a while but couldn't actually find a product/provider for it... is there any you would reccommend?

[@kerrynofford4727]

@@dimitritzer5028 I am only going by what I have read. From a quick search on passivehaus kitchen ventilation.. www.passivebuildings.ca/post/what-s-cooking-in-passive-house-kitchens passiv.de/downloads/05_extractor_hoods_guideline.pdf

[@malcolmfunnell4501]

Bring back ice on the inside of single glazed sash windows , hot water bottles, outside toilets , and time served tradesmen

[@gavinwtroy]

That was my childhood,never did me any harm.

[@Jules_Pew]

Bring clothes under the bed covers to get dressed. No thanks.

[@grotekleum]

@@Jules_Pew Just don't take them off in the first place.

[@sacundai5371]

Electric blankets..! :-p

[@SkillBuilder]

Jules I remember doing that

[@Jablicek]

I think people have forgotten what my mother used to tell us when we were younger and complained of being cold in the winter. "Put a jumper on." Walking around the house in a t-shirt when it's 5 degrees outside? You've got a problem. Open a window occasionally and put a jumper on. Kids these days, they don't even know they're born.

[@Ghengiskhansmum]

No kids today, they're projects.

[@deathcabforcutie3889]

And if your feet are cold? What do you do then?

[@blahdelablah]

"Kids these days, they don't even know they're born." Oh, this old chestnut again. Do you know any kids that live in conditions where their parents/guardians haven't got a lot of money and wouldn't give them the same advice?

[@michaelbalfour3170]

Where I understand what you are saying, as its sensible to dress to conditions, why throw out a load of warm air, that is wasteful, there are other solutions.

[@sekib2003]

"Kids these days, they don't even know they're born." - ok boomer!

[@peterfishenden5248]

Mechanical Heat Recovery with Ventilation would not live in a house without it. Set up correctly no condensation whatever the weather filtered fresh air saves on heating bills . The UK as usual is miles behind

[@paulruffy8389]

Indeed - and no thanks to channels like this putting people off of progress

[@paulruffy8389]

Incidentally - how do you dry clothes?

[@peterfishenden5248]

@@paulruffy8389 Hi Paul we dry our clothes indoors on airer's NOT on the radiators Proair Ireland supply the MHRV small company but excellent service, we fit these in all the new properties we build

[@paulruffy8389]

@@peterfishenden5248 great to hear thanks

[@ecoworrier]

I'm with you. 8 years now living in a passive house with the ventilation running at a low level constantly. Paired with a 45m earth tube buried in the ground I get cooled air in summer and warmed air in winter. For older UK housing stock a wall or window mounted room unit might work better than a central system with all the ducting needed. Time for the UK to catch up and legislate for MVHR in all new homes.

[@peterreime3146]

The problem with airtightness is only really applicable to retrofitting and working with the often abysmal existing housing stock. On new builds it should be mandatory to use whole-house ventilation with heat recovery. This, combined with high levels of insulation new required, would virtually eliminate heating costs for all but the coldest of days, siginificantly improve indoor air quality, better than any trickle vent or other natural ventilation system and even help keep homes cooler in summer whilst makining a significant saving on electricity and heating bills. We should lso be looking at better use of materials on interior finishes. Clay and lime plasters and paints on the interior help balance moisture levels indoors and absorb the harmful VOCs for example. In particularly draughty old houses, switching from space to radiant heating so that you focus on heating the surfaces aand inhabitants through radiant heat (think sunlight) rather than the surrounding air which is being quickly lost.

[@knekker1]

Not sure why no one (including you and the guy in the video) aren't mentioning it, but I think the ventilation solution to the problems mentioned, is called a HVAC system.

[@miniman7361]

I instal mvhr systems (mechanical ventilation heat return) in new builds. Filtered air coming in and wet air taken out of kitchens bathrooms etc and clean filtered air into living spaces. Heat returned to living spaces. Works okay if maintained on a 6 monthly basis.

[@philipoakley5498]

@@knekker1 I think they did mention HVAC but by another name (MVHR), but also the need for a complementary Insulation and draught reduction regime.

[@philipoakley5498]

Yes. Just moved to an older property in highland Perthshire and the sub-floor rot has been developing for many years, just in time for me to put a foot through. Ensuring the 'condensation' (both natural moisture and human living moisture) are each managed, and preferably eliminated, is key @@gregd018

[@marc-andrecharlebois5312]

​@philipoakley5498 HVAC stands for heating ventilation air conditioning. The furnace ac/heat pump ducts hot water system and heat recovery system (hrv/erv) are all part of the hvac system. It's an abbreviation for the industry as a whole as well

[@nathanwallis1112]

Love the part about air fresheners and chamicals. So many people believe "if it was bad for you it would be banned" so I hope this video converts more people to minimise chamical use. Keep up the good work, best video you have done to date.

[@dianeibsen5994]

AMEN🙏👍🌍🌻🌱

[@loadzofhobbies4219]

As a builder, I see all the floors in modern building techniques and echo everything you said in this video. That's why I bought a house that was built in 1855! Its very original, breath's beautifully and when it's cold I tell the misses and kids to sit under a blanket 😂

[@grotekleum]

Ha ha, love it, my building is 1862, large open fire - no draught even in a gale. We need air. Trouble is people want to walk around in t-shirt and shorts in their house and have it at 25C. 18C and put a jumper on and move about a bit instead of sofa surfing.

[@burwoodbuild]

Agreed, love my Edwardian house. I wouldn't swap for a new build even if they were giving them away! 😉

[@gdfggggg]

@Burwood Build na, I love my new build, I just open the trickle vents 👍🏻

[@corkion]

i live in a cold house a exercise bike is the job to get the blood flowing @@grotekleum

[@allanb52]

They should start to build air/air heat exchange units at reasonable prices, as used in Scandinavia.

[@LukasFink1]

You make the ventilation problem sound a lot more complicated than it really is. I don't know about the UK, but here in Germany we have this innovative ventilation technology we call “Fenster”. They are basically holes in the wall that are normally covered by a glass pane, but if the air in a room gets bad, they can be opened to let fresh air in (we call this procedure “Lüften”). The most efficient way to apply this technique is to open all the windows of a room at once and close them again after 3-5 minutes, when all the air has been exchanged (we call this “Stoßlüften”). This is more efficient than the trickle ventilation approach, because it doesn't continually cool down the room. Of course it will be cold in that room for a brief time afterwards, but it usually gets quite warm again in under 5 minutes because of the heat stored in the walls and the floor. This technique is usually applied once or twice a day to the whole house, but it can of course be applied more often to specific rooms if the CO₂ concentration or moisture level has risen in that room, e. g. because of a party or after showering. This also solves the problem of the trickle ventilation approach that your amount of needed ventilation actually depends on the amount of people in that room.

[@SkillBuilder]

Lukas I like your innovation but sadly in the U.K people who are struggling to pay their fuel bills tend to keep their windows closed and the condensation builds and brings about toxic mould.

[@oqia3]

smart

[@oqia3]

in france we have ventilation that can't be stopped 🤦🏻‍♂

[@Prod-23]

Been watching your videos for a couple of days now. Really great stuff. Even if I don't actually do the work myself on my house it's informing me enough to not get the wool pulled over my eyes by unscrupulous types. Really valuable stuff. Thanks.

[@SkillBuilder]

That is our intention, it isn't all about DIY

[@philtucker1224]

Well presented and very informative Roger, many thanks. All through your presentation my mind was on the black mold problem and over the years I’ve seen a lot of houses suffer this for the first time soon after having the old house double glazed and “draft proofed” - to “slash” the occupiers energy bills, so I absolutely agree with the issues you highlighted so very well 🥵

[@Tensquaremetreworkshop]

What you need, of course, is a ventilation system with a heat exchanger. Common in Scandinavia. But we love old houses, and even pass laws to prevent the owners modifying them.

[@migsvensurfing6310]

I cant afford it... live in Denmark.

[@superbecx]

@Nbomber you don't know what you're talking about . Hrv or erv are the best thing. Constant supply of fresh and filtered air .

[@BendeVette]

Don't blame the lack of maintenance on the system itself. When properly maintained, an ERV and HRV are great systems which both solve the problems mentioned in this rant.

[@BendeVette]

@Nbomber They don't come under scientific scrutiny as they work quite well, when maintained. I did check Google for a scientific paper disagreeing with the above, but couldn't find it. Please provide us with one. Normally moisture does not cause problems in the ERV and HRV as the heat/exchanger needs maintenance too, just like the filters and the ducts. Cleaning ducts normally is a standard service of any company who installed them. I think once every 5 years. "They are great systems for heat recovery, beyond that, they have little use." Not true. Next to heat recovery they provide you continuously with warm fresh air giving you a better, warm and comfortable climate. Just maintain the system.

[@BendeVette]

@Nbomber "I want you to take a minute to realise that I didnt insult your grandmother. You seem personally offended about me saying bad things about a ventilation system." I really don't understand what you are saying as I don't feel personally offended. You however do. Please don't reflect your feelings onto me. Please read this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome Nowhere it says is it related to modern housing and the air tightness of the building. Neither it is caused by HRV or ERV's Please provide us with a scientific paper which backs up you claim. An HRV and ERV is different in doing air filtering which normal ventilation systems often lack and natural ventilation (by cracks and holes) completely lacks. Furthermore an HRV or ERV can provide more clean air as heat is recovered resulting in more fresh and less stale air. An ERV prevents static air and over dimensioned HRV can cause it because air can become too dry. But I could not find the problem a ventilation system caused static air because of the ducts themselves.

[@cuebj]

Love the casual reference to dying. I did it three times in April 2020 with a massive heart attack. It was interesting. Felt slight disappointment I wouldn't be able to talk about it but - here I am now. Also small concern I wouldn't finish remaining jobs on house for wife. I'd always said fear of dying was daft. If you don't think there's an afterlife, surely it doesn't matter. If you think you go somewhere, surely you've done the deal with the gatekeeper so you're going to be ok, if not, you're weird for ignoring terms and conditions on the ticket. Was, and am, happy to realise that, come the moment, that perspective held up. Chat at door with a young charity fund raiser a couple of days ago - he said same and showed me knife scar on his arm. He's starting at medical school in October.

[@stuartmartin7259]

A few years back I worked in 'snagging' for a bit, I've seen this condensation problem numerous times, as soon as the tenant closes the trickle vents it's game over. And many internal doors fitted without enough air gap underneath to allow the trickle vents system to work correctly anyway. MVHR essential on new builds really.

[@evildiesel7850]

You are spot on mate - did an 88 flat scheme to the regs with massive bi-fold windows everywhere. Never saw a window open after handover (and it was phased so I was there a fair bit!). The condensation in some of them (people drying clothes all over the place etc) was horrible. Stuck MVHR in the next one and no issues at all in the 12 months since handover. Currently building mine - a big 3000 sq ft lump that probably didn't need it but went for MVHR anyway just in case.

[@juliangoffe3894]

I installed a heat recovery system in my home when I bought it. (MHRV = Mechanical heat recovery ventilation), the air is changed around 3 times an hour in every room, air is drawn in from outside, and is warmed from the stale air being extracted. So no trickle vents on any windows and therefore no draught from open vents, no condensation even when washing is dried in the house, no wet condensation on windows, no noisy extractors in wet rooms (kitchens and bathrooms), definitely no mould possible either, no CO2 build up from breathing and allergens minimised because of the constant fresh air intake. So cost me around £4,000 7 years ago, but every home home should have one, it is just so much healthier. As soon as you want to save losing heat by insulating houses or make windows and doors airtight and not draughty you have to ventilate, so the MHRV systems, pass the heat at around 90% efficiency from the stale air being removed to the clean fresh air coming in. Lovely.

[@engleblerthumferlumpadinck6536]

I watched a few YT videos regarding this, and was thinking of installing a DIY solution (£4000 isn't an insignificant amount), however I soon realised that "90%" efficient also meant that I would be losing 10% of generated heat. Healthy? yes. But economical or ecological? Not really (imo)

[@muteposting]

@@engleblerthumferlumpadinck6536 do you think you lose less than 10% on a leaky house 🤦‍♂️

[@engleblerthumferlumpadinck6536]

@@muteposting my house isn't leaky though, hence my interest in improving ventilation. Go on, give your head another smack

[@SkillBuilder]

I am not even sure the 90% is achievable. I think the heat transfer could be 60% at best

[@twmd]

@Evieniltega at waht temp though. I can get 40% relative humidity by running the gas boier of full all day to get up to 28 degrees.

[@MrSmid888]

7:15 Roger that’s a good story , I was fitting loft insulation in a council house around 15yrs ago and same thing , a little old lady sat in the chair, her home was like a time capsule, her kitchen was near non existent, the old deep sink with wooden drier. Basic base units. Must of been from the 50’s. Seemingly she refused any upgrades offered. She seemed happy enough but I was shocked. Each to their own

[@psi10001]

You can't miss what you haven't had

[@morphix9]

Brings back memories of my grandma, one tap over a Belfast sink, + a gas cooker. She insisted that the door be always left open , lived till about 99 when she decided to move on. Our ch rads are a mystery to Europeans , what a con trick . A dry house is a warm house . Old neglected chimneys tend to be the problem where humidity and damp start . It shows at ground floor level so often diagnosed as dpc breakdown

[@Linisten]

These videos in front of a whiteboard are always fascinating. I used to live in an 80s timber frame terrace with god knows how many holes in the vapour barrier from various peoples DIY over the years. It makes you wonder how many houses are out there that are ticking time bombs with all sorts of damage to the fabric that isn't in plain sight.

[@thunder131]

millions

[@abdulrahiman812]

I think Roger’s been taking acting classes. Made me 😆

[@johnnorris1983]

You can’t act passionately about subjects you care about. You’d falter too often. Good to know someone cares. Cheers Rodger

[@MichaelThomas-be7gq]

Brilliant video. We have a few trickle vents, extractors and this is the main reason why I will not have cavity wall insulation. There's a few drafts, an older wooden front door, we have an open fireplace, there's a point to keeping them - a few drafts is a very good thing. Our house is 70 years old and the 1st floor was re-rendered just before we bought it, I have no idea who rendered it and what it was rendered with. If the house is chilly... it's jumpers and dressing gowns, no big deal.

[@gdfggggg]

I’ve worked on many Victorian buildings and have a quite simple process that works really well. 1.insulate the inner walls, the thicker the better 2. Plenty of ventilation eg trickle vents, chimney vents, large gaps on the bottom of interior doors 3. A high quality extractor fan for bathroom with overrun 4.keep furniture away from walls

[@seanpepper92]

My Mrs has tried to suffocate me once again this winter by closing the only ventilation gap in our bedroom (and closing all other sources of house ventilation off while we sleep) resulting in me literally having all the symptoms Roger covers in this video. You could call it the beginning of a slow death which I remembered from the previous winter in this same house. After realising the reason for my slow decline in ability once again and watching this video through, Roger explains it so well. She Mrs will now be forced to watch this video as I don't appear to have enough credibility on construction ventilation or this topic to be taken seriously! I'm not even kidding, my finger tips are tingling and numb as I type this video and now I know why Ive been fumbling things at work and dropping things too often for it to be a coincidence. 11/10 Roger

[@pumpkinhead456]

Isn't it funny that we are saving the planet by wrapping our houses in plastic! Meantime, a sheep's fleece costs £10, hemp is easy to grow etc. It's a funny old world!

[@jasoneldridge4738]

I thought plastics originated from oil ?

[@westaylor-rendal4955]

@@jasoneldridge4738 generally speaking they do

[@hughtierney9109]

Have a look at the great products offered by Natural Building Technologies. They make insulation and cladding systems of sustainable materials that are breathable. I built a workshop using their materials and it's a much nicer, drier, building to be in than my brick built house.

[@Monaleenian]

Not that funny. Plastic is a great material.

[@TheDeano4000]

Sheep's fleece is under £1

[@Frieslick]

One of the most interesting and informative videos I’ve seen from Skill Builder so far. I’m doing kits and roughing for multiple developers, and had little genuine understanding of the actual pros & cons of each developer’s detail. Thinking about the ramifications of excessive air tightness, thermal bridging and/or ventilation; while also considering the personal habits of any future occupants will inform my work going forward. I feel better for this lesson! Thanks Rodger/Skill Builder! 👌🏻

[@peterburley2086]

I live in a fairly modern bungalow with all mod cons, in the summer the doors and some windows can be open all day, in the winter we deal with the slight condensation that starts to appear on the bottom of the conservatory windows by using a dehumidifier overnight. All doors are normally open all day and all night with a couple of bedroom windows slightly locked open. Seems to work for me, the dehumidifier takes out about 2 litres of moister a week which we use in the iron and to water the house plants. If I am mistaken in my method I would appreciate further guidance.

[@rue80]

Exactly same issue.Dehumidifier has helped a lot.

[@yurjip9563]

What you are doing is a solution but IMO an ugly and labour intensive one by having to have a dehumidifier plugged in. What Roger omitted to say is that you can get individual MVHR units for each room that get most use. Basically an electrically controlled vent with a humidistat and heat exchanger. When it senses higher humidity it extracts the humid air, brings in fresh air and charges the fresh air with 90% of the heat in the outgoing air. Once humidity back to the set level it stops. Virtually silent, very low running costs. No more open windows etc, better security and it is totally automatic. I know this as I built my house with MVHR which is fantastic but I needed a solution for a 2nd older property and found these units.

[@jimbelton]

"Save the Planet, Kill the People" sounds like a World Economic Forum slogan.

[@SkillBuilder]

It would work

[@congt9288]

WEF ! love it Jim :-)

[@johnnorris1983]

OR move to another planet and kill that one also

[@mikes4163]

Well most of the world's (and many of our) problems are due to there being too many people ......

[@auntygravity3915]

@@mikes4163 it’s to many ppl in the one place that’s the problem. All the ppl In the world can been physically place in to any one state in America shoulder right shoulder of course.

[@SapioiT]

Airtight buildings work if you use heat recovery ventilation. Not only that, but all the windows should be double windows, as in a layer of windows close to the outside of the wall and another layer of windows close to the inside of the wall, and this also applies to the windows which open (though you might want one of the windows to be a sliding window, which is cheaper). Ideally, you would have a heat recovery system for every room, but you should have at least one for the whole house and connect it to every room. For filtering the air, you could even use one of those homemade filters made from metal sheet or plywood which lets you use a few rows of tissue paper or paper towels which get secured by a few hinged parallel arms tight against the netting which supports the paper towels/tissues, allowing you to easily unscrew the cover, unscrew the non-hinged end of the parallel arms, change the cheap filter with other cheap filter, screw the parallel arms and then the cover, and you're good to go. A 5 minutes job even kids could do (especially if the screws have handles) is a lot cheaper than a 30 minutes job for which you need a very expensive filter and to a paid professional to do the air filter replacing. And you could even use a water filter for the air going into the house, before or after the paper filter (ideally while the air is still not heated when the temperatures outside are above the freezing point of water, the switching between the two can be done using a thermostat and two electric actuators), which you could automate by having a tap which is set to a few drops per hour, the overflow going into the sink, and the air bubbling from the bottom of the water container (which could even be made from a metal funnel and some piping). For those interested, they can make a (DIY) heat recovery ventilation system themselves, with nuts, bolts, lots of washers, industrial tinfoil or tinfoil to which you added scotch tape (packing tape) on one side for more strength against tearing, some plywood or plastic or foam or metal sheets plus some glue or spray foam for gluing and insulating the case, scotch tape or aluminium tape (optionally replacing the glue or spray foam for insulation), and some pipes of different sizes and either cement or oven caulking/insulating material. You can look online how heat recovery ventilation system work in more detail, but they have one fan pushing air in (so you have a higher pressure inside the house, to get some of that air out through the places where the house is not airtight, instead of having cold outside air get in when you have a lower pressure inside the house), that air is then split into a bunch of air chambers cold for air going, each in which being placed in-between two adjacent layers of warm air going out, those chambers tend to be fairly long to transfer as much heat from the warm air going out to the cold air going in, those layers needing to have their spacing consistent which is where for the DIY (do-it-yourself) version you use that bunch of nuts, bolts, and the washers for spacing, and having the layers thin enough and long enough will end up in recovering enough of the heat. For example, the "sandwich" of layers could have the even layers for air going out and the odd layers for air going in. Ideally, have the pipes for air going in and air going out be at opposite sides of the same two opposite corners. One corner has on one side previously-cooled warm air air going out of your house, and the other side cold air getting in to get heated, and the opposite corner has on one side warm air going to heat the cold air and on the other wise the already-heated previously-cold now-warm air which to replace the air in the house. For the fans, a single room or a tiny house can use an USB fan or two running from a USB charger (with a long-enough USB cable), while a house might need a bigger fan connected to an electricity plug/outlet in your house. Those who live in windy areas could even use a small wind turbine to mechanically power a fan. Sure, it will take a lot of space, and quite a bit of effort to make and set it up, but it would be a lot cheaper to make than buying one, which makes it ideal for poor people who have a lot of free time and maybe not a lot of skill to make money with (i.e. kids and students trying to learn a trade or trying to save some money for their house). Edit (1 year later) : And the sad part is that the idea at the end could help some people make a business or a job for themselves. I mean, a store-bought Heat Recovery System costs $1000 or more to buy, but less than $300 to make (at most $500, depending on how efficient you make it, and if you use thermostats and things like that, and if you include the usage of paper kitchen towels as an air filter and mechanism to use that), so you could easily sell that for $700 and make a profit. And in that high price I'm assuming you're using metal sheets instead of hard-plastic sheets or plastic veneer, GB-Weld or other mixtures which adhere to metal instead of silicone adhering to plastic which was lightly brushed with a power-drill to increase the contact surface for better adhesion, thermostats for stopping it form working when the temperature of the air going into the house gets too cold or too hot for human comfort (which would significantly reduce but not stop the air circulation), the cheapest fans you can get your hands on instead of silent PC fans from Noctual or similarly-quiet alternatives, a system for adding a professional i.e. N95) air filter aside from the paper-towel air-filter as opposed to no air filter or a few vacuum cleaner bags in parallel, and maybe even adding a solar-power circuit to use solar power during the day and during the night battery power charged from solar power during the day. Heck, with cheaper materials, louder fans, and only a paper-towel air filter, you can make that for $200 or less. As I said, the cheapest and thinnest plastic siding, cheapest PC fans you can get, cheapest chinese usb power cord and power plug you can get for powering the fan/fans, cheap wooden casing for the paper towel filter, which covers almost the entirety of a wall and requires unscrewing standard screws to replace, and the cheapest (indoors or outdoors) silicone for insulating the layers of cheap plastic siding for directing the airflow and making the whole thing work. It would be big, bulky, and probably also ugly, but it would work, so you could use it yourself, or sell it for $300-$500 to people who don't care about how it looks or how power efficient it is, only that it works and it's cheap. Heck, people living next to a highway or a busy city center would benefit the most, from one of those.

[@theowhite]

Fantastic comment thank you for sharing all of this with us

[@SapioiT]

​@@theowhite My pleasure! I'm glad someone actually read my comment. Most people won't read a wall of text. And the sad part is that the idea at the end could help some people make a business or a job for themselves. I mean, a store-bought Heat Recovery System costs $1000 or more to buy, but less than $300 to make (at most $500, depending on how efficient you make it, and if you use thermostats and things like that, and if you include the usage of paper kitchen towels as an air filter and mechanism to use that), so you could easily sell that for $700 and make a profit. And in that high price I'm assuming you're using metal sheets instead of hard-plastic sheets or plastic veneer, GB-Weld or other mixtures which adhere to metal instead of silicone adhering to plastic which was lightly brushed with a power-drill to increase the contact surface for better adhesion, thermostats for stopping it form working when the temperature of the air going into the house gets too cold or too hot for human comfort (which would significantly reduce but not stop the air circulation), the cheapest fans you can get your hands on instead of silent PC fans from Noctual or similarly-quiet alternatives, a system for adding a professional i.e. N95) air filter aside from the paper-towel air-filter as opposed to no air filter or a few vacuum cleaner bags in parallel, and maybe even adding a solar-power circuit to use solar power during the day and during the night battery power charged from solar power during the day. Heck, with cheaper materials, louder fans, and only a paper-towel air filter, you can make that for $200 or less. As I said, the cheapest and thinnest plastic siding, cheapest PC fans you can get, cheapest chinese usb power cord and power plug you can get for powering the fan/fans, cheap wooden casing for the paper towel filter, which covers almost the entirety of a wall and requires unscrewing standard screws to replace, and the cheapest (indoors or outdoors) silicone for insulating the layers of cheap plastic siding for directing the airflow and making the whole thing work. It would be big, bulky, and probably also ugly, but it would work, so you could use it yourself, or sell it for $300-$500 to people who don't care about how it looks or how power efficient it is, only that it works and it's cheap. Heck, people living next to a highway or a busy city center would benefit the most, from one of those.

[@benhart777]

I’m not going to lie and claim to have read all that, but your comment about two windows confused me; triple glazed windows are superior to double glazed and double glazed windows are superior to the type you spoke of; my granny used to live in a 500 year old listed building, and wasn’t allowed to make alterations to the exterior so she had sliding windows on the interior, behind the original windows, and they were rubbish. Triple pane, super air tight European style windows with tilt and turn operation are the best. (Actually in some European countries they’re starting to make 4 or more paned windows, but that seems overkill

[@SapioiT]

@@benhart777 While that might seem to be true, heat travels around the window panes, too. For example, the frame of those "triple-pane" panes. Or the cement/concrete and spray foam around the window holding those triple-paned windows.

[@loafersheffield]

Ventilation: The most pertinent and pressing question is. Why do I have to "open that bloody window" post defecation, but the same rule doesn't apply to she (who must be obeyed)? It's the time of year when spiders start entering the house. Which gives me an idea. Don't panic! It didn't hurt.

[@davenz000]

Light a match. Just not too close to explosive gases.

[@loafersheffield]

@@davenz000 Oh, I've tried that. Just don't hold it too close to your bum-hole and always make sure undies are ON. Shaving, waxing if you're into it but nepalming pubes is not recommended.

[@kevinaldridge]

Great info Roger. I worked for a housing association and saw a lot of flats that were damp inside, so I know exactly what you are saying. Often people just would not open windows. I live in a 1970s x council flat and I have never had a problem with damp because I always keep my windows open. 🙏🏽

[@hannahjames3180]

Interesting... Look at this.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2a7gqV5gbGfr8U

[@SkillBuilder]

That is completely amazing

[@timtaps77]

Thank you Roger. Love your messages and the delivery. I couldn’t help but think of what I learned sitting on a safety board for the fire department in Kirkland Washington about flashover. And that with all the new elements and fabrics which you spoke about. Back when all materials were natural it would take a house fire 28-42 minutes to meet flashover (the point at which human or pet couldn’t survive) Now because of all the fake materials in homes flashover is 4 minutes. Have you covered this subject before? If not I welcome your rant! Cheers from Cape Cod Massachusetts. Thank you!

[@Darrida]

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

[@MrCapacitator]

You're definitley onto something cos I noticed when I used to live in the UK I would have headaches very often but since I moved to Thailand 20 years ago I cannot remember when I last had a headache and the houses here are anything but airtight, I'm looking at an outside door now in my home that has a half inch gap between it and the floor.

[@michaellloyd463]

Better of with the gap at the top.....

[@rogerbarton497]

Spot on! I liked that description of the old lady's house - just like mine only I've got an outside loo as well - it's grim Up North! One point about old houses with no DPC where the owner has been conned into having their walls treated with a magic potion to save 110% of their heating bills, moisture will come out the ground into the walls and because of the magic potion the only place the moisture can go is inside the house.

[@patrickmurray2220]

A local dry rot/damp treatment man once told me a drafty house is a healthy house. I love my open fire/ solid fuel boiler going in the winter.

[@TABRO284]

Same here, love my open fire it even has a back boiler.

[@MrPd2talk]

This was brilliant! and very helpful. I just built a block recording studio in my back yard and we water-sealed it inside and out, thinking we were preventing moisture from entering it. Low an behold, just my wife and my breath was building up in the room and in the coldest back corner we were seeing water run down the wall onto the floor. Not much, but enough to catch my attention and wonder how on earth it was getting into the building. After thinking about it I figured out that the building was so air-tight it had to be our own breath causing this. If I left the door open for a while or if I was not in the building for a few days, no water showed. So now I'll have to figure out how to keep the sound out and let fresh air in somehow.

[@lewbaker]

Sounds like it's about time we move away from the old central heating systems and start using forced air heating/ventilation like a lot of other places in the world do, would be much more suited to heat pumps too

[@kevinmorris9386]

Absolutely brilliant roger,thoroughly enjoyed your rant and the sing song,so true. keep them coming and keep up the good work educating the masses to what’s going on.well done someone on KZbin with common sense,very much lacking today. my in-laws are dad 98 mum 94 they have the windows open,eat all good wholesome food loads of good fat,lard,fried breakfast, food,don’t take any pills and drink lots of water and the occasional shandy and have had a blooming great life on it.

[@MattyEngland]

Another great video. Respect for having the balls to say the things that need to be said 👍

[@simonroberts9759]

Fabulous video Roger. My wife and I really enjoy learning at University Roger. Seriously, you provide a great learning experience. Thanks.

[@ReedikTuuling]

We have a 70€ CO2 detector in our home. It tells us when the level is too high in a smartphone app. We then turn on the bathroom ceiling vent or the kitchen stove vent and the levels are good in ~20 minutes. We are thinking about getting those wall mounted vents that save the outgoing heat and also heat the air coming in.

[@tedlahm5740]

What is causing the level to go up?

[@ReedikTuuling]

@@tedlahm5740 Just breathing. O2 in, CO2 out.

[@Ianf1x]

I bought a 1960s bungalow house that was Black mould top to bottom all the wall paper had peeled off. I removed the bricks at damp proof course a few at a time removed the insulation .house has been perfect 11 years now. Air brick were all doing nothing as inner and outers were not opposite. The estate agent said who would buy this but I saw its potential.

[@NOWThatsRichy]

My old neighbours had cavity wall insulation, the white fluffy rock wool stuff, when the new people moved in they found all the inside walls were damp, all the insulation had to be removed, a major job involving special hoovers & knocking bricks out everywhere, some of the stuff they pulled out was literally dripping with water! My house has the polystyrene bead type insulation & I've not had any problems with it.

[@stevehensonuk]

Great video thanks! Co-incidentally I got the shortness of breath first thing in the morning at a modern hotel - sealed windows. We'd turned the a/c off to stop our throats drying out and that must have stopped the air-changing in the room. Quite un-nerving!

[@wekapeka3493]

One day somebody is going to make a miaculous discovery that people are healthier in a (slightly) draughty house. And they are just as warm wearing another laying of clothing!

[@infinitewars6373]

There are ventilation units that are meant to be installed in houses like that that retain up to 96% of heat, and in colder countries thats how houses are built and no issues found in warmer countries government does everything for you to buy heating fuel…

[@benhart777]

No they’re not. There is a whole area of study called building science, and if built correctly, a new house can remain at a constant temperature of around 20°C and 50% relative humidity all year round, with the right ventilation system, that provides fresh filtered air - like living in the middle of the country - and creates a healthy living environment, without mould, bugs, viruses, off gassing and all kinds of pollution, resulting in much improved health of residents. The type of house you talk about are the houses where people died of TB and other respiratory issues, as well as all kinds of other nasty things

[@michaelsheridan5606]

Just go Passive, airtight, warm healthy and incredibly fuel efficient. No dust mites, no excess humidity, no mould. Living in a Passive standard house for over six years now and neither of us have had as much as a cold in that time. All built for the same price or cheaper than a house built to UK regs.

[@Overfl00d]

You sir, deserve more than 1 million subscribers.

[@SkillBuilder]

I would settle for a million

[@ruinunes8251]

@@SkillBuilder Give it time Roger. You will get there. You know very well as a builder, good reputation times time to gain it. Give it time and keep the rants coming. They are brilliant.

[@anthonybragg4844]

As always brilliant. We live in a world that obeys the law of unintended consequences ie it looks good today etc etc and then we learn how stupid our decisions were. Keep it up Rog.

[@getinthespace7715]

I'm 100% for building as Air Tight a house as possible then including a central Air exchanger and humidity control system. Trickle vents are Stupid.

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

My mates wallet is air tight especially when we go into Costa. Brilliant video Rog. It's true, but thing is building control dictate the air tightness rules not the owner.

[@paulbrenning7022]

Why go into costa? I take a flask and then I'm not out of £34 quid.

[@hannahjames3180]

Yes. Drying clothes indoors etc and cooking without saucepan lids add moisture to the home environment. Showers and baths cause condensation which people might see running off their cisterns. I always open my bathroom window about an inch when showering or bathing. It all helps.

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

@@hannahjames3180 same here, I like to leave extract fan on for at least 20 mins after a shower, missus turns it off straight after, pisses me right off, not tied in with light as there is a large window which is always open a crack Our cooker hood is on 24hrs a day as well on tick over when the hob isn't used. No mould visible in our house, would be if the missus lived alone, all windows shut and no extraction.

[@hannahjames3180]

@@tinytonymaloney7832 I have two extractors. One in kitchen and bathroom. Kitchen one I can put on as I choose. Also have lots of windows in big kitchen. Bathroom extractor only kicks in when light is put on and to be honest, it is loud and you can't have a relaxing bath listening to that.

[@burwoodbuild]

@@tinytonymaloney7832 I swapped my bathroom extractor for one that runs 20 mins after switching off for the same reason. The missus doesn't fancy crawling into the attic in her slippers and dressing gown to adjust the setting. Problem solved!

[@oakfieldfarm4131]

Just finishing our Passivhaus build so I thought I’d share a few numbers here for info. The house has a volume of about 400 cubic meters, 5 tonnes of cellulose (shredded newspaper) insulation, triple glazed windows and an MVHR system but NO heating system at all - well, that’s not 100% true, it has two 600w electric towel rails, a hob, oven, hot water cylinder, fridge, freezer that all produce some heat but there’s no “heating system” as such - no boiler, no heat pump, no rads, no under-floor, no wood-stove etc., nothing. The final airtightness test result was 0.07 air changes per hour at a pressure of 50 pascals, which is VERY airtight, even for a Passivhaus, which has to be below 0.6 ACH. This is to prevent air/heat leaking out of the building in an uncontrolled way. However, the MVHR system runs normally at 110 cubic meters of ventilation per hour and so completely changes the 400 cubic meters of air air inside the building about every four hours or six times per day - which is a lot of ventilation. The benefit of doing this is that the stale air and moisture is leaving the building but the heat is not! Most of the heat is being put back into the building by using it to heat and dehumidify the incoming air. Here’s a snapshot of the MVHR numbers: Extract air: 17.9° 61% Exhaust air: 10° 89% Outdoor air: 7° 94% Supply air: 17.7° 53% So it’s only lost 0.2° of heat and it’s reduced the humidity by 8% whilst completely changing the air in the house every four hours and is doing this whilst only drawing 14w, ie the equivalent of a couple of LED bulbs. So, airtightness, ventilation, moisture control and “heating” all rolled into one.

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you for that. An airtight building with MVHR makes a lot of sense, without it, not so much.

[@yurjip9563]

Finished my airtight house 10 years ago. If/when I move, the one thing any new house must have is MVHR. It is such a game changer effecting your quality of life. I visit other people's houses and they just feel unhealthy. I built close to PH standards but the only thing you have to watch out for is overheating. Our house needs no heating with 3/4 people inside, but add a few more and you have to open some windows. Christmas dinner with family is always with Veluxes wide open 😀

[@jonnylee2479]

Another fantastic video, Roger Id love to know more about buildings with Lime plastering, as my house has lime plaster on every wall, many of the walls need to be repaired but I simply cant afford to pay a lime specialist. I know that modern gypsum plaster doesn't breathe. Id love to know ays around it or any advice?

[@gypsygem9395]

Well said Roger! 14 years ago I rented a 100+year old house with a recent long and narrow (6ft x 15ft approx) extension which housed the kitchen. Condensation would literally run down the walls & windows and drip from the ceiling. There was no form of heating in that kitchen (other than the cooker!). Opening the windows didn't help. From what you've explained here, I now wonder if the (exterior?) walls of the kitchen had been coated in some kind of sealer. The cottage part of the house didn't have this problem, not even the bathroom, and we were able to maintain a comfortable 18-20° in it, unlike the kitchen which was always really cold (it was on the north side of the house which I guess didn't help - would probably have been better as a pantry!) Thanks for the video

[@MSReef]

I’m currently doing a new build and making it as airtight as possible but I’m also looking to install a MVHR too.

[@allotmentuk1303]

If you make it air tight you will have to install a MVHR Roger is bang on the button with this topic

[@Lee.Willcox]

Roger, this has always baffled me when I first saw it come about on that show "Grand Designs". I was so very confused. Everything needs to breath and being a keen gardener I know that my lawn needs to breath so I occasionally run a spiked roller over it. House plants need to breath. Bricks need to breath, masionay, wood and especially pot plants which is why I only use terracotta pots never plastic. My aquarium and pond plants need to breath, my fish, frogs and aquatic snails need to breath. I need to breath, my wife needs to breath and my 3 cats need to breath. Even the occasional mouse needs to breath until they get caught in jaws (Good boys Kitties). I know so many people (including my wife and mother) that have the heating on with at least one small window open. Drives me crazy but they are doing the right thing.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

I saw a great video by a guy who specialises in insulating log cabins and sheds. He basically said "If you cant make something 100% air tights, and waterproof, dont even bother trying. VENTILATE". Basically 99% airtight means 99% of any trapped water causes problems. Just assume there will be a gap or pin prick somewhere, and base your design on healthy ventilation. FYI my bedroom faces the sunrise, and in the mornings it lights up all the dust in the air. Im a pretty clean guy by DAMN ... bed linen, clothes, carpets and people throw off so much dust. I have a little hepa air filter where I sleep and periodically, heat the place up and do a complete air change. Its not pleasant or cheap doing it during the winter, but you need to blow moisture out.

[@mdug7224]

Perfect rant.👍 I am setting up a low voltage/wattage MHRV for my small house but have a dehumidifier in the equation as a must. It reduces heat loss to damp air as well as controlling moisture.

[@willbee6785]

The dehumidifier will give you a sore throat if it takes too much moisture out the air. Hope this helps.

[@mdug7224]

@@willbee6785 thanks. I aim to set at 50%👍

[@paulhill1665]

Pasive house standard, with heat recovery ventilation would be the way I would go, if done correctly. As to any of the large developers being able to it correctly, given the current build standards… Condensation is when air with a high RH, the amount of water held in the air, meets a colder surface, the air cools and if the RH get to 100% then condensation is the result. In old leaky houses the wet inside air is replaced with dryer air from outside, in an air tight house this has to be done by a mechanical system, also with higher installation in the walls they will be warmer on the inside, less likely to be at the dew point, when condensation will form. That is one area where America is far ahead of us, with the HVAC system that usually includes a dehumidifier. They also consider black mould to be a health hazard, and can make a house uninhabitable until the mould is fixed.

[@SkillBuilder]

I agree about the passive house but they are making houses air tight with none of the MVHR. That is the flaw

[@paulhill1665]

@@SkillBuilder it will not change until the building regs require it to be done, and the big developers are stopped from self certification of new builds.

[@AS-jm9uk]

Excellent knowledge Roger and well explained. Thank you 👍💚

[@lovenottheworld5723]

In the middle of winter with the central heating on if I open the front door wide open for ten seconds I think there'd be easily ten cubic metres of air exchanged. That happens a few times a day at least. Leave the bathroom window and shower door open until the shower is completely dry and I've never had a problem with mould in the bathroom. Just zap the slightest black spot with diluted bleach so it doesn't get a foothold.

[@willbee6785]

Spot on!

[@chippy1238]

Don't stop ranting Roger, i think the content is great and very informative with humour thrown in. Learning and laughing, what a combination . Looking forward to the next one.

[@ruinunes8251]

Apart from the singing 😂

[@chippy1238]

@@ruinunes8251 That's the bit that made me laugh lol

[@ruinunes8251]

@@chippy1238 I was just looking at Roger and thinking when he would stop 😂

[@chippy1238]

@@ruinunes8251 You can never get too much of a good thing lol. Just noticed i spelt his name wrong too. Sorry Rodger 👍🤭

[@twmd]

we replaced an open fire with a wood burner - if the feed is open then it still works well as a passive ventilation system when not in use

[@dw300]

Same with oven extractor fan if there's wind blowing past the vent outlet.

[@johnnorris1983]

@@dw300 extractor has spring to close vent when not on….so need more ventilation.

[@johnnorris1983]

The vent will only draw air in during fire. Unless you have another vent in the house

[@twmd]

@@johnnorris1983 no that's not true. the passive stack effect is a very effective ventilator. We are not talking about a passivhaus here - there is always natural ventilation

[@Mojo_3.14]

I love the architecture of old southern USA homes. The layout windows and doors and hallways were always placed for optimum cross air ventilation. The dogtrot home (breezeway house)and shotgun home in particular. No air conditioning at all. Losing heat vs trying to get rid of heat.

[@maxhatman3218]

Very good summary of a significant problem where the best solutions can be impractical (MVHR). My experience is that the biggest bang for the buck comes from having powerful extractors in kitchen and bathroom especially if humidity controlled. As Roger points out - with extractors you know exactly where the moisture is going - directly to the outside. Thanks for putting this up - great presentation.

[@garrrhudson]

Hi Max, interested to hear your further thoughts on this. I’m building an extension to side of my house (1990s built hollow block construction )and large attic conversion also which will mean most of the existing house gets stripped back. I’m in the trade but I’m just finding the whole air tightness, ventilation, insulation subject to be a bit of a minefield. Need to just settle on a practical and efficient plan of action! Any advice greatly appreciated

[@H-rz4dm]

Such a thorough and reasoned explanation! Thank you so much.

[@adamhasan4736]

Really enjoyed this one Roger - very funny and educational - if only school had been like that!

[@marieaudreyduchamp8839]

Another great rant ....Thanks Roger. Funny we have the same debates here in France. All new houses here under the latest building regulation must be air pressure test certified and must have an MVHR.

[@SteveHit1]

Your video was prescient: an article in today’s Times reports that houses and other buildings need to be designed with ventilation, and not to use the sealed box approach that you note is the current norm!

[@piblet2]

As above - you use a sealed box approach with a mechanical ventilation system, and have the best of both worlds.... it's not a big deal, particularly if you're building a house from scratch?

[@SteveHit1]

@@piblet2 I agree about the use of mechanical heat recovery / ventilation, but that costs, and most new builds are built to an absolute minimum spec, so I can’t see that happening apart from higher spec new builds. A bit like solar panels on all new builds would make sense, but it won’t happen due to cost.

[@michaellloyd463]

Why is this not widely understood though ? These principles were understood 150 years ago, probably 10000 years ago, sash windows, chimneys, under eaves gaps etc.....where was the fatal turning point ?

[@arieveloo9808]

So nice the way you present the videos!!!! Love it!!!!!

[@ericblair1969]

Love it! Really enjoyed that Roger. Very interesting, very informative.

[@magneticinteriors8530]

Gotta love Rogers rants! And dealing head on with topics that sound as though they are forgone conclusions but in reality far from it - esp for the poor. Would like to hear more about retro fitted heat exchange systems that may be suitable for those on a budget. BTW anyone remember the 'Shake and Vac' ads on the subject of smelly houses!

[@bikerchrisukk]

You sum it up well Roger, only an house built for MVHR is the solution, but that's big bucks and working Joe ain't got that kind of money. What's worse is that motivation by Gov is to do half a job with insulation, and don't worry about the health issues. Another random story #1: I was brought up in a house that was leaky as hell, but it did us no harm other than being bloody cold in the winter. random story #2: My grandad was an Architect, he and his wife lived 'til over 90 in a house that had walls so thin, you could read through them (stick build).

[@johnrussell5245]

I put MVHR in my house during building for around £2,000 plus a bit of extra labour. It's a tiny fraction of the build cost and should be compulsory. I wouldn't live in a house without it ever again. I agree about useless trickle vents.

[@waynemoate9401]

Thanks

[@SkillBuilder]

Thank you. We are grateful

[@rowanfrost1265]

Part L and Part F of the approved documents are having a number of changes made to them soon that will cover this topic and ensure that with increased air tightness the ventilation is also improved.

[@MarkAAshdown]

Best video so far. Just gets better and better

[@vinnysurti]

Fantastic video 👌🏽 However I have a question, If I fart after I have a Christmas dinner will it linger until the evening if the house is airtight?

[@SkillBuilder]

yes for sure, it may even be there the next morning

[@vinnysurti]

@@SkillBuilder 😶‍🌫️😷🤧😮‍💨🤮😵‍💫

[@goawakeneveryone4365]

The house will blow up when you open the fridge door!

[@nigel7277]

It'll be there for New Year

[@jp6975]

Reduce the aroma by eating lots of cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts with your turkey and stuffing.

[@user-yw2xx8jv3o]

Again great video and some very valid points. Air tight house mechanical ventilation is a must, with heat recovery. Another advantage to the MVHR is the pollen filters if you suffer from hay fever.

[@Ultimate-roofing-square.]

Great singing voice Roger. I’ll call Simon and get you on the talent show. 😬

[@burwoodbuild]

What a great idea... 😳 Now where did I put my class 5 ear defenders?! 🎧

[@liammullan2197]

Very well put together talk. We need solutions, don't we? Returning to the cold and draughty houses of old is not going to work (and god knows they caused countless health issues).

[@ryansellar9149]

I'll grant you I'm only half way round the video but if you think 60 years ago you were breathing in fresh lovely air in your town with tens of thousands of coal fires and industrial processes was much better you're having a laugh! Never mind lead pipes and lead paint, lead fuel for your car give your kid a bag of arsenic sweets while you're sawing up your asbestos fire proofing 😂

[@SkillBuilder]

Good point

[@anton-ello]

100% facts. It's unfair to compare to 60 years ago 😂 that's when the game lost its purpose and it was all profit focused. They killed a lot of people with their toxic products. Look back over 500 years ago. That's the best way to build 👍

[@Dragondezznuts]

Arsenic in the wallpaper that would randomly kill you.

[@AdamC66]

And leaded petrol… Dad’s going to the garage… windows down everybody!

[@ogfeen]

What sort of ventilation would you recommend for an externality insulated solid stone building with a woodstove.

[@yurjip9563]

Depends if the wood stove is vented internally or externally, as if internally you must have an external vent for that room. You can buy individual room MVHR units and that's what I have done for my stone house in Italy

[@michaelwilliams3648]

Carbon dioxide - high blood pressure - Rogers rants, someone get Roger a trickle vert

[@johnnorris1983]

How about a triple brandy

[@Kx110x]

Bless you Roger absolutely right as usual , a very dear friend of mine is in the process of building a totally airtight house on the scale of a grand designs speck . But when you see the level of technology and infrastructure involved you know it’s beyond the norm , as to cost I think you know the answer . But for most people it’s not the way forward . We have in the past both been less than enthusiastic about air source and the like in the vast majority of homes . Yet governments seem totally committed to embrace it . We seem as a nation completely oblivious to the health and welfare of the people as long as we think and I emphasise the word think we are saving the planet Best wishes and kind regards to your good self. Ps not so sure about your singing , but ha they said that about Elves 🤣👍👍👍

[@SkillBuilder]

Michael Thank you for the comment. I will work on the singing

[@livingladolcevita7318]

what do you think about straw bale houses with lime render? good rant Roger. Hit the nail on the head again. I grew up in a house with just 1 fire single glazed windows etc like a lot of people. Did me no harm, we didn't get fat as we were using calories to keep warm

[@twmd]

these houses buffer moisture better and have large thermal mass.

[@livingladolcevita7318]

@@twmd thanks

[@romanodowbusz6139]

I fitted a velux above the staircase and atrium so when air rises up and the velux is open it should draw air from trickle vents on the ground floor. You can go a step further and install sensors to operate the velux, CO2, humidity and temperature to automatically open the velux and a rain sensor to close the velux.

[@SkillBuilder]

Even with the trickle vent open on a roof window you get a good flow.

[@romanodowbusz6139]

@@SkillBuilder Yes, I tend to keep the trickle vent on a roof window always open to get a nice flow and you don't need to worry about the rain.

[@Thespecialone1970]

The airtight concept obviously doesn't work for the current housing stock. However, it has been proven the world over that it is overwhelming the way to go no questions asked for the future housing stock. All new homes should be required to be airtight, have energy efficient windows and a quality mechanical heat recovery system.

[@OH2023-cj9if]

Why do you suggest blocking chimneys?

[@240soundwave]

'We all die some time or another, get over it' hahaha brilliant. Imagine hearing that from your doctor.

[@grotekleum]

Or worse still, your funeral director :)

[@hannahjames3180]

@@grotekleum Or pay a psychic to just tell you...

[@grotekleum]

@@hannahjames3180 Can I pay with my phone?

[@hannahjames3180]

@@grotekleum You can play with whatever you like. Just don't do it near me.

[@advent3774]

If the people who live in properties that are having mould problems bothered to wipe the walls down with warm water and any type of mould spray , or any cleaner, on a regular basis, ie : daily, weekly, or monthly , whatever is required, that would stop the mould from getting a hold on that room and getting worse as shown on recent reports . The fact is you can see the filth on new UPVC window frames , and mould doesn’t take muck effort to wipe from plastic ! I have advised customers before that their tenants need to open all windows every morning and let fresh air in and stale air out for at least 15 minutes, they could do this before showering etc , and close them before they went out if they are rushed in the mornings . It would SMELL a lot better to ! Basically it comes down to LAZY people.

[@simpleasliam657]

F**King hell Roger 🤣🤣 Best video I've seen in a long time haha nearly died drinking tea at this lol

[@CMbassin]

I bought a 1980s split level ranch two years ago and it had a lot of rotten sheathing which allowed bugs and mice in. I took all the siding off and replaced the sheathing with Huber zip system, following the guidelines and taping all the seams and air sealing more to keep bugs out than I cared about air. Well I have new siding, windows doors and roof now but places where air can leak into the wall cavity are causing mold. Now I’m gutting the whole interior and installing an hrv, new insulation and being very fussy about the vapor barrier when installing it by caulking it onto the studs top and bottom plates and taping around outlets and windows. Learned a hard lesson about sealing up an old home.

[@iheggis86]

“Meanwhile on the Build show see how airtight Matt Risinger’s house is”

[@twmd]

i wonder what the house would be like when the ventilation system breaks down for a few days

[@worldadventureman]

I stopped bothering to watch his channel. He is such a buffoon, but he talks with such confidence that people just go along with anything he says. These are the real dangerous people in the building trade. They will recommend any product that the manufacturer pays them to.

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

He's got an expensive Zehnder system - individual supply and return to each room. His response when asked what happens when power goes out is 'open the windows' to get ventilation.

[@oaklejant]

@@twmd Maybe just keep the windows tilt open, till it got fixed?

[@twmd]

@@oaklejant a few days is fine but a longer period would be interesting - he has warm , mechanically ventilate roof space with all the kit and basements without windows

[@iaingosling3445]

Just back from Iceland House is constructed with 6" thick walls stuffed with mineral wool and 8" on the roof and floor. OSB or ply facing internally and corrugated metal exterior with OSB and a vapour barrier. Warm as toast, even with double glazing or though some have triple. So why do we build with 2 skins of brick/block and such complex expensive materials

[@jons6125]

The trickle vents just ruin all the benefits of double glazing

[@whirled_peas]

Yes I like to think they’re the perfect example of the short sightedness of our society today. We still can’t build good, healthy, long lasting houses in 2021. There’s ways but we can’t do it at scale, or more pertinently, don’t want to.

[@Xenon777_]

I noticed a lot of old buildings have huge air vents on the outside wall. One building I walked past had a large decorative vent and you could see the internal bricks through it! No cavity wall insulation either and it seems fine.

[@hannahjames3180]

That's called a window...

[@Xenon777_]

@@hannahjames3180 good one

[@u2kjib4cjkqn]

The only way to solve the problem is a HVAC system have fitted a few retro and new builds have one myself would highly recommend .

[@JJ-zg1hh]

Great video. This channel should be shown in schools!

[@JoeCHA136]

Not like you to have a rant Rodger!!!

[@SkillBuilder]

Yeah I don't know what came over me all of a sudden. I need some anger management.

[@Rob-ln7dd]

Renovated 1790 farm house at 1100m in the Alps, insulated the outside walls, lime plastered inside, installed full mvhr, double and triple glazed windows, underfloor heating with supplemental wood burner and dedicated external air supply. Gets to -20 in winter...we don't get condensation, not a hint of dampness anywhere. Total 375m2 of space included heated garage.... Heating /hw bills max €1700 year..... It's brilliant, I can't recommend great insulation + mvhr enough.