Ventilation Commissioning
Ventilation is incredibly important in all dwellings. A property without sufficient ventilation is more susceptible to issues with mould, condensation and damp.
Regulation 42 of the Building Regulations 2010 requires builders to provide evidence of the testing of all fixed fans to the Building Control Body (BCB) within 5 days of the test being carried out. The Domestic Ventilation Compliance Guide (DVCG) published in 2010 gives the approved procedures for measuring air flows and reporting the results for Systems 1 to 4 described in Approved Document F 2010.
However, following the procedure for testing System 1 axial fixed fans using a vane anemometer has presented practical challenges. In particular, it has been shown that the resistance of the testing equipment can adversely affect the test results, to the extent that a compliant fan may appear not to meet the recommended extract ventilation rates in Table 5.1a of Approved Document F. Builders have also found the description of the procedure to be unclear. NHBC have been working with industry and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to devise a solution to these issues to allow accurate testing and the reporting of fixed fans to be undertaken for all new dwellings.
Ventilation testing and ventilation commissioning are two different things. Testing refers to extractor fans that you would find in a toilet, bathroom or kitchen which are tested to see how much air they extract. Commissioning refers to more complicated ventilation systems, such as Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR). These need to be balanced to ensure the correct amount of air is either being extracted from or supplied to each room.
The tests must be undertaken using UKAS calibrated equipment and should be conducted by an engineer registered with a competent scheme with respect to domestic ventilation technologies. All SK technicians have successfully completed the BPEC Domestic Ventilation course and all of our equipment is fully UKAS calibrated.
As mentioned, a lack of sufficient ventilation is likely to cause problems such as mould, condensation and damp within buildings. In addition to this, pollutants in your home’s air can result in poor indoor air quality which in turn may cause dizziness and headaches, plus aggravate allergies and asthma. By installing a sufficient ventilation system, this helps to ensure a good supply of fresh air and will improve the wellbeing of the occupants and the dwelling fabric.
