Surveyor or Salesman? giving vent advice

[toptec]

Wife got a cold caller, representing a "Major UK Company", offering cavity wall and full loft insulation for £170. Surveyor to call the following day. He did so, (Yesterday), and it appears to be the proper stuff. Quoted some Guff about 90% Government grants.

Anyway I am in the market for this so signed up, no money exchanges hands until job is completed.

He quoted Building regs and said that one of the conditions is that I fit a "safety vent" to an exterior wall in the lounge where we have an open coal fire. (Our only form of heating at present!) I haven't got an exterior wall in the lounge so he told me to put one in the exterior wall of the dining room next door.

I have my doubts about this, even more so when he said I do not need building regs notice for the cavity wall work. (I know that I do)

Question is - Do I need such a vent as per Building Regs?

 

[Ossy]

Building regs notice for fitting a vent - I'd be surprised if this was necessary.

I know that gas fitters will be very insistent that proper vents are fitted, but I always assumed this was to ensure any possible gas leak would vent out of the house when it sank to floor level. As long as your coal fire is drawing well I wouldn't have thought vents were required.

If they're offering you wall insulation then you'd need to have a certain number of air vents to prevent condensation in the cavity. I think this is often specified by these companies as they have to fit in with current standards, but I doubt it's got anything to do with your fire.

 

[toptec]

Surveyors/Salesman was implying I had to have a "Safety Vent" fitted as I have an open fire.... I cannot find anything regarding this in my local councils regs leaflets.

I live in a bungalow that, half of it has wooden floors, it already has airbricks below the damp proof, bathroom and kitchen extraction fans, and the gas and lekky meter boxes should supply ample ventilation.........

I think he was talking out of his cheap clipboard!

 

[Richard C]

This is a common sales con that’s cropped up in the last couple of years. I went though exactly the same thing last year; they can indeed get you a local grant to keep your cost down but they are just being greedy in order to make a bit of cash on the side by insisting they can’t do the insulation work without new vents in the kitchen, whatever room your CH boiler is installed & (if they are lucky) you have a gas or open fire. In my case the cost of 3 vents came to £180, more than the cost (to me) of the insulation so I told them to take a hike! I spoke to my LABC & they were very reluctant to either condemn or get involved; saying the company was probably concerned about my current ventilation provision. Although fixed vents are required by current regs. & if you install new appliances, its total crap if you’re just having cavity insulation done; 60 quid for a hole in the wall & a vent you wont be able to close is just a way of ripping you off.

 

[JohnD]

£170 is a good price, but it never hurts to get competitive quotes.

Usually your gas and electricity suppliers have "special offers" are are very reliable companies

If you are pensioner, disabled, income benefits etc you can usually get grants to cut the cost still more

e.g.
http://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/products/home-insulation.html
(look near the bottom of the page)

 

[JerryM]

If i don't know a detail about the building regs i always ring the local BCO. In our area they are very helpful. Ours has a general number with a non tech on the end. just explain the situation and ask to speak to an inspector who is familiar with that part of the regs.

It sounds wrong - vents are normally associated with fires but the BCO will give you a answer.

 

[Ossy]

If they're trying to charge you the earth for fitting vents, you can do what my mate did when he had it done. He asked them where they should be and fitted them himself. He also told them to leave the filling holes open so he could plug them and dress them himself, making it look much better than the neighbour's

 

[toptec]

Appreciate the replies.

I have E-Mailed my BC Dept with the query and will post their response.

The "Surveyor" wanted to charge £50 for the company to fit the vent, which I declined as I know I could do it myself for a fraction of that and make sure I don't end up with blown faces on my bricks.

British Gas , my future supplier, will do Cavity Wall Insulation for £250. Although this one I have signed up with will also supply and fit 270mm loft insulation AND lag all the pipes in the loft for the £170.

Not a bad deal at face value.

Cheers Guys

 

[Richard C]

Appreciate the replies.

I have E-Mailed my BC Dept with the query and will post their response.

The "Surveyor" wanted to charge £50 for the company to fit the vent, which I declined as I know I could do it myself for a fraction of that and make sure I don't end up with blown faces on my bricks.

British Gas , my future supplier, will do Cavity Wall Insulation for £250. Although this one I have signed up with will also supply and fit 270mm loft insulation AND lag all the pipes in the loft for the £170.

Not a bad deal at face value.

Cheers Guys

The LA grant maintained guys were always cheaper (free if your over 60) but having secured LA approval, they now seem to be trying to generate extra cash for air vents that, in most cases, are not mandatory; although they will probably tell you otherwise!

As long as you can get them to do the work without those extra £50 vents (my “surveyor” wanted £60) go with it; they really should not be part of the deal & I think LABC should be stamping on it. The local approved installers already have a guaranteed grant for doing the work, they are just trying to make extra cash out of the job & 2 x £50 vents will basically pay the operatives wages for the cavity fill!