Elecrician/purveyor of 70s houses needed – what is this?

Just looking at buying a ‘do-er upper’ house and the house we are looking at was built circa 1974 – it has these contraptions in every room – they are electrically operated and vent directly to outside. There is a fan and a pull out filter. They don’t appear to be heaters but we are unable to switch them on to test as there is currently no power to the property. They are made by Silavent. Our first guess is that they are some kind of air circulation/venting system.

Time machine; set it for 1982, see what happens.

is there high levels of Radon or somethign in the area that need venting?

If there’s an airconditioner vented to the outside in every room,I’d be looking for damp,big stylee
Ian

You’re in the Dales aren’t you,mastiles? Radon could be a good shout too.
Ian

It’s just a fan, my house had them in both rooms at the front of the house.
The council fitted them as my road used to be a very busy road (a57 thru Worksop} but theres now a bypass!
People complained about the noise and pollution saying they couldn’t open their windows.
Ripped them out when I moved in.

is there high levels of Radon or somethign in the area that need venting?

Hmm – just looking and that could be it waswas… 🙁

EDIT – actually not – I can’t read maps.

If there’s an airconditioner vented to the outside in every room,I’d be looking for damp,big stylee

All the houses on the estate have them – they appear to be original fit so I doubt it is damp (and even though the house is in a real state there is no evidence of damp whatsoever.

I am in Harrogate (so close to the Dales but not in them). This property is in the vale of York (Great Ouseburn) which is closer to the NY Moors but the Radon map shows very low levels of Radon in the area.

It’s just a fan, my house had them in both rooms at the front of the house.
The council fitted them as my road used to be a very busy road (a57 thru Worksop} but theres now a bypass!
People complained about the noise and pollution saying they couldn’t open their windows.

Hmm – it is in a really quiet village location so I don’t see the need for them (for that reason anyone anyway). Whatever happens, if our offer is accepted, they will be getting ripped out.

Trouser press?

was it built on an ex landfill site?

All the houses on the estate have them

ask a neighbour then?

Wouldnt say radon, they have fans below where it collects in dangerous levels.

was it built on an ex landfill site?

I doubt it as it is right in the middle of the village – but I shall look into it.

Is there anywhere I can do such searches online?????

Start on the local authority website I reckon Mike. I thought methane myself, but unlikely I imagine!

http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3112

“Is there anywhere I can do such searches online?????”

Daft I know, but you could try these guys ??!?

http://www.silavent.co.uk/contact.asp

Looks like the manafacturers are still going (www.silavent.co.uk) why not ask them?

EDIT – ah, beaten to it

Funky – that wasn’t what I was meaning by that question, but it was a great idea – I have just emailed them.

Cheers

(And thanks Woody – will be looking at that site too)…

It is an extractor fan.
The Council fitted exactly the same thing here in Leicester when a road was dualled through a housing estate.
The theory was that the traffic noise would rise, so people wouldnt want their windows open so much, hence an extractor fan was fitted to all rooms facing the road to keep ventilation in the rooms.
Aaln.

Hmm – seems odd as it is a cul-de-sac in a village location. The main road through the village get a bit of traffic but not much. There is hardly any on the cul-de-sac. Unless, of course they thought they would be building more houses and it was never passed (at the end of the road are some garages which, we hear, were refused a planning application to demolish and build an access road past – which would be pointless as it is just a field at the moment).

They are linked to each property.
You wonder what it does, so twiddle with the dial to no obvious effect.
Next door note that their mystery unit has been making unusual noises, and so twiddle with their dial.
Their neighbours note that…….. and so on, and so on, until yours begins to fluctuate, at which point you twiddle the dial again…… ad nauseum.

Low flying jets from the nearby airbase? Village looks directly in line with one of the runways from google.

Hmm – could be that I guess – I occasionally see them around but they certainly aren’t regular. Spent a good 3 hours at the property over the last few weeks and not heard a single plane overhead yet – and I believe operations are being scaled back more. Perhaps there were lots more 30+ years ago when they built them?