Module 5 · Conducting a Damp Inspection
5.4 Ventilation & Occupant Behaviour
7 min read
Ventilation is where the moisture balance is usually lost, and it is the cheapest thing to put right. It is also the area where a report can go badly wrong, either by omitting it entirely or by turning it into a critique of how a household lives. This lesson covers assessing it properly and reporting it fairly.
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Assess the ventilation provision in each room and across the property.
- Test whether extraction is actually working, not merely present.
- Record occupancy factors neutrally and as findings.
- Report ventilation without shifting blame onto the occupier.
Key terms
- Background ventilation
- Continuous low-level air exchange — trickle vents, air bricks, passive vents.
- Purge ventilation
- Rapid air exchange by opening windows, used to clear a burst of moisture.
- Extract ventilation
- Mechanical removal of moist air at source, in kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms.
- Moisture load
- The total vapour the household adds daily — typically 10–15 litres for a family of four.
Free — enrol to continue
Read the rest of Conducting a Damp Inspection
Module 1 is open to everyone. The remaining six modules — building science, each damp mechanism in depth, meters and thermal imaging, the full inspection method, and report writing — are free too. We just ask for an email so you can pick up where you left off, and so we can send your certificate when you finish.