Water vapour – a hidden risk

The current standards and directives stipulate a leak-tight building envelope for residential and office buildings, to protect the environment, as this is the only way to save energy.

This leak-tight building envelope means that, neither fresh air can enter the building naturally from outside through cracks and joints, nor can stale air escape to the outside via such routes. The moisture, in the form of water vapour, produced by cooking, showering or washing and drying clothes therefore also remains indoors. If the room temperature drops, at night for example, this water vapour can condense on the inside of the exterior walls. This provides the ideal breeding grounds for mould spores and, if this condition is permanent, a mould infestation is likely. In addition to building fabric deterioration, mould also poses health risks to the occupants or people in the building.

Only frequent cross-ventilation can avert this danger, but, especially at the cold time of year, this is unpleasant and impractical. A controlled ventilation system does this professionally and extremely comfortably for the people present.