What are Trickle Air Vents for Windows?
Trickle window vents are the little openings or slots in a building envelope, such as a window or door, that facilitate ventilation, even when the opening is closed. They are designed to eliminate stale air, allowing you to avoid issues with poor ventilation (e.g., condensation, mould, etc.)
Why Do We Have Trickle Vents?
The main driving force behind trickle vent installation is ventilation. In order to make homes more energy-efficient, double/triple glazing, cavity wall insulation, and loft insulation are commonplace; however, these don’t allow for a well-ventilated home. They ensure that heat doesn’t escape your home, which is unequivocally vital for UK homes, especially with the rising energy costs. Despite this, by trapping heat, they also trap stale air, which contributes to the presence of condensation in your home, resulting in mould and other damp problems.
Therefore, in order to combat this ventilation issue, trickle vents have since been introduced so that people don’t have to open their windows as often for ventilation purposes. This means that a home’s warmth doesn’t have to be compromised in the name of ventilation.
Are Trickle Vents a Good Idea?
In short, yes, trickle vents are a good idea. They are the most efficient way of facilitating controlled ventilation that permits fresh air to enter your home. As a result, your home won’t be plagued by stale air and moisture, which can lead to serious moisture problems.
Are Trickle Vents Necessary?
Since 15 June 2022, all replacement windows and doors must incorporate trickle air vents for windows if there’s no background ventilation installed. Therefore, trickle vents have recently been deemed necessary for the vast majority of UK properties.
Types of Trickle Window Vents
In total, there are four different types of trickle vents available to suit your windows and doors needs. These are:
- In Glazing: This is where the trickle vent is built into the glazed or sealed unit itself at the top. This is ideal if you are needing to replace your existing windows and doors entirely.
- Through Window Frame: This is the most common type of trickle air vents for windows. These are fitted through the window frame.
- Over Window Frame: Sometimes, it isn’t possible to fit a trickle vent through the window frame. For these cases, they are best fitted over and around the frame instead.
- Built into Frame: For specialist windows or doors, such as bifold when they need to fold completely flat, the trickle window vent needs to be built into the frame.
Fitting Trickle Vents to Existing Windows
When installing trickle vents in existing windows, there is a general process our installers will carry out. Before installing trickle vents, you need to choose the type that’s right for you and one that matches the colour and style of your existing windows, allowing the vents to blend in seamlessly. Consider the size of the window and room to determine how many you need.
When the trickle vent installation process begins, it starts with measuring and marking the centre of the frame above a sealed unit and then the vertical centre of the frame itself. This will be positioned and levelled using a spirit level, drawing a horizontal line to clearly mark where the trickle window vents will go. The fitting holes also get measured from the centre of one fixing to the other to give the fixing centre measurement. This measurement gets divided into two and the centre measurement is positioned on the centre line.
Pilot holes are drilled for each of the fixing holes and additional clip holes through the frame. These pilot holes are checked to ensure everything is lined up on the inside. Drilling the holes for the trickle air vents for windows begins which are evenly spaced along the line between the fixing holes. Then, drilling through the frame is carefully carried out to ensure no damage occurs to the frame on the inside. The sections of the trickle window vents get fixed to the window frame and screwed or clipped together for a tight and secure fit.
Diamond Windows Trickle Vent Installation
At Diamond Windows, we provide a range of trickle air vents for windows that can be fitted to your existing windows seamlessly. No matter the type needed for your windows, our expert installers can securely handle the job to give you fitted, long-lasting trickle vents. If you need to replace your windows fully, you can trust us to fit stunning new windows that work for you where trickle window vents can be added. View our range of windows to find a style that suits you and your home.
