A young father has taken the TikTok social media world by storm by spreading the word on a little known device that has completely cured his 125-year-old home's damp, mould and condensation problems.
His post, titled "How I solved our damp, mould and condensation issues", has been viewed thousands of times on the social media platform in the space of just a week and gathered nearly 50,000 "likes". The TikTok user named Willmill19 shared his tip, aimed at people who have also been struggling with damp and mould in their homes. He said that since installing a Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) unit in his loft "mould never returned".
An article on the Liverpool Echo website stated that in the video, the TikTok user showed areas of his Victorian property that had been previously affected by damp and mould. He said his daughter's room used to have a soaking wet wall and a window that was black with mould. He said: "I used to have a dehumidifier and tried all of those little tricks with mould remover. But last winter I installed a PIV unit up in the loft.
"It takes filtered air from the loft and just has a constant blast of filtered air that comes out. That slight bit of filtered air will make the house ever so slightly positive pressure and constantly ventilates our house." He said the PIV unit had brought the humidity in the house down from around 80 per cent to more normal levels of around 60 per cent.
The PIV units cost between £300 and £400 online, but TikTok users claimed in comments posted under the video that the product was "well worth the price".
One wrote: "My partner installed one in my Victorian house three years ago, it's definitely the best £400 I've ever spent."
Another user added: "My partner fitted a PIV in our old stone cottage because our bedroom walls would be dripping in the mornings. GAME CHANGER." Phillip Bayliss commented: "Thank you for being a good citizen and helping other people learn about solutions they have never heard of."
TikTok viewer Steve Nye added: "This is a game changer big time. I’m a housing manager for a medium sized social landlord. I’m bringing this up at the next meeting. Thank you."
Willmill19 has since been inundated with so many questions about the fitting of the unit and the running costs ("no more than a lightbulb") following his video that he has uploaded more posts to address them, plus he has uploaded another tip that reduces condensation in conservatories with the simple use of a standard fan.
The massive interest sparked by the video came in the wake of the tragic story of Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old boy who died after prolonged exposure to mould just days before Christmas two years ago. His parents had been complaining to their housing association about the damp in their one-bedroom flat in Rochdale for three years.
Damning words from the Coroner eventually led to the dismissal of Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the housing trust that had catastrophically failed the tragic toddler.
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