Doctor Air Ireland

17/10/2026

11/10/2026

WET WINDOWS EVERY MORNING? DON'T JUST WIPE THEM DRY! 💧
If you wake up to condensation on your windows every morning, your home may be telling you something.
Persistent condensation can be a warning sign of excess indoor moisture, inadequate ventilation or cold surfaces.

And if you keep ignoring it, damp conditions may eventually contribute to mould around your windows and walls.

Wiping the glass removes the water — not necessarily the cause.

Every home is different. The important thing is to understand WHY it keeps happening and what can be done about it.

🏠Dr Air Ireland can help you understand your home's ventilation and explore possible solutions.

Don't wait until condensation becomes a bigger problem.

📲 Contact Dr Air for an initial consultation:
WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234

🌐 www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

11/10/2026

BUILDING A NEW HOME OR PLANNING A MAJOR RENOVATION? READ THIS BEFORE FINALISING YOUR PLANS.
If you're planning to build your own house in Ireland, or you're preparing for a major renovation, I'd like to speak to you before construction begins.

Not when the ceilings are finished.
Not when the walls are plastered.
And certainly not when you've already moved in.
WHY?

Because proper MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) isn't just a unit you buy and connect.

It's a whole-home ventilation system that needs to be considered as part of the building design.
Air ducts need space.
The ventilation unit needs a suitable location.
Supply and extract air routes need to be planned.

And the entire system needs to work with your house layout, insulation, airtightness and other building services.

I've been working with ventilation systems for over 18 years, including here in Ireland since 2018.

And one of the most expensive mistakes I see is leaving ventilation decisions until the building work is already well underway.
Sometimes that means compromising on the system design.
Sometimes it means opening finished ceilings, changing duct routes or carrying out additional construction work.
And sometimes a properly designed centralised system is no longer practical without major alterations.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF HOMEOWNERS I'D PARTICULARLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM:

1. You're planning a major renovation of an existing house.
2. You're planning to build a new home and haven't finalised the architectural and engineering plans.

These are the stages when we can discuss whether MVHR is suitable, what space is required, and how to integrate the system into your project before expensive mistakes are made.

You don't need to have all the answers.
That's why you speak to a specialist early.

If you're at either of these stages, send me a message with your house plans, if available, and tell me what you're planning.
Let's discuss ventilation BEFORE you build — not after.
WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234

www.drair.ie

Regards,
Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

08/10/2026

300+ COMPLETED HOMES. BUT HOW MANY HOMES DO YOU NEED TO SEE TO COMPLETE 300 PROJECTS?
Dr Air has completed more than 300 home projects.
But recently I thought about another number.
To complete 300 projects, you have to look at far more than 300 homes.
Initial consultations.
Site visits.
Plans sent before construction begins.
Quotation requests.
Older properties where we first need to establish whether an MVHR retrofit is practical.
Existing systems that aren't performing correctly.

And situations where, after looking at the property, the responsible answer is:
“No. I wouldn't install MVHR here in that way.”
For those who don’t know what it is: MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery — a whole-home ventilation system that recovers heat)

If, hypothetically, only one in three properties assessed eventually became a completed project, 300 completed homes could represent around 900 properties assessed.
At one in four, it would be approximately 1,200.

I've never counted every home, set of plans and consultation over all those years.
But the number is certainly much higher than 300.
And something interesting happens with experience.
Different homes start presenting the same problems.
Different people.
Different layouts.
Different buildings.
But many of the symptoms repeat.

Here are seven I see again and again in Irish homes.
1. “IT'S JUST WATER ON THE WINDOWS.”
Sometimes the homeowner sees the window as the problem.
I see it as the place where the problem became visible.
Then I start looking at humidity, air exchange, heating, cold surfaces, ventilation and what has recently changed in the property.

2. “WE REMOVED THE MOULD. IT CAME BACK.”
The wall was cleaned.
Treated.
Repainted.
A few months later, the black marks return.
At that point, the question isn't what product we should put on the wall next.
The question is:
Why have the conditions that allowed mould to grow returned?

3. “WE REPLACED THE WINDOWS AND INSULATED THE HOUSE — THEN THE PROBLEMS STARTED.”
The home became warmer.
It also became more airtight.
That's good for energy efficiency.
But if controlled ventilation wasn't considered alongside improved airtightness, the balance of the home can change.

4. “THERE'S NO MOULD IN THE BEDROOM, BUT IT FEELS STUFFY EVERY MORNING.”
This is an important one.
Not every ventilation problem leaves a mark on the wall.
A home can look completely dry.
But a closed bedroom can feel very different after 7–8 hours of occupancy.
Then I'm interested in airflow and CO₂ as well as humidity.

5. “WE HAVE MVHR, (Heat Recovery Ventilation) BUT IT'S NOISY / IT DOESN'T WORK WELL / WE TURN IT OFF.”
This is particularly frustrating.
The equipment is already there.
The money has already been spent.
But the system is uncomfortable to use.
Sometimes it's settings.
Sometimes filters.
Sometimes balancing.
Sometimes we have to go deeper into the ductwork or original design.
Having an MVHR unit doesn't automatically mean you have good ventilation.

6. “WE BOUGHT A DEHUMIDIFIER. IT COLLECTS LITRES OF WATER EVERY DAY.”
Good.
The machine is clearly removing moisture.
But I still want to know:
Where does that moisture keep coming from?
A dehumidifier can be a useful tool.
But if it runs every day for months, I want to understand the underlying moisture load.

7. “WE'RE BUILDING A HOUSE. WE'LL THINK ABOUT VENTILATION LATER.”
This is the problem I'd rather prevent completely.
Moving a duct route on a drawing takes seconds.
Trying to solve the same problem after structural work, plumbing and electrical services are in place and ceilings are closed can become a serious compromise.

The best MVHR problem is the one we never have to fix.
After years in this work, you develop an interesting habit.
You stop looking only at the wet wall or the ventilation valve.

You start looking at the house as a complete system.
What changed?
Where is the moisture coming from?
Where does the air enter?
Where does it leave?
How does the building retain heat?
Where are the cold surfaces?
What happens overnight?
What happens after a shower?
What changed during the retrofit?

That's why I don't like starting a conversation with:
“You need MVHR.”
I'd rather start with:
“Let's first understand what's happening in your home.”

300+ completed projects is a number.
But the real value is in the number of different homes and situations you have to see to build that experience.

If you recognise your home in any of these seven situations, send us a message or photos on WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234
Find out more about Dr Air and our services: www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

06/10/2026

I often hear people say, “Sure, we’ll just get a dehumidifier.” And here’s what I’d say to that. YOUR DEHUMIDIFIER COLLECTS 2–3 LITRES OF WATER A DAY. DOES THAT MEAN THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED?
“Our house is very humid, so we bought a dehumidifier.”

It's one of the most common stories I hear in Ireland.
Then the homeowner shows me the container:
“Look — it collected two litres of water in one day!”
And yes, that can be impressive.
Under suitable conditions, domestic dehumidifiers can collect several litres of water per day, while some models have rated extraction capacities of 10, 12, 20 litres per day or more.

Actual extraction, of course, depends heavily on temperature and relative humidity.
But I always have another question:
Where is all that water coming from?
A dehumidifier doesn't remove the source of moisture.
It removes some moisture from the air already inside the house.
Meanwhile, moisture continues to be generated.
We shower.
We cook.
We dry clothes.
We breathe.

Several occupants can introduce a significant amount of water vapour into a home every day.
And normal household activity isn't the only possible source.
There may also be:
— inadequate ventilation;
— water leaks;
— construction moisture;
— cold surfaces and thermal bridges;
— building-fabric problems;
— moisture entering from outside.

And this brings us to an important distinction:
**A DEHUMIDIFIER REDUCES HUMIDITY.
VENTILATION REPLACES AIR.**
They aren't the same thing.

Imagine a closed bedroom.
Two people sleep there for eight hours.
A dehumidifier may help reduce the humidity.
But it doesn't remove the CO₂ the occupants are breathing out.
It doesn't replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air.
It continuously recirculates the same room air and removes some of its moisture.

So you can have a room with lower relative humidity — without necessarily having good ventilation.
That's an important distinction.
I'm not against dehumidifiers.
There are situations where they're genuinely useful.

For example:
— temporarily reducing very high humidity;
— drying following building or renovation work;
— drying a property after a leak once the source has been fixed;
— helping dry a room;
— as a temporary measure while the underlying problem is investigated.

What I don't like seeing is this:
A dehumidifier runs every day for months, collects litres of water — and eventually everybody stops asking why so much moisture keeps appearing.
If you're emptying two or three litres from the container every day, the machine isn't only demonstrating that it works.

It's also showing you that there is an ongoing moisture load in that space.
It's worth understanding where that moisture is coming from.
There is also an energy consideration.
A dehumidifier uses electricity.

If it needs to run for many hours every day for years, you're continuously paying to remove moisture without necessarily addressing why it is accumulating.
So when investigating the problem, I would ask:
What is the indoor relative humidity?
Which rooms are most affected?
Is there condensation?
Is there mould?
How is extract ventilation working?
Where does fresh air enter?
Is laundry dried indoors?
Have the windows been replaced?
Has the house been insulated?
Could there be building moisture or a leak?

Only then can we begin to understand what is really happening.
**A dehumidifier can be a very useful tool.
But a useful tool and a solution to the underlying cause aren't always the same thing.**

If your dehumidifier runs almost every day and continually collects large amounts of water, tell us how much it collects, what humidity readings you're seeing and send us some photos on WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234
Let's first understand where the moisture is coming from.
Find out more about Dr Air and our services: www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

04/10/2026

MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery — a whole-home ventilation system that recovers heat) FILTERS: WHAT STAYS IN THE FILTER INSTEAD OF ENTERING YOUR HOME?
When I remove a used MVHR filter, homeowners are sometimes surprised:
“Was all of that really in the air?”
Dust.
Fine particles.
Pollen.
Insects.
Pollutants carried in with outdoor air.

It's a very visual reminder that MVHR isn't only about temperature and humidity.
The system is continuously dealing with the air moving through your home.
An MVHR system normally filters both the incoming fresh air and the extract air.
The purpose of filtering incoming air is fairly obvious.

It helps protect the system and reduces certain outdoor particles from continuing into the home.
But there is an important point:
A filter can only do its job properly if it's maintained.
Over time, it gets dirty.
That's normal.

In fact, some dirt on the filter demonstrates that it has been doing its job.
The problem begins when everybody forgets about it.
A dirty filter adds resistance to airflow.

The fans have to work harder to move air through the system.
System performance can change.
Energy consumption or noise may increase.
So a filter isn't something we install with the MVHR system and then forget for the next ten years.

How often should it be replaced?
I don't like giving one universal number for every house.
Manufacturers specify their own inspection and replacement guidance, and real-world conditions vary enormously.
A house beside a busy road.
A rural property.
Construction nearby.
Pollen season.
Occupancy.
Pets.

All of these can influence filter condition.
The sensible approach is:
Check the filters regularly and follow the recommendations for your specific MVHR unit.
There is another important point.
Not all filters are the same.
Different filtration classes are designed to deal with different particle sizes and applications.

So replacing a filter with “something that looks about the same size” isn't necessarily the right approach.
The filter should match the equipment and its specified requirements.
And I deliberately don't say:
“MVHR will clean everything out of your air.”
It won't.

It's not a medical device or a magic box.
But correctly specified and properly maintained filtration is another valuable part of controlled ventilation in a modern home.
Sometimes one old, dirty filter explains surprisingly well why a system that used to perform normally has started behaving differently.

If you haven't checked your MVHR filters for a long time — or you're not sure which filters your system requires — message us on WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234
You can send us a photo of the MVHR model and the existing filters.
Find out more about Dr Air and our services: www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

03/10/2026

CHECKLIST: 10 MVHR QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR ARCHITECT OR BUILDER BEFORE WORK STARTS !
Building a new home in Ireland?
Save this checklist and take it to your next meeting with your architect or builder.

Don't wait until somebody says:
“Now we need to decide where the ventilation goes.”
By then, some of your best options may already be gone.

Here are 10 questions I would ask early.
1. WHAT TYPE OF VENTILATION IS PLANNED FOR MY HOME?
Don't settle for:
“There will be ventilation.”
What type?
Why has that solution been selected for this particular property?
If MVHR is planned, continue down the list.

2. WHO IS DESIGNING THE MVHR SYSTEM?
The architect shows us the rooms.
But who calculates the required airflow?
Who designs the ductwork?
Who selects the equipment?
Who is responsible for the performance of the complete system?
This should be clear before installation begins.

3. WHERE WILL THE MVHR UNIT BE LOCATED?
You need space for more than the unit itself.
There must be sensible access for servicing and filter replacement.
I don't only ask:
“How do we install the unit today?”
I also ask:
“How will the homeowner service it five years from now?”

4. WHERE WILL THE DUCTWORK RUN?
This is one of the big questions.
Especially in two- and three-storey homes.
How do we get between floors?
Will the ducts conflict with plumbing, electrics or structural elements?
Is there enough ceiling void?
It's much easier to solve this on a drawing.

5. WHERE WILL THE SUPPLY AND EXTRACT POINTS BE?
Fresh air is generally supplied to living areas such as bedrooms and living rooms.
Stale, humid air is extracted from areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms.
But the actual position of every terminal matters.
I want to see those positions on the plan.

6. WHERE WILL THE EXTERNAL INTAKE AND EXHAUST BE LOCATED?
The system needs to bring outdoor air in and discharge extract air outside.
These locations shouldn't be selected at the last minute simply because:
“There's some space left there.”
The façade, separation and nearby sources of pollution all need consideration.

7. WHAT AIRTIGHTNESS LEVEL IS THE HOME BEING DESIGNED FOR?
A modern energy-efficient home is a system.
Insulation.
Airtightness.
Heating.
Ventilation.
These shouldn't be designed as though they have nothing to do with one another.
The more airtight the building becomes, the more important controlled ventilation becomes.

8. WHO WILL CHECK THE DUCTWORK BEFORE IT IS COVERED?
Once the plasterboard is installed, much of the ventilation system disappears.
I want the ductwork checked before the ceilings are closed.
Correcting a route now is far easier than opening a finished ceiling later.

9. WHO WILL BALANCE AND COMMISSION THE SYSTEM?
This is one question I particularly recommend writing down.
Don't just ask:
“Will the system work?”
Ask:
“Who will measure the actual airflow at each terminal when installation is complete?”
For relevant new homes in Ireland, ventilation commissioning and validation form part of the compliance process.
The job doesn't finish when the unit receives power.
Airflow needs to be measured.
The system needs to be adjusted.
The result needs to be demonstrated.

10. WHAT DOCUMENTATION AND INSTRUCTIONS WILL I RECEIVE AT HANDOVER?
How was the system commissioned?
What airflows were measured?
How do I replace the filters?
How should the different modes be used?
How often does it require servicing?
Who do I contact if it becomes noisy or performance changes?
The homeowner shouldn't receive a mysterious box on the wall.
They should receive a system they understand.

And I would add one final question — this time for the homeowner:
"When should I ask a ventilation specialist to review my plans?"
My answer:
- The earlier, the better.

While the house still exists mainly on paper, we have far more freedom to make the finished system neat, quiet and effective.
Already have plans for your new home?
Send them to us on WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234
We can look at the ventilation before design decisions become expensive to change.
Find out more about Dr Air and our services: www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better.

02/10/2026

CHECKLIST: BUILDING A HOME IN IRELAND? WHEN SHOULD YOU DISCUSS VENTILATION WITH YOUR ARCHITECT AND BUILDER?
The short answer:
Not when the ceilings are about to be closed.

If you're planning a new build and considering MVHR, the ventilation conversation should ideally begin while the house is still being designed.
Save this checklist.
1. THE FLOOR PLAN IS BEING DESIGNED — START NOW
Do you already have the first architectural drawings?
Do you know roughly where the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and utility room will be?
This is already a good time for the ventilation engineer to review the plans.
We need to consider:
— MVHR unit location;
— fresh-air intake position;
— exhaust position;
— main duct routes;
— routes between floors;
— supply and extract points.
Moving a line on a drawing at this stage costs almost nothing.
Trying to create the same route in a finished house can mean bulkheads, lowered ceilings or complicated compromises.

2. BEFORE FIRST FIX — ESSENTIAL
By this stage, the ventilation strategy should be clear.
MVHR isn't simply a unit sitting in the utility room or attic.
There is a duct network running throughout the house.
And it needs to coexist with:
— plumbing;
— electrical services;
— heating;
— structural elements;
— ceilings;
— wardrobes;
— kitchen units.
If every trade begins routing services independently, it doesn't take long before several people want the same piece of space.

3. BEFORE CEILINGS ARE CLOSED — CHECK IT
This is one of the last stages when corrections are still relatively straightforward.
I want to see:
Are the ducts routed correctly?
Are there unnecessary restrictive bends?
Has anything been damaged?
Are connections properly made?
Is everything where the design says it should be?
Once the plasterboard goes up, much of the system disappears from view.
Check it before, not afterwards.

4. THE MVHR UNIT IS INSTALLED — YOU'RE NOT FINISHED YET
“It switches on, so it works.”
That's not enough for me.
The airflow needs to be checked and measured.
The system needs to be balanced and commissioned.
We need to know not only that air is moving, but how much air is actually being supplied or extracted at each terminal.

5. BEFORE MOVING IN — UNDERSTAND YOUR SYSTEM
Where are the filters?
How do you replace them?
Which operating modes should you use?
What is normal?
What isn't?
When does the system need servicing?

A good engineering system can be sophisticated inside while remaining simple for the homeowner to operate.
So my ideal time for the first conversation with a new-build homeowner is:
When you have plans — but the building hasn't started limiting our options yet.
The earlier we consider ventilation, the more opportunity we have to make the finished system simpler, quieter and neater.

Building a new home?
Send us your plans before work begins and we can look at where your project is and what should be considered for ventilation.
WhatsApp: +353 89 607 7234
Find out more about Dr Air and our services: www.drair.ie

Regards, Dmitry Boscanean
Founder & Ventilation Specialist | Dr Air Ireland
18+ years helping homes breathe better