Comments on Housebuilder's Update: On cavity wall insulation

Polystyrene beads are perfect for wall installatio...

2012-02-22T02:51:19.983+01:00

Polystyrene beads are perfect for wall installation. Some materials may cause leakage and problems. I'm glad you chose this material in you cavity wall insulation project.

"we are getting our end terrace house roughca...

2012-02-02T04:33:53.871+01:00

"we are getting our end terrace house roughcasted this year" - wow, congratulations. I hope it turns out the way you envisioned it.

we are getting our end terrace house roughcasted t...

2012-01-22T17:43:29.025+01:00

we are getting our end terrace house roughcasted this year,and have thought about cwi insulation before its done,after reading the comments we are scared to go ahead with cwi,two many negative comments ,apart from firms pushing it and the green brigade,is there any positives????.

The idea of installi8ng a cavity wall insulation i...

2012-01-16T01:51:08.900+01:00

The idea of installi8ng a cavity wall insulation is brilliant. However, it is a must to visit some trusts' energy websites. On the other hand, you can ask help from other people who had already undergone same process to ensure that you'll get the worth of your money.

I lived in France for a few years and the houses w...

2012-01-15T14:23:59.436+01:00

I lived in France for a few years and the houses were built of single thickness 200mm clay blocks with a sort of honeycomb within. These apparently allowed the moisture to evaporate within , and the inside was lined with polystyrene backed plasterboard dot and dabbed on as over here , or an additional skin of thin block was built on the inside with rockwool in the void.
However all of the houses had what was called a VMC which is a permanently running extraction system which takes air from all rooms if necessary. This is in addition to standard bathroom and kitchen extraction systems. As they are installed suspended from the rafters there is no noise or hum and they were available from all DIY outlets for about £80. If I ever build my own house over here I will go over and get one!!!

Installing a cavity wall insulation is not that ea...

2012-01-12T03:55:46.001+01:00

Installing a cavity wall insulation is not that easy thus careful and proper planning is a must. Thanks for sharing this.

First I suggest that you visit the Energy Saving T...

2011-12-06T09:54:07.688+01:00

First I suggest that you visit the Energy Saving Trust's website and search for grants in your area. You can also ask energy providers who offer assistance with the cost of the insulation.

Thanks so much for all this useful information, af...

2011-11-19T12:31:49.530+01:00

Thanks so much for all this useful information, after reading, I won't get my cavity wall insulated. It's not fair, this information isn't made available to all.

This is a detailed plan on how to go about cavity ...

2011-11-03T10:16:52.650+01:00

This is a detailed plan on how to go about cavity wall insulation. It's a lot easier to install with this plan.

I found Jeff's article to be very clear and in...

2011-09-27T13:50:55.426+01:00

I found Jeff's article to be very clear and informative, it makes logical sense and everything he says is backed up. Why is mineral wool worse than poly beads then?...because it allows less penetrating damp? oh but I thought you were saying CWI doesn't cause penetrating damp...hmmm nice and biased, do you affiliate with people who sell poly bead insulation?

Hi. I have a Dormer house with brick walls up to t...

2011-09-16T21:51:52.064+01:00

Hi. I have a Dormer house with brick walls up to the 1st floor on the gable ends. Above this brick line this 1965 house has horizontal wooden slats attached to the joists without any form of insulation. Can I insulate this by pumping in some form of free flowing insulation on the top - i.e remove the top slats and pour/pump it in? Companies dont seem to want to take this on. Surely all dormer gables in the UK are not insulated?

It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this top...

2011-08-15T13:27:39.370+01:00

It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

"Jeff Howell was spot on when he said that ca...

2011-08-10T07:45:56.895+01:00

"Jeff Howell was spot on when he said that cavities should be left clear to provide good ventilation." I agree. Now that we are experiencing the effects of global warming, every effort to keep your place cool counts.

About 25 years ago my wife and I decided to have t...

2011-04-29T18:21:14.253+01:00

About 25 years ago my wife and I decided to have the cavity walls of our bungalow insulated with urea foam. All was well for a while, the house was much warmer and we were very pleased with the result. Our bungalow was brick built, rendered and painted with masonry paint.

About five years later I was mouching about and I noticed that the outer brick layer appeared to be damp. I chipped off some of the masonry paint and discovered tha most of the outer brick layer was very damp. As I was on the point of repainting the outside walls I phone the Dulux help line to ask for advice. I had a very helpful conversation with a gentleman who introduced me to the problem of interstitial condensation. He believed that water vapour was passing through the walls and as its temperature fell to the dew point, vapour condensed into water and was progressively making the walls wetter and wetter. The masonry paint on the outside was acting as a vapour barrier and was preventing escape of the condensed water.

The Dulux gentleman suggested one of two solutions. The first one was to install a vapour barrier on the inside walls with vinyl wallpaper being suitable. The second suggested solution was to strip all the paint from the outside walls and repaint with a cement based paint such as Snowcem.

WE went for the second solution, I stripped of all the masonry paint and used Snowcem and the walls looked fantastic. And did it work? it certainly did. After about two years our walls were dry again.

After this experience, I will never again retrospectively install cavity wall insulation. I will never ever buy a house that has had cavity wall insulation retropectively install. I will also never ever paint outside walls using masonry paint. Snowcem is wonderful, it looks fantastic, it is porous and it erodes gradually. You can repaint every five years or so without it getting thicker and thicker.

Our present house has modern construction with insulatin boards attached to the outside of the inner brick leaf together with an air gap of about 2 inches. We have no damp problems.

I hope my comments are of some use. I am certainly with Jeff Powell on this one

About five years later I noticed that

George. your PVC windows, like all modern windows ...

2011-04-05T16:05:55.394+01:00

George. your PVC windows, like all modern windows have rubber sealing strips around them, unlike old windows which provide really good background ventilation when "closed". building regs recognise this in new homes and require trickle ventilators to offset it, but few people specify trickle vents when having replacement windows. You can either fit trickle vents, OR just pull out and cut away some of the rubber seals at the top of the window; remember there are inner AND outer seals.
Cavity insulation will NOT help the condensation around the windows, see my earlier post; IT WILL ELIMINATE the condensation in the cupboard on an outside wall.

To Keira01: You need ventilation. You said:"w...

2011-04-05T15:54:41.393+01:00

To Keira01: You need ventilation. You said:"when the room becomes hot ie with the oven etc on and no ventilation". The time to get rid of moisture is when it is being made, so when cooking, drying clothes or bathing open a window a SMALL amount and leave it open for a while after.
The cause seems to be that the insulation has much reduced the flow of ventilation through the wall, so you need to replace it by opening windows just a crack. Any DIYer or handyman can easily install trickle vents in exiting windows, allowing you some secure ventilation with windows closed, tho when cooking etc you will still need to open the window a bit as well.

I'm thinking of getting Cavity Wall insulation...

2011-04-05T15:43:17.334+01:00

I'm thinking of getting Cavity Wall insulation myself because we get damp around the PVC windows and in built in cupboards where the wall acts as the side of the cupboard.

However, I'm unsure whether getting insulation will help or exaggerate this problem?

I would think that the moisture is from the outside of the house and therefore any insulation will help prevent this coming through?

Any thoughts would be grateful!

Cavity wall insulation (CWI): As a landlord I had...

2011-04-05T15:41:41.057+01:00

Cavity wall insulation (CWI): As a landlord I had CWI installed in 8 flats ten years ago. The only problem is condensation and black mould on window reveals in bathrooms and some bedrooms.
I think the explanation is that the windows are set in the outer leaf of bricks and the innermost inch of the leaf forms the outermost part of the window reveal. As the outer leaf is now a lot colder than B4 we get condensation there. Also the windows are now double glazed (with trickle vents) so the outer leaf is now probably colder than the window glass, so is the first port of call for condensation.
Not all tenants get this as some ventilate their flats properly.

Solution would be to insulate the reveals, or at least apply wider plastic decor strips so can more easily clean any mould off.

To pensioner; if you are over 70, or claiming any ...

2011-04-05T15:29:47.725+01:00

To pensioner; if you are over 70, or claiming any benefit, such as Council Tax Benefit, ring 0800 512 012 for FREE loft insulation and, if applicable cavity wall insulation. This is for tenants as well as owners.

I am a tenant of a small detached cottage, with a ...

2011-03-19T17:46:19.971+01:00

I am a tenant of a small detached cottage, with a bigger living area downstairs than upstairs. Downstairs has a sloping roof where there are no bedrooms above, there is no access into this space.
I very much doubt there is any insulation at all in there.
Upstairs due to the quantness of the cottage there are two apex's so there is no room for insulation inside there.
What is more both bedrooms are open on all four sides.
In the past 9 months it has cost me £1800 in Flogas, coal & logs.
I have not even been warm.
I have no option but to use Flogas due to my landlord signing an agreement with them.
The windows are 1960s wooden, very draughty.
My landlord will not spend any money on even the smallest problems with the property, so there is no use in asking his help.
I love the seclusion and country location.
The house is freezing in winter.
I am a pensioner!
I feel I shall have to leave.
As for someone above mentioning an open fire, yes and it is a stright up chimney, which means 95% of the heat is lost up there.
The kitchen cooker has no hood, there is a massive damp mark on the wall, getting bigger.
Upstairs the bathroom has a fan it works on keeping the mould out of there.
My bedroom always has condesation on the windows if not real frost & ice on the inside.
The spare bedroom suffers the same with its windows, it is now developing black damp spots, even though only last year it was painted.
Please advise, on loft insulation, how do I get it there, CWI, Log burning sove and secondary glazing.
Anything please.
I love the house in summer

One of the best ways to save electricity around th...

2011-03-01T11:53:06.273+01:00

One of the best ways to save electricity around the home to keep your home warmer in the cold months. A great way of doing this is to invest in insulation such as cavity wall. The carbon and eventual cost savings of insulating our homes is terrific and typical savings for cavity wall insulation for example is:
* Typical cost: £250
* Typical carbon: 610kg
* Typical payback: 2 years

What if you have an older 'solid wall' home. These can indeed be difficult and expensive to insulate, however there are methods other than external cladding.

Solid wall insulation can be performed in several ways, with the best being involving adding an extra layer to the inside face of exterior walls – either boards within a narrow wooden frame or a clever flexible material called Sempatap.
Either way it is expensive, and the return on investment is longer, but the carbon savings are great.
* Typical cost: £5,500 - £8,500 (internal) £10,500 - £14,500 (external)
* Typical carbon: 2000kg
* Typical payback: Varies, but normally at least 10 years

My house is about 13 years old - we moved in 8 yea...

2011-02-20T00:45:15.033+01:00

My house is about 13 years old - we moved in 8 years ago and from day one we have been troubled with damp (black mould) in the bedroom above the garage and the family room which is at the back of the garage. It looks and smells disguisting! I try to open the windows for an hour or two every day and always use the extractor fan when showering etc but to no avail! I assume, given the age of the house, that cavity wall insulation (boards) were installed as part of the build??? My husband has checked for leasks etc - all clear. Has anyone got any advice / ideas?????

Has anybody anything positive to say about CWI.

2011-02-16T00:29:40.443+01:00

Has anybody anything positive to say about CWI.

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2011-01-27T12:28:43.263+01:00

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Oh dear, having read this info I think I now reali...

2011-01-15T16:00:43.851+01:00

Oh dear, having read this info I think I now realise what is causing my damp and would appreciate any advice. I have a 1920's home and had CWI (fibre)and loft insulation done with a government grant about 3/4 years ago. At this point I had no damp issues. They had to come out twice as they hadnt fully filled the cavities (I was advised of this by a builer). I now have a large damp circle around my window and when the room becomes hot ie with the oven etc on and no ventilation I get damp circles all over my walls and chimney breast (which has been capped. I have kept this in check iwth a dehumidifier but there are stains on the walls. Can anyone advise my next course of action to get this fixed as I assume it will only get worse. From what I read there is no point in contacting CIGA. Also my next door neighbour has just been refused CWI as the Company advised her that these properties are just not suitable due to their age. I am a single mum and I am so frustrated that this has happened and am dreading how much it will potentially cost to fix. Hope I can get some constructive advice/comments. thanks