John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
Was originally planning on getting this done before the winter last year but read/heard loads of horror stories about damp.
House hasn't been the warmest and we've not exactly had a bad winter so I've got the guy coming out for a survey next week.
Anybody here have it/fit it/know anything about it? It seems that the blown wool stuff is the worst?
I know it's only horror stories you read about online but when it goes wrong it can be very expensive by the looks of it.
Opinions?
|
Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
|
Personally it doesn't fill me with confidence. The cavities are there for a reason, one of which is to stop moisture tracking from one wall to the other. In modern buildings the ties have kinks in them so water drops off and there are cavity trays to catch water and let it exit back out through weep vents so water obviously does get into cavities. Surely anything that bridges this gap also gives moisture a path across? Again modern buildings do use cavity insulation but it is rigid foam (Kingspan/Celotex type) clipped to the internal skin, there is still an air void to the outer skin.
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
This is my problem, I can see how it could happen but there's nothing conclusive.
Could it be the ones that report issues, a defect already existed but the insulation has just accelerated the damage?
|
Colin
Member
Registered: 4th Apr 02
User status: Offline
|
Parents got it free because there over 60 gov grant or something.....anyway, it made a absolute mess of the outside of the house & the results were negligible. Old man reckons its gradually got less effective over the 5-6yrs or so its been in, apparently the stuff they pump in can break down and deteriorate, thats where you can get the damp from.
|
Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by John
This is my problem, I can see how it could happen but there's nothing conclusive.
Could it be the ones that report issues, a defect already existed but the insulation has just accelerated the damage?
Almost certainly yes. You could have a problem but not even know it. For example you have water getting into the cavity but the cavity is doing its job and keeping it away from the internal skin.
How much of a saving are they claiming? It's worth noting that the air in the cavity is doing a job insulating the house anyway and the vast bulk of heat is lost through the roof, windows and doors. There are probably much bigger savings to be made in those areas, albeit for a much bigger outlay.
What's the basic fabric/age of your house?
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
I didn't even look at what they claimed the savings were, just that the house definitely needs something done.
It's brick and block, late 70's I think.
UPVC double glazing and doors, loft is insulated although it probably could be doing with a bit more.
I'll eventually get a combi in and possibly another couple of radiators. Anything that's cheap/free will do until next winter.
|
Colin
Member
Registered: 4th Apr 02
User status: Offline
|
Energy efficient boiler was money well spent in my last place, even if I only got the use out of it for a year!!
|
Dave
Member
Registered: 26th Feb 01
Location: Lancs
User status: Offline
|
Loft is first place to check then. Obviously heat rises and a layer of felt and slates/tiles isn't going to stop much. Plus they are practically giving the mineral wool type away at the DIY places.
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
It's already insulated, and floored which is putting me off doing anything up there.
B&Q have rolls for £3 just now so that would be easy, it's just I don't want to take up all the floor. I think I've got a plan for that anyway.
It's warmer upstairs than down right enough so I don't think that's a big problem.
|
Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
|
we have it in our house, as does the neighbour.
cant say whether its any good as it was there when i moved in.
seems ok though, only cold bits we get are from the shit quality double glazed windows.
its free to get if you're on benefits, what a joke
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
I'm hoping to get it for free, says it is on the british gas site anyway.
That whole benefits thing though, yes it is a joke.
|
jrsteeve
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
|
Yep the cavity is there for a reason, filling it will won't give a massive gain on the U-value and isn't easy to remove if you do start to get damp showing.
The sales 'surveyors' know nothing about buildings, only interested in making the sale. If you have timber floors it'd be worth looking at insulating there, though not blocking off ventilation as you could get dry rot.
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
Floors are carpeted but it's really tight underneath anyway, floor would basically have to come up to insulate under it.
I'm not interested in paying much for it so he'll have a hard time getting a sale if they want to charge me more than £100.
Anything more and it can just go towards getting a new boiler.
|
jrsteeve
Member
Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Manchester
User status: Offline
|
They probably won't charge you much, they'll be being paid mostly by the warm front initiative or similar. They'll find a small fault with your property, possibly a chimney that needs lining etc, and charge you about £50-£100, saying the insulation is free. I'd avoid and invest in a better boiler for any kind of money saving. The only safe way to insulate the walls is to install composite boards during build, or take down the outer leaf and go that way but it's far from easy and cheap. You could board internally but it'd be difficult to ensure a tight envelope. Secondary glazing can be fairly helpful and not too expensive.
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
I've got no chimney and there's no chance they'll be getting any other work out of me.
Seems to be an equal amount of people on both sides of the fence.
I've had advise from people I know that I'd normally listen to, still get differing points of view.
|
Ben J
Member
Registered: 31st Jan 05
Location: Cheshire
User status: Offline
|
Both my parents and my in-laws have got it done and my in laws especially noticed a huge difference.
|
Tom J
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Sep 03
Location: Bridgend
User status: Offline
|
if you clear the junk out the way lay more insulation in the loft on top of where its boarded, thats what i'm going to do
|
Chris F
Show Staff
Organiser: East Anglia
Premium Member
Registered: 26th Dec 05
Location: Newmarket Drives: Escort Van 1.8
User status: Offline
|
Insulate over the top of the boards? What
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
I want to keep the boards, if I was doing it I'd lift them and put them back down but cba right now.
|
VegasPhil
Premium Member
Registered: 16th Jan 05
Location: Fareham, Hants Drives: Octavia VRS
User status: Offline
|
I have it on my maisonette. No trouble with damp from it and you can hardly see the bullet holes. I only noticed when I was having a boiler quote done and they said about it. Cant comment on the benefits of it though.
Corsa 2.0 16v Vegas - Sold
|
Tom J
Organiser: South Wales
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Sep 03
Location: Bridgend
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Chris F
Insulate over the top of the boards? What
Why not? the joists are already full of insulation so it'll still do its job even though its on top of the chipboard floor?
|
Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
The previous owners of our house had cavity wall insulation done, and we have a problem with damp - down by the stairs/front door, and the walls facing the front of the house.
|
hoppydan
Member
Registered: 16th Oct 10
User status: Offline
|
nice n warm
|
John
Member
Registered: 30th Jun 03
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Tom J
quote:
Originally posted by Chris F
Insulate over the top of the boards? What
Why not? the joists are already full of insulation so it'll still do its job even though its on top of the chipboard floor?
It'll insulate fine, just that you lose use of the floor.
|
scottyp1989
Member
Registered: 29th Jul 07
Location: Warley, West Midlands
User status: Offline
|
quote:
Originally posted by Sam
The previous owners of our house had cavity wall insulation done, and we have a problem with damp - down by the stairs/front door, and the walls facing the front of the house.
have the same problem with mine, mould on all the outside walls (inside the house) ever since having the isulation done, we had the little balls put in ours. Went round last week and hooverd half of it out to unblock vents etc and its a lot better than what it was. Wouldnt have it done again tho.
|
