Cavity wall insulation can go wrong, so who can you turn to then?

freder_2

One of the possible draw backs of installing cavity wall insulation is the transfer of damp from outside to inside walls, due to mortar dollops on tie bars or elsewhere when the property was built.
In the event of this happening the chances are the damage to your property is going to cost a small fortune to put right.
So on the one hand you might save a moderate amount of money for installing it, or pay a small fortune for your trouble

SuziQ

Our surveyor told us that most heat is lost through the roof and poorly fitting windows and doors/holes where pipes enter the home etc,and not to bother with cavity wall insulation! (he was independant by the way-he came to do a report for the council about some dodgy building work,and offered to look at the rest of the house as I was considering just giving up and selling!)

c_smith

Cavity wall insulation comes with a 25 year guarantee, so if there are problems with damp, etc, it won't cost you anything to put it right.

http://www.ciga.co.uk/

moonrakerz

SuziQ wrote: »

Our surveyor told us .....................not to bother with cavity wall insulation! (he was independant by the way-)

According to most sources, including the Energy Saving Trust, the average house will save £120 a year with CWI, recouping the cost in 3-4 years.

Remind me not to use your surveyor !

Gavioli_UK

freder wrote: »

One of the possible draw backs of installing cavity wall insulation is the transfer of damp from outside to inside walls, due to mortar dollops on tie bars or elsewhere when the property was built.
In the event of this happening the chances are the damage to your property is going to cost a small fortune to put right.
So on the one hand you might save a moderate amount of money for installing it, or pay a small fortune for your trouble

Twenty years ago I worked for a firm that installed foam cavity wall insulation, and I had to go out and negotiate insurance claims for damage and problems.

Not only was it the appearance of damp, but also the foam entering the house where pipes entered etc. Very often we filled a wall mounted cupboard.

I had my own house insulated at the time, and mould was a subsequent problem in the bathroom. I was told that in some houses, rooms that are subject to condensation and were subject to cold prevailing winds must be well ventilated after the cavity was filled.

There are other materials used for filling the cavity and I would be interested in hearing the experience of these materials.

A recent article in the Daily Telegraph emphasised that a good installer will always check through holes with a viewing device the state of the cavity, looking especially ties and mortar bridges that would pass damp over before starting the work.

[Deleted User]

my dh, recently retired, is a very highly qualified structural engineer and told me many many years ago about some of the problems that foam cavity insulation was causing. Most buildings had rubble, poor ties etc in the cavity wall and the foam inserted caused a bridge, which allowed damp penetration. Going to court and trying to get costs back was nigh on impossible, taking into account costs and a 25 year guarantee that is only as good as the company putting the foam in. Mould was another problem as houses need to breathe. He has been to several court cases as expert witness

We had one house which needed cavity insulation and we chose rockwool. Not perfect by any means but it could be sucked out if problematic. Another house with a cavity, we insulated by getting a special mesh over a gap over the outside and rendering that but that was expensive

There have always been cowboys in the building trade and just watch them come out of the woodwork now

looby-loo_2

My house was built in 1908 and has cavity walls. We were advised to leave well alone

DougWeller

If they admit it's their fault. I don't know what the truth is. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2008/09/23/pjeff123.xml
warns against it. I know that foam was a problem but they haven't used that for 4 years it seems. I don't know what to do.

melbury

I was thinking about having cavity wall insulation and a "surveyor" (well at least that is what he called himself!) came out and spent all of 5 mins measuring up and drilled a hole through to supposedly "check" the cavity.

His attitude was that he wanted me to sign up there and then. When I told him I just wanted to get an idea of the cost and also some further information on it, he basically said that if he had known I wouldn't sign up he wouldn't have bothered to come because he is far too busy to be wasting time in giving quotes:mad:

I was never happy about it from the beginning but OH thought it might be good. Having spoken to a local builder and researching this further on the internet I am now totally against it and would not have it done even it was free.

There are just so many cowboys cashing in on the grants and as for the 25 year guarantee, well when it all goes belly up and there are thousands of houses that need the stuff removed it will be interesting to see how that guarantee stands up.

Why risk damaging your most valuable asset just to save £150 a year - madness!