Boarding my loft and insulation

Chippy_Minton_2

Well my 34 rolls from Npower arrived today so guess my next job.

27col

I doubt whether covering cables in a loft is ever going to cause a heating problem in the cables. Most lofts just have cables feeding a few upstairs lights. Which will only require a very low amperage to flow in the cable. It is the heating effect of the current that causes the cable to heat up, and the insulation can prevent this heat from escaping.
Obviously, if there power cables going through the loft then more care needs to be taken. It would be desirable to expose the cables if possible, but there is probably not enough free cable to be able to move them to the top of the insulation. Most of the existing lighting cables were sized in expectation of incandescent lights and nowadays it is likely that low wattage CFL lamps or similar will be fitted. Thus reducing the current flowing to much lower levels.

lormac

go to the energy saving trust web site they are doing a deal on loft insulation and cavity wall insulation in specific areas, check if you are entitled and you may get top up insulation fitted free, doing this in my area just now, but hey, my area is the highlands of Scotland so we need it lol. nothing to loose by checking

Giles_Gate

We have just purchased a bungalow which has the loft partially boarded.Having lifted some of the boards to re-route electric cables I discoverd that where some of the boards are in contact with the insulation there are damp patches.Any suggestions on how to cure this?

blushingbride_3

hi i also have a insulation related question!:)

I have the usual yellow (fibreglass?) insulation.

I have also recently put space blankets on top of this over the whole area, pulling cables on top where possible.

Now i want to utilise my space in the loft for storage, probably just a small area for boxes etc.

How would i go about this? can i put boards ontop of the space blanket? or will i need to remove this where i want to board?

Also what sort of boards should i use?

ic

I recently used this in my loft, worked a treat.

http://www.space-insulation.com/board.html

blushingbride_3

cool, can i go ontop of current insulation etc?
Also where is the best value place to buy it?

sibot74

The boards need supported by joists - either remove some of the top-up insulation and board over your original joists, or install cross-joists perpendicular to the originals so your top-up insulation can sit between them then board over that (need to watch the extra weight of extra joists though).

Focus looks like the cheapest place for the space board atm - buy one get one free, so 2 packs for £25.

blushingbride_3

ok thats great thanks!

I dont want to spend a fortune making storage space.

So am thinking about making a strip where i can stand & then putting shelves up on the back wall, behind the ladder/ loft hatch.

Then could i just put hardboard on the joists, removing the space blanket so the boards can be fixed?

is hardboard quite strong? i dont have a lot to store just some boxes with christmas bits, maybe spare bedding etc

Chippy_Minton_2

3mm hardboard wiill be no good. Go for 18mm loft flooring about £4.99 per pack.