Cavity Wall Insulation for the Heat Project

gromituk

jack_pott wrote:

I decided against it after all, I don't think the small saving in fuel is worth the risk. It will only save me £1000 over my lifetime, which pales into insignificance against the potential cost of any remedial work.

Have you considered the wider implications, though? You will be doing your bit to save the environment if you insulate your walls rather than burn more fossil fuel to heat the surrounding outside air. Global warming is everyone's problem. And what remedial work do you think it might cause?

alanobrien

gromituk wrote:

Have you considered the wider implications, though? You will be doing your bit to save the environment if you insulate your walls rather than burn more fossil fuel to heat the surrounding outside air. Global warming is everyone's problem. And what remedial work do you think it might cause?

Hmmmmmm
Unfortunately its not always that easy to get it done.
I spoke with the surveyor from Miller Pattison on Sat and they wanted to drill 2 inch diameter holes through my brick cladding on the outside of the building which would have completely ruined it.
They also wanted to drill similar holes through the bedroom walls (inside), the wife was none to thrilled at that idea.

The reason being we have a brick, block and aluminium clad exterior construction. Very 70's and very difficult to cavity fill

That said i am not giving up on the idea myself, i think its worthwhile, just got to figure out another way.

Not looked at removing a few of the aluminium panels but thats probably the easiest way.

I am wondering if its possible to DIY by removing roof tiles to get access to the cavity ? On the other hand i have never seen cavity wall material on sale anywhere for DIY.

But i am not giving up yet !

gromituk

I see your problem! But have sympathy for me - solid walls, so I've had to insulate on the inside, which is expensive and loses space. ( It does lead to rooms which warm up quickly though, because you're not heating one layer of bricks.

You won't see blown cavity wall material for DIY because you need such expensive equipment to install it - and I guess a lot of expertise. You can buy cavity wall batts, which are glass/mineral wool in a slightly more rigid form than loft insulation. However, I don't suppose you could add those to an existing cavity because the ties would get in the way.

alanobrien

gromituk wrote:

I see your problem! But have sympathy for me - solid walls, so I've had to insulate on the inside, which is expensive and loses space. ( It does lead to rooms which warm up quickly though, because you're not heating one layer of bricks.

You won't see blown cavity wall material for DIY because you need such expensive equipment to install it - and I guess a lot of expertise. You can buy cavity wall batts, which are glass/mineral wool in a slightly more rigid form than loft insulation. However, I don't suppose you could add those to an existing cavity because the ties would get in the way.

Solid walls, well thats even worse, on the other hand you dont have much choice with insulation options.
Incidentally i would have done exactly the same as you.

When the weather improves i think i will be looking at how to dismantle the aluminium cladding on the top half of the house, what we do to save the planet

Anyone know how far apart wall ties are?

Pegs_2

Also if you have an older house, here are some others things to talk over with the surveyor:
- Sash windows. Get the surveyor to check that the lead weights are boxed in, in our house they fall directly in the cavity.
- Air bricks. Our lovely old glazed air bricks would've had to have been smashed and replaced by modern plain bricks plus as the modern bricks are metric, the gap would've been filled with thick mortar.
- Ventilation. Due to the danger of carbon monoxide they may need to cut through your solid wood floorboards and put in a modern aluminium vent.
If these factors might put you off cavity insulation get it sorted with the surveyor. In our case the surveyor was not very thorough, and it was only when the workmen arrived and got their tools out and explained what they were about to do that we knew exactly what was going to happen!! In the end due to the sash window problem we couldn't have the work done, but at least we found out before they started drilling holes in the wall. Hey ho!

Party_Animal

alanobrien wrote:

Hmmmmmm
Unfortunately its not always that easy to get it done.
I spoke with the surveyor from Miller Pattison on Sat and they wanted to drill 2 inch diameter holes through my brick cladding on the outside of the building which would have completely ruined it.
They also wanted to drill similar holes through the bedroom walls (inside), the wife was none to thrilled at that idea.

The reason being we have a brick, block and aluminium clad exterior construction. Very 70's and very difficult to cavity fill

That said i am not giving up on the idea myself, i think its worthwhile, just got to figure out another way.

Not looked at removing a few of the aluminium panels but thats probably the easiest way.

I am wondering if its possible to DIY by removing roof tiles to get access to the cavity ? On the other hand i have never seen cavity wall material on sale anywhere for DIY.

But i am not giving up yet !

Would not recommend attemting cavity wall insulation as DIY or using anything other than an approved contractor. Its critical that its done right, otherwise the fill acts like blotting paper and you get cold bridging and condensation,

mikaj

i too was enticed by heat projects leaflet drop.
applied back in Nov to hear from them to day, to say:
demand has fer exeeded supply, 40,000 aplications, all funding used up.
have secured new funding, becuase of witing list,we have to chainge grant levels, stop:
so my complete loft insulation wich was about £100 i think. is now £215 smelling a racket (sorry rat) here. surly its a lot cheaper to go to b&q and do it yourself?
and in the letter, if YOU dont contact them and cancel they will automaticaly sent out a surveyer at the higher price, bit cheeky that.

burgernator

You cant diy cavity insulation get a trained tech like myself to do it and nothing can go wrong.The best way is to drill interior by the sounds of this with the help of a hoover whilst drilling and a bit off filler hey presto.Quite a few holes however you have it done you need to stick to a drilling pattern for correct fill.The holes should be 18mm 22mm or 26mm depending on material and machine etc.Miller pattison are not a bad company depending on the branch you use as i worked for them for a while and saw it all(moved on since to what i consider a better company)You get good fitters and bad fitters whereever you go.