Cavity Wall Insulation Query....

rugbymum

Hi helpful people
I know NOTHING about CWI, but I do know that the extension on our house (Housing Association), does NOT have it.
We moved in last summer and over the (admittedly) cold winter my kids hated using the bathroom and loo because it was so cold (there is also inadequate heating).
I've had a good look at the brickwork and there are no little holes that have been filled in - unlike the rest of the house.
This leads me to believe that no CWI is in place.
I have asked the HA to rectify this, can anyone out there tell me if there are any circumstances where CWI cannot be installed (?).
I would like to be fully informed before they come, so can hopefully counter any objections!
There is definately a double layer of brick and the gap between them is approx 4 cms/1.5 inches (the double glazing seal/sill thing is missing above the kitchen window, so there is a huge gap!). The front and back have a flat roof (approx 2/3 of the roof) and the centre section has a normal tiled pointy roof.
If anyone needs any more information to answer my questions, please post.

System

http://www.cocoonyourhome.co.uk/section/content/?pageID=274&referrer=GoogleAd&gclid=CJrG_OugkqoCFcsb4QodVkkPxQ

exposed walls in areas with high rainfall can be problematic (speaking from personal experience)

ic

Is your house a Victorian terrace? Often the back wall may well have a cavity, but the construction method is not suitable for cwi. Just look at the brick work from the outside and compare with the two pictures half way down this page: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Home-insulation-glazing/Solid-wall-insulation. If you've got the first style where there are bricks end on in the wall (either spread out or in rows), you can't have cwi. In this case you need to look at insulating on the inside or outside - and this is far more expensive and disruptive.

rugbymum

Thank you for both of your replies.
The only major issue I can see is that the cavity may not be wide enough, the Energy Savings Trust recommends 50mm.
Having said that they could fit external insulation and even claim tax back!
I will see what they say.

teneighty

You say it is the extension that you cannot see the drill holes for injected cavity insulation? Is it possible that when the extension was built that insulation was built into the wall? Anything built after about 1976 would probably have some insulation in the cavity as it became a building regulations requirement.

I would be more concerned about the level of insulation in the roof, especially if it is a flat roofed extension. Anything built before 1985 probably has very limited insulation.

bosseyed

rugbymum wrote: »

Hi helpful people
I know NOTHING about CWI, but I do know that the extension on our house (Housing Association), does NOT have it.
We moved in last summer and over the (admittedly) cold winter my kids hated using the bathroom and loo because it was so cold (there is also inadequate heating).
I've had a good look at the brickwork and there are no little holes that have been filled in - unlike the rest of the house.
This leads me to believe that no CWI is in place.
I have asked the HA to rectify this, can anyone out there tell me if there are any circumstances where CWI cannot be installed (?).
I would like to be fully informed before they come, so can hopefully counter any objections!
There is definately a double layer of brick and the gap between them is approx 4 cms/1.5 inches (the double glazing seal/sill thing is missing above the kitchen window, so there is a huge gap!). The front and back have a flat roof (approx 2/3 of the roof) and the centre section has a normal tiled pointy roof.
If anyone needs any more information to answer my questions, please post.

Depending on the age of the extension, its more likely that the cavity insulation was installed during construction (fixed in board/sheet form to the inner leaf of the cavity) rather than sprayed into the cavity after the fact. Hence no holes. I'd be very surprised if the extension had no insulation whatsoever, unless it was built by a right bunch of cowboys.

As for CWI - I'm of the opinion thats its not necessarily the best idea. My views is that the air gap (cavity) is there for a reason, to prevent the ingress of water across the wall. As soon as you fill it up then that gap is bridged and theres nothing theoretically to stop water from entering the external brick leaf, soaking across the insulation and then causing damp problems in the inner leaf, ie your internal wall.

27col

Well. Our house had the cavity filled from the inside while I was building it. The back of the house is fairly exposed and there has been no sign of any water ingress in over 34 years. Of course, I made sure that the cavities were cleared out every night when the brickies had finished. I doubt whether some older houses had the same attention paid to keeping the cavities clean while they were being built.

rugbymum

"You say it is the extension that you cannot see the drill holes for injected cavity insulation? Is it possible that when the extension was built that insulation was built into the wall? Anything built after about 1976 would probably have some insulation in the cavity as it became a building regulations requirement.

I would be more concerned about the level of insulation in the roof, especially if it is a flat roofed extension. Anything built before 1985 probably has very limited insulation."

We don't know when the extension was built, but judging by the beautiful colour of the kitchen walls when I redecorated the kitchen I would say late 60's/early 70's, the neighbour thinks thats when they replaced the outside loo with bathroom/kitchen extension.

Depending on the age of the extension, its more likely that the cavity insulation was installed during construction (fixed in board/sheet form to the inner leaf of the cavity) rather than sprayed into the cavity after the fact. Hence no holes. I'd be very surprised if the extension had no insulation whatsoever, unless it was built by a right bunch of cowboys.


I really don't think that there is ANY form of insulation. I have looked up the gap above the kitchen window and there is nothing but bare brick on both sides as far as the eye can see. As far as being built by a bunch of cowboys - don't forget it's a former Council House (now HA).

Thanks for your help.
It is worryingly cold in there, even in mild weather. There is only night storage heating in the house and it just wasn't able to cope. I had children refusing to use the toilet because it was so cold .