War on cold 1930s semi

shortcrust

Not very MSE I know, but loosening the purse strings so I could turn up the boiler temperature and heat my house for longer periods is one of the best things I’ve ever done.

dunroving

pinklady21 wrote: »

I have a 1930's house - about to have the cavity wall insulation removed due to dampness in the cavity.
Agree with others, loft insulation, thick curtains, possibly underfloor insulation if you have access under the floor, possibly consider insulating / thermal wallpaper on the outside walls?
Ask the energy saving trust if they can come and do an energy survey on your house, they might come up with things you have not thought of.

How the heck do they do that?

The house I purchased recently has signs of damp, and had foam insulation put into the cavity a while back. I don't think the damp is due to that, but I did wonder how the heck you remove something that's been injected into the cavity wall ...

billy2shots

Be careful that you don't harm your house when you try to improve it.

I have a 40s bungalow and houses this age where not built for central heating and modern building techniques.

A lot of older houses were built with lime mortar and lime plaster to allow moisture to flow through the walls and the house to 'breath'. Modern plaster,cavity wall insulation etc stops or slows the breathing process and traps moisture inside the home leading to damp issues. The damp is an internal problem and not external (in many cases).

I learned this too late having had every wall and ceiling plastered 10 years ago when I moved in. When stripping wall paper the old plaster crumbled away. I though it was just old and rubbish, I now realise it was lime based. I need to repoint the external mortar and will make sure I do this properly.

Outside render and paint as well as internal paint can be bought to allow your house to breath as well as keep the heat in. Make sure you do your homework and know what you are dealing with before you make any costly mistakes.

that

thought of applying poystyrene sheet on the outside of your house, probably better than the inside?
http://howtospecialist.com/structure/how-to-install-polystyrene-sheet-insulation/

pinklady21

dunroving wrote: »

How the heck do they do that?

The house I purchased recently has signs of damp, and had foam insulation put into the cavity a while back. I don't think the damp is due to that, but I did wonder how the heck you remove something that's been injected into the cavity wall ...

Apparently, they bore holes and suck out the filling. It was rockwool fibres. I have claimed under the CIGA guarantee and after some to and fro, the co that has now taken over the obligations for the original installer has agreed to remove it.
Basically, the cavity was never suitable for being filled in the first place, partly due to builders' rubble, and partly due to being in a very exposed location.
It took us ages to work out what the problem was that was causing dampness / coldness in the house. We had a thermal camera survey, and from that, it looks like parts of it are fine, but also a number of cold spots where either there is no insulation or it is wet.
I would be very careful about taking the risk of installing anything like this again.
As already said, houses of this age and type were built with a cavity for a reason, it was to allow any moisture to escape / evaporate before it hits the inner leaf. Filling it with anything is fine if the cavity is sound, but if not could be a disaster!

pinklady21

shortcrust wrote: »

Not very MSE I know, but loosening the purse strings so I could turn up the boiler temperature and heat my house for longer periods is one of the best things I’ve ever done.

After the first cold winter here, I did exactly the same! Simply put the heating on for longer periods of time.
You need to learn how to live in a house, and I hated being cold, so do not begrudge spending a smallish amount extra on heating to stay warm!

[Deleted User]

that wrote: »

thought of applying poystyrene sheet on the outside of your house, probably better than the inside?
http://howtospecialist.com/structure/how-to-install-polystyrene-sheet-insulation/

The housing associations have done this to rows of terraces in liverpool. Looked quite odd at first but the residents are impressed with the results at keeping the heat in.

that

_shel wrote: »

The housing associations have done this to rows of terraces in liverpool. Looked quite odd at first but the residents are impressed with the results at keeping the heat in.

Mmm, should not look odd as you can apply a fake surface to give it the original look, if you want that look.

Apparently they insulate the outside of the house in Poland too, and it is far better the insulating the inside. Does not look that hard to do either.

The only thing is that when you insulate, you often make the room or building more air tight too, and to stop mould or stale air you may need hrv to remove stale air and dampness, and recover heat

Princess_Money_Penny

Thanks for all of the replies.

The main problem is upstairs is quite cold as we have three big box bay windows that seem to be just cladding and plasterboard. We’re getting these insulated as they are very cold (Kingspan put in).

Also will check the loft. It does have insulation in but I’m not sure about how think it is or if it could do with extra. My next project is to do more with the windows to try and improve the heating situation that way too. I did put some thermal curtains up but I think the window needs more dressing to get the curtains into the corners more? I’m getting some roman blinds so they should sit flush to the windows.

We are getting an extension on the side of the house next year, so that should be insulated to modern standards so will lose the large outside wall upstairs too which will help.

I do turn the heating on lots think part of the problem is we’ve moved from a very warm 1980s house and I haven’t learnt how to live in the 1930s house yet! Will be popping out to get the kids some fleece play suits and pjs!

that

With shortening days your curtains will be close most of the time? Get 2" or 3" polystyrene sheet (ebay) and block out your windows.

Initially CELOTEX is twice as efficient as polystyrene, but as the years go by it looses its efficiency somewhat. about year 8 it becomes the same efficiency as polystyrene. polystyrene does not degrade and keeps its original R value