Conservatory ceiling insulation

ComicGeek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114559#Comment_82114559

Having personally seen at least 10 conservatory refit projects this year with extensive mould growth above (and ultimately below) the ceiling (and 1 where the conservatory was being used as a bedroom and the occupant was hospitalised as a result), I would definitely disagree with your statement.

There may be some cases where the homeowner gets away with it and doesn't have any issues. But then a new owner moves in and uses the 'room' differently, and there's a serious problem.

Whether it's PIR board insulation or breathable mineral wool insulation makes a difference. What air gap between the polycarbonate and insulation. Is there plasterboard over, is there a vapour barrier to the plasterboard. Is the conservatory heated. Is the conservatory adequately ventilated to remove moisture. How is moisture from any adjoining rooms dealt with etc etc.

I can guarantee that I could generate conditions where the OP's retrofitted conservatory will have mould problems within 6 months. And I can also guarantee that a proportion of the population would replicate those conditions without thinking twice. The OP mght be sensible enough to avoid this - others aren't.

I'm not suggesting that the OP remove the ceiling. I'm not suggesting that the OP (or buyer) contact Building Control and get it inspected. But I agree that the surveyor should point out the lack of certification and the potential issues. It's not pedantic, it's a real issue that I see every month at the moment that could have been avoided if the correct process was followed in the first place.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115246#Comment_82115246

Absolutely fair and right point. (That post deleted).

woodpecker

Thanks everyone for your comments. Personally I think the buyer's main concern is potential Council action. She has asked for the installation guarantee, which we are happy to provide. We were also told she's a cash buyer, so hopefully there is no concern about satisfying a lender.

Thanks again for your opinions!

grumpy_codger

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115151#Comment_82115151

Personally if I were looking for advice I'd go with what the techinical experts who draw up LABC guidance say, rather than the views of someone on the internet.

Experts?! I don't think that people that created these rules based on translucency, not the weight, are 'experts'. A composit insulated panel replacing a glass unit can weigh much less than a glass unit.

It's a delusion to assume that all rules are developed and approved by experts. Incompetent purely educated idiots can be found everywhere.

I know, in this case the roof was polycarbonate, not glass. I'm just tryng to prove my point that structural integrity has nothing to do with translucency.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115321#Comment_82115321

I suspect you are right re their concern, unless they've heard tales like Comic's above, and with health issues re mould being regular news items, sometimes utterly tragic.

Without at all diminishing the potentially serious effect of mould on health, I think it'll be fair to suggest that Comic's worrying examples were exceptional, and any such issue would have become obvious well before becoming a health concern. If a new conservatory ceiling fully covers the inside as it should, then any mould forming above this would not escape into the room, or would become very visible first on the underside - or even outside via the poly panels - first. The conditions found by Comic would, I imagine, have evolved from much more than just the installation of an under ceiling in a conservatory - eg water leaks or living conditions. The ceilings must have looked in a hell of a state?

If your ceiling is fresh and clean, and there is no 'black' showing through the glazing outside, I would personally have no concerns at all. But it does indicate the importance of allowing a ventilated airgap above the new ceiling if DIYing this.