It has to be mixed on-site prior to injection, and also has an uncertain longevity. Now if you were to pour a jug of water in at the top of the cavity it will get soaked up by the insulation (as it acts just like a sponge) which holds the moisture against the walls of the cavity. Not only does cavity wall insulation cut your energy bills significantly, but it also makes your home a much warmer and more comfortable place. The fibres themselves become brittle and the material simply compacts under its own weight. I have also recently come across a case where a mortgage valuation surveyor has recommended refusal of a mortgage application on a house with retro-fit cavity wall insulation – the reason given being enhanced probability of wall-tie corrosion. If your home is exposed to harsh weather, a more moisture resistant product will be the best choice for your home. Be our Customer Number 3000 in 2019 & Win, Driveways Patios Pathways House Surrounds & Much More, © Home Logic UK Ltd. 2018. However there have been some recent cases where homeowners have taken their cases to litegation and won the argument. Common areas for condensation and black mould growth are near ground level, between windows, and at ceiling level in upstairs bedrooms. Foam . Reasons to remove cavity wall insulation . Problems that can arise if defective Cavity wall insulation is left in . Could it be your separating walls? With a long list of happy customers as testament to the abilities of our spray foam, we know what the right way to install insulation is, and what can go wrong when it is installed without adequate expertise. Neither material is used as widely as mineral-wool fibre because of cost. This problem especially occurs in the case of mineral blow-in insulation (outdated quality). Unfortunately there are also people who have suffered serious problems, and who have found it very difficult – or impossible – to get these problems recognised and rectified. Installing insulation in an existing cavity wall by drilling holes in the outer leaf and squirting something in – in the hope that everything will be alright, even though you can’t see it – creates possibilities for problems. Have you failed a Sound Test? Home Logic’s continued commitment to you is that we only use the highest quality products, installed to the highest standards. I suspect that the problem is fairly widespread, however, and under-reported, for several reasons: It should be added that even where it does not transmit rainwater across the cavity, CWI can still create dampness problems through increased condensation. There are no statistics about this, because no research has been done. There are many variables in this table, and I do not have room to explain them all here. All houses are built imperfectly and from my experience all retrospective CWI has at least some deficiency notable in its installation. Research has shown that 40 percent of houses whose cavity walls have been filled with blown mineral fibre suffer from gaps in the insulation, and it is these voids which cause condensation and black mould on the walls inside. Rainwater, under certain driving rain conditions, can penetrate the outer leaf of masonry leading to wetting of the cavity insulation, a reduced thermal performance and damage to internal finishes.”. Due to advancements in the manufacturing process of rockwool, it is now one of the most fire-retardant insulation materials available, according to "Gardening Indoors with Rockwool." Until recently, dampness problems caused by cavity wall insulation have not generally occured in houses where the insulation was built-in from new, although this is now changing, and the first acounts of dampness caused by built-in cavity batts are starting to come in. Research has shown that 40 percent of houses whose cavity walls have been filled with blown mineral fibre suffer from gaps in the insulation, and it is these voids which cause condensation and black mould on the walls inside. Enlist the help of the experts today, calling 0800 1700 636, or by simply clicking the button below! While the government is pushing for UK homes to become better insulated, it is still of incredible importance to know where you stand with the most commonly used materials. In practice, hardly any cavity walls meet these standards, as they all have unfilled mortar joints, debris dropped down the cavity, and wall-ties covered with mortar droppings. The other two-thirds will be predominantly cavity-walled properties, and these statistics indicate that HALF of these are likely to have faulty insulation. So warm moist air from inside the house will find its way through the wall, and condense out on the cooler wall ties, both in the cavity and where they are embedded in the mortar of the outer leaf. thorough evaluation of your home should be undertaken by a professional. The decision to invest in home insulation is one that many homeowners often have trouble with. There is a thermal image of a house with blown-fibre CWI – showing the effects of unfilled areas – on page 155 of my book, “The Sunday Telegraph Guide to Looking After Your Property”, available via the “books” page of this website. We will be able to keep to a minimum of 2 metres away enabling social distancing. Many of the complaints I have received about dampness caused by cavity wall insulation have been from Exposure Zones 3 and 4, but I have also had complaints from London, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire – all firmly in Exposure Zone 1. Builders and DIYers have reported cutting into cavity walls filled with foam and finding nothing more than a layer of brown dust at the bottom. But local conditions are also important; an exposed west-facing wall on high ground in London will possibly receive more rain than a sheltered wall in Cornwall (eg a house on an estate, close to other houses, which take the brunt of the prevailing weather). As cavity wall insulation can stop more than 33% of heat escaping through your walls, it is of particular importance. Damp Cavity Wall Insulation The Problem. Neither material is without its problems, however. Whilst under normal circumstances refreshments would be welcomed, this will be politely declined for the time being. Home Logic have over 1,000 positive customer reviews online via TrustPilot. However, despite being a traditional material, it is far from problem-free. The wet product expands significantly to eliminate cold spots and patchy insulation. To find out how much you should pay for insulation and what kind of savings you can expect to see afterwards, head to cavity-wall insulation costs and savings.. Finding a cavity wall insulation installer They gradually spread to other, dryer, parts of the country, because the air layer trapped in the cavity was found to provide a degree of thermal insulation. It can take two or three days to inject a house with either of these materials, and the cost is likely to be several hundred pounds, so they are not favoured by the government-funded schemes (which budget on around £100 per house for mineral-wool fibre). common alternatives to mineral wool include: That you are happy for us to attend to survey/Home Fit on day of appointment, There is no one in your household showing symptoms of COVID-19. (Photo Coastal Wall Ties). Cavity wall insulation. I am the only writer for a national newspaper who has written about this problem, and every time I mention it, I receive dozens of e-mails and letters from readers complaining that their homes have become damp following cavity wall insulation. Two of the most common alternatives to mineral wool include: -Polystyrene beads- Another fairly traditional material that is blown into cavity walls. Seeking Spray Foam Quotes On Behalf Of Parents? Recently the issue has also been discussed in parliament. How long does this take? Registered Office: c/o HJS Accountants, 12-14 Carlton Place, Southampton SO15 2EA | Company Registration No: 09125321 | VAT No: 193899534 | Home Logic ® is a registered trademark of Home Logic UK Ltd (UK00003267772) | Home Logic UK Ltd is registered in England and Wales. Experts now claim that while the cavity wall insulation was incorrectly fitted in some cases, it was unsuitable in other properties and should never have been offered at all. Also, as with all modern plastics and adhesives, the technology has only been around for a relatively short time, and it is not known how well the material will age. Beads Well, if the rainwater is penetrating their garage walls, then the same thing will be happening to the brick outer leaves of their living rooms and bedrooms, but as long as the cavities are left clear, the water should run down the inside of the brickwork to foundation level and never be noticed. If the property has already been constructed, then cavity wall insulation will be installed by drilling into the outer wall of the property and inserted via the drilled holes. Here's What To Do... Conservatory Roof Leaking Where It Joins The House? In some cases, their fuel bills have actually got higher following cavity wall insulation. They often put this down to a decrease in the “breathability” of their walls (or to the blocking-up of airbricks by the CWI installers – a surprisingly common occurrence), and compensate by opening windows to dry their homes out. Mineral wool batts for 2×4 walls have an R-value of 15, while a standard fiberglass batt made to fit in a 2×4 wall has an R-value of 11 or 13. Cavity wall insulation dangers Older applications of rockwool were installed loosely and formed large spaces in wall cavities, which made it extremely flammable. So should they take up the offer of free cavity wall insulation? Our work force have not shown any signs of Covid-19 symptoms. Where the cavity insulation is itself wet, then clearly it will be holding moisture in close contact with the wall ties, and hence accelerate their corrosion. I cannot advise any individual reader as to whether to have CWI or not. Until the recent fad for cavity wall insulation took hold, the only times rainwater penetration was a problem was when the steel wall ties were dirty with mortar droppings and/or built sloping downwards from outer leaf to inner leaf, or the cavity itself was blocked at low level with mortar droppings or other debris. Hiring an approved trader is one way to avoid mineral wool cavity wall insulation problems, but equally, getting a better idea of the market can be of great benefit as well. In most cases the “surveyor” simply drills a hole in the outer leaf and measures the width of the cavity. Commonly, polystyrene beads are treated with a resin to help them to stick together. A large amount of research has been complied about UK housing by . The manufacturers, installers, CIGA and HM Govt (through their quango the Energy Saving Trust) all refuse to acknowledge that cavity wall insulation can cause dampness problems. Page 4 of 22 Bonded beads are often used to insulate properties made from stone or where the cavity is narrower than normal than the 50mm minimum allowed for mineral wool. These products offer superior long-term thermal efficiency, fire resistance, moisture control, acoustic performance and are compatible with numerous framing systems and cladding attachment systems. In those cases penetrating rainwater could track across the cavity and show up as damp patches on internal decorative surfaces, but the solution was relatively simple – cut out a few bricks and clear the rubbish out of the cavity, or replace the offending wall ties. Most of the letters ask a simple question. However, my own researches show that – far from being waterproof – it can soak up water like blotting paper. magazine and receive 10% off
Although the individual polystyrene beads themselves are waterproof, if the cavity filling is incomplete, it can leave voids which are able to fill with water, and depending on the configuration of the voids, these can channel water across the cavity, instead of dripping straight down as advertised. The government has announced plans to accelerate the installation of cavity wall insulation, as part of its response to rising energy costs. Insulating a cavity wall is an investment that will make your house safe, energy-efficient and comfortable. This is beneficial for both your health and the environment. Is there a way of removing cavity wall insulation? The cavity insulation industry, and government agencies, do themselves no favours by pretending that these problems do not exist. The Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association Redrow plc. So these are the facts. However, this has left UK homes in limbo, where the insulation across the country has a lot of variation. But the main reason for building cavity walls has always been to keep the rain out. As long as they are built properly, this insulation should not compromise the walls’ resistance to rain penetration. The manufacturers and installers claim that the material is water-repellant, and that it cannot allow rainwater to penetrate across the cavity. Cavityrock® is a semi-rigid insulation board designed for exterior cavity wall and rainscreen applications. Wall ties are vital for the structural integrity of a cavity wall, as they hold the inner and outer leaves of masonry together. If the property is already built, installing cavity wall insulation typically involves drilling holes of around 25mm through the outer walls and pumping in the insulation material to fill up the cavity wall. This is the reason why these three materials are used more often in concurrence with cavity walls. The best way to add thermal insulation to the walls of an existing home is on the outside or the inside, where the installation can be carried out under controlled site conditions, and any subsequent defects easily spotted and rectified. Ant infestation in Poly bead cavity insulation. Do This…, Damp and Mould on Walls: The Definitive Guide. Mineral stone wool insulation batts are slightly better insulators than the off-the-shelf fiberglass batts sold at most lumberyards and home centers. Cavity wall insulation refers to the process of filling this gap with insulation material such as mineral-wool fibre, beaded polystyrene or foam. I suspect it happens much more quickly than most people realise – perhaps within five to ten years. It was blown in, so could it possibly be sucked out? But our cavity wall insulation removal company receive a lot of emails where homeowners are requesting for a pro–assistance to remove cavity wall insulation. My own opinion is that injecting insulation into an existing cavity wall is a bad idea, with the potential to create problems whose rectification costs will far outweigh any savings in fuel costs, or corresponding environmental benefits. Polybead . The map gives a broad outline of those areas most likely to be affected by wind- driven rain (which is pretty much common sense anyway). They can all create risks of issues such as penetrating dampness, condensation, mould growth and rising damp. The insulation installers are supposed to do a thorough survey of the cavity, and proceed only if the wall meets strict British Standards. Insiders say this is often due to insufficient fibre being used – a common problem with contractors employed on bulk contracts claiming the government subsidy, but who are insulating up to five houses per day at a price of only £100 each, when a good professional job should take a whole day, and cost at least £500. Caught in a difficult spot between the benefits of insulation and the stories of insulation gone wrong, it is understandable why, so many homeowners deliberate. The map describing these exposure zones (the British Standard wind-driven rain index) is reproduced in several BRE publications, including “Good Building Guide 44: Part 2”, “Thermal Insulation: avoiding risks”, and also in British Standard BS8104, and in Building Regulations Approved Document C (which can be downloaded free from www.planningportal.gov.uk). I will return to this particular topic later on. In every case the installers and CIGA have insisted that the dampness problems were due to construction faults in the building (even though these are supposed to be identified by the “surveyor” prior to installation) or to “lifestyle condensation” caused by the occupants (even though condensation had not been a problem prior to the CWI). If properly installed, these materials should theoretically be superior to mineral-wool fibre, as they are inherently waterproof. BRE warns of the problems installing cavity wall insulation in Zone 4 because of the increased risk of rain penetration if a cavity is fully filled with insulation. In 2015, thermal-imaging company IRT surveyed 250,000 properties with cavity wall insulation and found problems in half the homes. There are two other materials commonly used for cavity wall insulation – bonded polystyrene beads, and foam. Imagine your wall cavity filled with a sponge. The mineral wool used for cavity wall insulation consists of mechanically granulated spun glass or rock wool, treated with a binder or water repellent during manufacture. Mineral Fibre - this is the same yellowish brown wool like insulation that is typically used in lofts (as can be seen above). Moreover, cavity wall insulation paves the way for a lower energy bill. There are many people who have had cavity wall insulation installed, who have experienced no problems with internal dampness or wall tie corrosion, and have experienced increased levels of comfort and lower fuel bills. Before having mineral wool insulation installed, a careful and thorough evaluation of your home should be undertaken by a professional. Thank you for your continued support. Specifically, cavity wall insulation is now to be offered free to all homeowners over the age of 70. In the case of cavity wall insulation, however, you must first of all consider water retention and fire resistance as well as the quality of air indoors for your home. With guidance from industry associations and government we have developed clear COVID safe procedures covering all aspects of our business. How Effective Is Solar Glass Over Polycarbonate? As mineral wool is blown into a cavity wall, when it settles, the material can drop down, or when it is exposed to water, compact to leave significant gaps in the insulation. I cannot make this decision for anyone. Any house about to have its cavity walls insulated is supposed to be inspected and assessed for suitability by “a trained surveyor” (ie a salesman for the insulation installers), but I have never come across a case where the wall ties have been assessed using the correct method. The outer leaf, which can be water permeable, acts to block, but will not always stop wind-driven rain from penetrating. The process is completed within a day installing either polystyrene bead or mineral wool cavity wall insulation to the British Board of Agreement’s high standards creating a warmer, more comfortable home reducing household condensation, heating bills and conserving precious energy, all with a 25 year guarantee. Heating costs are at an all-time high, they say, which is a huge burden on people on fixed incomes, particular pensioners. Damp problems due to outdated cavity wall insulation If the insulation material does not stay in place after the application, thermal bridges will appear in the facade. If you are interested in green building, or call yourself a green building expert, then you should know about mineral wool insulation. Where they have previously complained to the installers or the funding authority (either their local authority, energy provider, Help the Aged or the Government’s Warm Front scheme) they have been given the line that the cavity insulation cannot possibly have caused their dampness problems. Your home is kept as ventilated as possible prior to the visit. So, when choosing these materials, and trying to avoid the common pitfalls, it is essential to know what to be on the lookout for, as the following article reveals…. The guidance document contains a table indicating the maximum exposure zones recommended for cavity wall insulation, for different cavity widths and different types of insulation material. Mineral wool is not a bad insulation product, but it does come with some major risks if installation is poor, or your home is not suited to the insulation type. A. Another problem is insulation sinking to the bottom of the cavity, leaving cold areas at the top of the house or below windows, ripe for mould growth. Blown mineral fibre . I have received dozens of letters and e-mails from readers who say that, following installation of blown mineral-wool fibre, their inside walls have become damp and mouldy, and their homes have become uninhabitable and unsellable. CIGA (the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency). Samples sent to me by readers have been found to hold a startling 243 per cent moisture – ie nearly two and a half times their own weight in water. Cavity-wall insulation costs and savings. Take advantage of our spring offers by getting in touch. Investigation by the Building Research Establishment failed to find definitive evidence that this was the case, although one particular type of wall tie (thin galvanised “butterfly” ties with a green coating) were advised to be possibly at risk, pending further investigation. And in every case the installers and their “guarantee” provider CIGA (the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency) has refused to acknowledge that the cavity wall insulation was the cause of their problems. But any process that relies on on-site mixing will obviously always be prone to human error. Since the 1980s, the Building Regulations have required new houses to be built with insulation material in the cavity. Homes most at risk of wall tie corrosion are those built with wrought-iron “fish-tail” ties prior to 1920, and those built with galvanised steel “butterfly” ties between 1964 and 1981. Answer: when it is filled with damp fluffy stuff. A Euroclass fire rating of A1 highlights the exceptional fire performance characteristics of Thermal Insulation Cavity Batt. All I can do is provide some information about the potential drawbacks of cavity wall insulation which the installers, manufacturers, and HM Government would apparently prefer you not to have. – nobody knows, because the problem has never been independently researched. Water repellent and vapour permeable, resisting rot and mould. There are a number of grants and schemes available to home owners which can substantially reduce the cost of installing these product. It is not a question of poor workmanship; it is an inevitable property of this form of construction. This device will show you if the insulation is installed incorrectly with cold-spots illustrated in the report. How To Make The Most Of A Glass Roofed Conservatory. “Cavity insulation often gets into electrical consumer units, causing trip-outs and a fire risk”. Diagnosing cavity wall problems is not as tricky some may think and the most effective way is to use a surveyor who has an infrared imaging camera. I have also received two readers’ complaints of cracking damage – mainly to internal wall surfaces – following foam cavity wall insulation which, if proven, might possibly be due to the expansive force of the foam as it cures. Asking for advice from those that have the experience and knowledge of the correct way to install cavity wall insulation, will reveal whether your property is suitable for cavity wall insulation, and, more importantly, which material is the best overall. blown mineral wool fibre) gets in contact with moisture it loses all its insulation properties.Study’s carried out by damp specialists using thermal-imaging have found that although two-thirds of homes are well insulated with cavity insulation, one-third have damp or missing insulation resulting mould, condensation and … Home Logic UK Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN 765342. This is important, because the Building Research Establishment has found that single-leaf brick walls ALWAYS leak when exposed to wind-driven rain. All I can do is provide the information for readers to make informed decisions for themselves. Even when a cavity has been properly filled with mineral-wool fibre, however, the material will still break down and collapse over time. Cavity walls are insulated through injecting insulation material such as mineral wool fibre, foam or bead polystyrene to the fill gap and prevent heat loss. Anyone thinking of having cavity wall insulation installed should first have the condition of their home’s wall ties assessed using the method described in BRE Digest 401, which specifies that two bricks should be removed on each elevation (at high and low levels) and tested for corrosion. Home Logic will ensure that someone has telephoned you to ensure that: We need to ask you about your communication preferences to comply with data regulations. Wall tie corrosion is a growing problem, and mortgage valuation surveyors are increasingly recommending that wall ties should be inspected as a condition of a mortgage advance. With cavity wall insulation, walls are often filled with blown fibreglass or urea formaldehyde, which some say can have health impacts. Based on new government guidance we have now started a phased restart of our business. I have had my cavity walls insulated with mineral wool, and now damp patches have appeared on the inside walls. I am sceptical about the advisability of injecting insulation into existing cavity walls – a position I take because of my own background experience, as a trained and experienced bricklayer, university construction lecturer, and lately as building columnist for The Sunday Telegraph. Others have reported that, whilst not experiencing obvious dampness problems, their homes seem to have become noticeably colder following CWI. The mineral wool insulation acts as a cavity barrier reducing thermal transfer. Avoid letting visitors into your home during or before the appointment. This can go some way to preventing the common mineral wool cavity wall insulation problems, which include: In many cases, it is an error in the installation that causes the mineral wool cavity wall insulation problems to occur. But the installers press on regardless, and these imperfections and obstructions catch the insulation and stop it from filling the cavity evenly. They do not realise that the source of the extra water running down their windows and dripping from their ceilings is rainwater penetrating via the cavity wall insulation, and so have not bothered to report it to anyone. Any damper than this, and it will actually start to draw heat out of the house, as damp insulation is worse than no insulation at all, in the same way that a damp vest will make you colder than wearing no vest. Find out if your home's likely to be affected.