What type of sealant should be used for the finished floor gap & window boards/frames? Would ordinary caulk/ mastic be suitable?
I'm afraid there are so many assumptions to be made here i don't know where to start. the wood fibre board looks good, look for the BBA cert to see how it should be used/installed correctly - also consider how you will seal it at junctions. i would recommend you use products from siga or proclima as they have guarantees, over the use of caulks where appropriate. its good to see your concerned about off-gasing etc but you havent mentioned your homes ventilation strategy?Hello all,
Having had problems with heatloss since moving in to a new house six years ago, I recently used a blower door to identify air ingress, it showed up the following areas:
1) Ground floor skirting boards - where the finished floor has shrunk slightly & left a narrow gap
2)Around the window boards and window frames - where the frame meets the wall
3)First floor skirting boards - possibly poor pointing where the joists enter the wall and the fact that the concrete blocks in the first floor cavity are air permeable
4)There is also a significant problem with heat retention in a room above an integral garage. It has three external walls , an internal cavity party wall between it and the rest of the house, a 225mm thick floor with 200mm of insulation in it & a dormer roof
5) There appears to be heatloss through the corner pieces of a 2.4m x 1.2m bay window
The course of action recommended is as follows:
1)Seal gap between finished floor and wall around perimeter of house
2)As above with window boards & frames
3)Cut a track in the ground floor ceiling around the perimeter of the building and insulate the block wall between each joist and around the joists
4) Internally insulate the party wall - on both sides - as this is only partially filled with cavity insulation.
Internally insulate the ceiling.
Cut track in perimeter of garage ceiling below, fill the 25mm gap in the ceiling / floor cavity by bunching up insulation, hold it in place with pieces of rigid insulation board, then fill the remainder.
Also seal the block wall/joists as mentioned above.
5) Coat corner pieces in Aerogel or similar and cover with uPVC moulding.
I would appreciate any comments on the above-mentioned course of action.
This would be to improve the air tightness and hopefully negate the need for external or internal insulation and/or new windows.
I also have the following questions:
What type of sealant should be used for the finished floor gap & window boards/frames? Would ordinary caulk/ mastic be suitable?
What would be the best way to insulate between/around the joists? It was suggested to use spray foam and/or rigid insulation sheets cut to size but I'm concerned about off-gassing of these products and the likes of aerogel.
I came across this product online [broken link removed] - Would it be suitable?
Also, is there a non-toxic spray foam available?
I'm afraid there are so many assumptions to be made here i don't know where to start. the wood fibre board looks good, look for the BBA cert to see how it should be used/installed correctly - also consider how you will seal it at junctions. i would recommend you use products from siga or proclima as they have guarantees, over the use of caulks where appropriate. its good to see your concerned about off-gasing etc but you havent mentioned your homes ventilation strategy?
you haven't told us what your wall, roof, floor build-ups are? what your KWH/msq/yr on heating is? or what the air-tightness test result was? dont discount more insulation, remember that our current building regs require a 60% lower energy rating than the 2005 reg home you have.. thats why the grants are available..
- ok
- ok. will the surface window/frame temp be cold and have condensation forming on it and will this water be able to drain away after silicone is applied?
- ok but is this about air-tightness or insulation?
- how do you insulate both sides of a party wall? do you mean garage wall? will you be pumping the cavity? bunching up insulation? fill with what?
- aerogel is a great product i use it in new dwellings for difficult details but again are you insulating or trying to achieve air-tightness? if its the former then why are you not considering EWI? if its the latter aerogel is not an air-tightness membrane
External Wall insulationWhat is EWI?
??? what size is the house? and what is way is it heated?I can't give you an accurate figure on the heat input as the heating is not regularly used do to it's ineffectiveness.
insulation: I refer to your final statement above and suggest that (without a site visit) my assessment/ suggestion is that EWI is your best and most comprehensive option. but dont get a half assed EWI job done, its important that its is detailed correctly preferably by an arch/arch tech with pasive house expericen that they will at least be cognisant of the details required to achieve air-tightness and thermal bridge free details. have you seen the recent Duncan Stewart show where a house like yours was retro-fitted to passive standards: basically MVHR, EWI and Triple glazed windows
now your air-tightness is more interesting and I beg people to consider this when trying to achieve greater air-tightness levels in their homes. on the one hand you say you have an air change rate of 4.31 (AC/per hr @ 50p i persume?) on the other you have only trickle vents in your windows.. if you go much lower with your air-tightness measure, your getting to levels where whole house mechanical ventilation begins to be necessary (note MV will not necessarily be efficient until much lower levels of air-tightness are achieved). one factor not considered by me here is what size the house is or the number of occupants, as you could argue the volume of the house allows for greater levels or air-tightness before MV is required, especially given that no signs of condensation are evident
pump the cavity. if you compress mineral wool insulation it does not necessarily give it any more thermal resistance.
re EWI the amount of insulation you have and the nature of windows manufactured and installed in recent years, suggests to me that EWI and new CAREFULLY SELECTED windows would improve your situation best.
??? what size is the house? and what is way is it heated?
lowCO2design;1232746 1) where in the country are you? I should have stated from the beginning I'm an arch tech said:1) North East - I note you're in Cork so it's not feasible for you to travel. Do you know of anyone in this area?
3) I'm reluctant to do this for the following reasons:
5) I take your point re EWI & windows but would appreciate recommendations based upon your professional experience. With regard to thermal imaging/air-tightness testing post-installation, do any EWI/window companies offer this service rather than having to pay for it to be carried out again?
- doubts about the spread of the insulation and subsequent efficacy due to pre-existing insulation in the cavity.
- Dust/damage caused due to wall being internal
Thanks again
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