Cavity Wall Insulation

[Dek]

I live in a bungalow built in late 1980s. There are insulation boards in the cavities which don't work very well. When I had the windows replaced it looked as though they had just been dropped in! The house is cold, the walls are freezing to the touch. I enquired about adding cavity wall insulation but the company told me they couldn't do it because of the boards. Another company has now told me if the boards are not well fitted they can fill the cavities (they use a fibre type filling), is this OK?
We have double glazing and a well insulated loft, there are no damp issues.

 

[^woody^]

I can't see how you can say that the fitted insulation does not work very well.

The walls are "freezing" because you are not warming them up, and its nothing to do with the insulation!

My house, like most others without insulation is not freezing. The heating goes on and warms it up. The lack of insulation allows more heat to escape through the walls, but it does not make it cold. If your house is cold then the reason would be elsewhere

From a construction point of view, boards are one of the worst methods - in terms of fixing and potential to become detached from the face of the wall. But PIR boards (eg Celotex etc) are more effective than other products for any given thickness.

Its not wise to mix insulation of differing types, and if the boards are detached then pumping in fibre will almost certainly lead to void areas.

 

[Dek]

"Freezing" was just intended as a figure of speech. I have lived in other properties and am aware that what I have now is not as effective as in others. The house gets very warm but cools quicker than I would expect. No matter how warm the house gets the walls always feel cold.
If I could easily remove the boards and start again I would do that, but it seems that it is something we will have to live with.

 

[JohnD]

any damp or condensation?

 

[Dek]

"Freezing" was just intended as a figure of speech. I have lived in other properties and am aware that what I have now is not as effective as in others. The house gets very warm but cools quicker than I would expect. No matter how warm the house gets the walls always feel cold.
If I could easily remove the boards and start again I would do that, but it seems that it is something we will have to live with.

 

[Dek]

No, no damp or condensation

 

[^woody^]

All walls will feel cold. Some types of aerated block and dry-lining will have a slightly warmer touch, but if the internal wall is concrete and bonding/skim, then they will feel relatively colder.

Orientation and prevailing winds can affect external wall and internal temperatures too

Is the loft properly insulated, as if not, its worth having 250mm of quilt to help with heat retention.

If its a major issue, you could line the internal walls with an insualted plasterboard

 

[noseall]

partial fill rigid board needs to be snugly fitted to the inner leaf. its effect is lessened if this is not achieved.