Kitchen cupboard insulation

[reg7]

Hi All, I have a problem with our kitchen wall cupboards, because they are on an outside wall come winter they get so cold inside the sugar goes damp and lumpy, there is a 10mm gap at the back of the cupboards so I thought it might it may help if I put some kind of insulation at the back. Any thoughts or idea's please. Reg

 

[foxhole]

Hi All, I have a problem with our kitchen wall cupboards, because they are on an outside wall come winter they get so cold inside the sugar goes damp and lumpy, there is a 10mm gap at the back of the cupboards so I thought it might it may help if I put some kind of insulation at the back. Any thoughts or idea's please. Reg

Cold does not make sugar damp so insulation won’t prevent it.

 

[Doggit]

Foxholes right, but if you want to try and warm the wall up, then you'd need to take the cupboards off, add 25mm of celotex, and then plasterboard, and then refit the cupboards with screws long enough to go back into the walls. Is it possible that in having a cold kitchen wall, you've kept the windows shut, and that's increased the humidity in the kitchen, now that in conjunction with the cold walls would give you damp sugar. Do you have an extractor for the cooker etc.

 

[reg7]

Hi Foxholes & Doggit, I quite understand your comments, but we moved the sugar one winter to a cupboard on an internal wall and it was fine. Last year and so far this winter we have put a crystals dehumidifier in the cupboard and all was and is fine. I am going to fit an extractor over the cooker to the outside, at the moment it's just one of those over the cooker with a filter pad. What I find hard to accept is we keep the home warm with expensive heating & fire's then we need windows slightly open to vent, and out goes the heat.

 

[foxhole]

Has nothing to do with heat,[heat allows air to support even more moisture than cold air] the external wall area have higher humidity than the inner wall areas.You need good ventilation to remove moisture and keep room dryer.Mechanical air ventilation, in short, an extractor fan.

 

[Doggit]

What I find hard to accept is we keep the home warm with expensive heating & fire's then we need windows slightly open to vent, and out goes the heat.

I know, it's a ridiculous notion, but that's the way it works I'm afraid. A person breathes out half a pint of water every day; cooking puts moisture into the air, and then there's the shower, the washing machine, and even boiling the kettle, and it's all moisture that you need to get rid off, hence the need to open the windows, and get it out.

But if you've found that the sugar stays dry on the internal walls, but not the external one, then there's justification for insulating. Post us some pictures, and we'll work from there.

 

[Reveller]

An alternative solution: glass sweet shop jars!

I had trouble with tiny crawling things in my flour so bought a load of these from Amazon fir our flour, rice, tea, coffee etc. I'm not a fan of decanting usually but it might help.

 

[reg7]

Hi Reveller, sounds like a good idea I will keep it in mind.

 

[reg7]

Hi Foxholes & Doggit. I have taken in everything you have said. I have now put the sugar in an internal wall again just to see if I was right last time, so far so good. But I will give it a week so to see if I was right, then come back and keep you updated. Thank you.

 

[flameport]

If you add insulation it may well stop the damp/condensation in that area. However the moisture will still be in the air, and will condense in some other part of the building where it's cooler such as behind furniture in other rooms.
Reducing the humidity levels is the only real solution.

 

[reg7]

Hi Doggit, I have had the sugar in an internal wall cupboard for a week again and no problems, so it looks like a dampness with the cupboard on the outside wall. The walls to our bungalow are all solid no cavity. Any idea's on the insolation idea please. Thank you, Reg.

 

[Doggit]

Pictures please.

 

[reg7]

Hi Doggit, sorry about the delay but at 80 I don't get on well with the technical side of computers had to get one of my son's round to help. The first picture is where the problem is, the second one with the yellow label at the bottom of the door is the cupboard on the internal wall. Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Would not be where you plug in the kettle, steamer, toaster etc? would it, you could be steaming the cupboard daily.

 

[reg7]

Hi foxhole, no we use a gas kettle, make toast under the gas oven grill, and cook in the oven well away from the problem cupboard.