Newest Modern Insulation Retrofit Mould Article

[aockenden]

So this just dropped on the beeb:

Mould misery as botched insulation sparks calls for action - BBC News

MPs and Citizens Advice urge the government to address regulation of the sector.

www.bbc.com

What an national disgrace the last 80 years have been for British homes. What do we reckon happened here? This was an EWI boarding and rendering scheme, not blown-in cavity foam like some of the other programs. One of the article’s pics shows a nasty case of dry rot under the floorboards, so maybe they slapped thick foil-backed foam boards over the external air bricks, completely destroying any subfloor ventilation?

 

[paulc]

Could be any number of problems. Using PUR or XPS insulation on a solid brick wall. Poor detailing around the roof line and window/door reveals. Badly fitted window/door sills. Or just a bodge job from the start.

 

[aockenden]

Honestly I didn’t think external cladding insulation systems would be as risky as filling up wall cavities with blown in stuff. I guess anything non-breathable slapped up against another non-breathable thing really Carrie’s risk for trapping moisture.

 

[Lacan07]

Honestly I didn’t think external cladding insulation systems would be as risky as filling up wall cavities with blown in stuff. I guess anything non-breathable slapped up against another non-breathable thing really Carrie’s risk for trapping moisture.

I agree, Cavity insulation has caused problems in the past hence why they started using the breathable beads instead.

 

[Lacan07]

So this just dropped on the beeb:

Mould misery as botched insulation sparks calls for action - BBC News

MPs and Citizens Advice urge the government to address regulation of the sector.

www.bbc.com

What an national disgrace the last 80 years have been for British homes. What do we reckon happened here? This was an EWI boarding and rendering scheme, not blown-in cavity foam like some of the other programs. One of the article’s pics shows a nasty case of dry rot under the floorboards, so maybe they slapped thick foil-backed foam boards over the external air bricks, completely destroying any subfloor ventilation?

I'd take any reporting on the scale of the issue with a pinch of salt though, unfortunately we're going to see a lot more articles like this as renting becomes the only option for the younger generations. Governments will be keen to shift blame on to private landlords

 

[aockenden]

I agree, Cavity insulation has caused problems in the past hence why they started using the breathable beads instead.

oh nice, what are these beads? Is it LECA or something?

 

[fernicarry]

What do we reckon happened here

One potential problem is that the eaves overhang no longer covers the head of the wall once the extra thickness of insulation is added. So the "solution" is a flat piece of PVC siliconed on the top edge to cap it. And you can imagine how well that works out...

These govt funded schemes only attract the worst of the worst so unsurprisingly the outcomes are terrible (unless you are the guy at the top trousering the hand outs...).

 

[Stevers]

oh nice, what are these beads? Is it LECA or something?

En-masse expanded polystyrene beads might well count as 'breathable', even when not so individually.

The family home was a detached house from 1934 with bitumen DPC and timber suspended floors. Some years ago the cavities were filled with expanded polystyrene beads. Not by cowboys, as the air bricks were upgraded to stop them being blocked. The beads don't seem to collapse or transmit damp. In that house it didn't seem to cause any problems at all, just a dramatic increase in comfort and reduction in energy bills.

 

[DaveG]

We actually had this stuff added to our previous house which was of more modern construction (1970s cavity walls).
By that point the issues with cavity wall insulation were well understood so our cavities remained empty. We actually had the house surveyed and were told had there been cavity wall insulation it would have been unmortgagable.
Anyways the EWI was rock wool. It did bring it out further than the eaves but there was a plastic capping added along the top and obviously the guttering does its job too.
Never had an issue during perhaps the 8 to 10 years we were there. I thought it was very good.
I think the 2 factors at play in this BBC case were poor installation and perhaps the building was not suitable for EWI.
If not installed properly though it’s of course going to cause all manner of problems.

I think when looking at insulation installers you should be as cautious as you would with selecting a roofer. The impact of using someone who doesn’t understand what they’re doing is ultimately the same.