15yo 3-bed semi-getting insulation upgraded

tomdempsey200

i'm getting the attic insulation upgraded and the walls pumped

how much of a difference will i notice afterwards?


thanks

MicktheMan

You may notice that the house heats up quicker
You may notice that the house stays warm for longer after heating is turned off
You may notice fewer draughts
You may notice none of the above!

tomdempsey200

don't follow?

tomdempsey200

all done

warmer homes scheme attic insulation and exterior walls pumped

plenty of draughts blowing around internal doors? what's the story there?

i closed all the vents etc.?

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

all done

warmer homes scheme attic insulation and exterior walls pumped

plenty of draughts blowing around internal doors? what's the story there?

i closed all the vents etc.?

Open your vents!

Lack of insulation in the house wasn't the problem to begin with. More tax money wasted.:mad:

tomdempsey200

i can't follow your posts at all?


they're a little too cryptic for me

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

i can't follow your posts at all?

I've tried to answer your posts given the little info you supplied.

You asked what you may notice, I gave you a list of all possibilities.
Then, after the works were done you have draughts in the house. Therefore, heat conduction through your walls and ceiling (which insulation slows down) is not the primary heat loss mechanism in your house, lack of airtightness is. Insulation does not address this. The insulation "upgrade" work was grant aided, was ineffective and therefore a waste of tax payer money.

Have you opened your vents yet?

tomdempsey200

MicktheMan wrote: »

I've tried to answer your posts given the little info you supplied.

You asked what you may notice, I gave you a list of all possibilities.
Then, after the works were done you have draughts in the house. Therefore, heat conduction through your walls and ceiling (which insulation slows down) is not the primary heat loss mechanism in your house, lack of airtightness is. Insulation does not address this. The insulation "upgrade" work was grant aided, was ineffective and therefore a waste of tax payer money.

Have you opened your vents yet?

thanks

i figured the draughts was a problem afterwards which they haven't addressed


....point taken

prob the cheapest part of the work needed though...so i'll tackle it myself


what do you mean about opening vents? how does that help with draughts?

tomdempsey200

i thought pumping the outside walls helped with draughts through cracks in plaster around windows and doors?

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

what do you mean about opening vents? how does that help with draughts?

I never said it did.

Ventilation is required for a healthy indoor environment. Don't close them.

In a nutshell, ventilation is (should be) the controlled exchange of stale wet internal air with fresh dry external air. Draughts are the uncontrolled infiltration/exfiltration of air through gap & cracks in the building envelope.

tomdempsey200

ok so...

any practical suggestions then...

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

i thought pumping the outside walls helped with draughts through cracks in plaster around windows and doors?

Well as you found out it doesn't.

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

ok so...

any practical suggestions then...

Yes, stop listening to salesmen who tell you what you want to hear and hire an independent professional to test your house properly and tell you exactly what the problem is. You will save in the long run because you wont be wasting money on stuff that doesn't work.
And, before you ask, yes I do this for a living.

tomdempsey200

MicktheMan wrote: »

Yes, stop listening to salesmen who tell you what you want to hear and hire an independent professional to test your house properly and tell you exactly what the problem is. You will save in the long run because you wont be wasting money on stuff that doesn't work.
And, before you ask, yes I do this for a living.

thanks but i haven't been sold anything...i i got the work done for free like..

MicktheMan

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

thanks but i haven't been sold anything...i i got the work done for free like..

So I guess you got what you paid for:)

tomdempsey200

not really

i got the major work done for free

i'm gonna sort out the draughts next

and thanks for no help btw:cool:

Ush1

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

all done

warmer homes scheme attic insulation and exterior walls pumped

plenty of draughts blowing around internal doors? what's the story there?

i closed all the vents etc.?

The draughts would be from a lack of air tightness so despite upgrading insulation and reducing the speed at which heat escapes in certain areas, cold air is still getting in somewhere.

Draughts could also be from the vents but some form of ventilation is necessary(even more important when air tightness is improved).

You could give the airtightness a go yourself but if it's to be done right you'd probably be better off getting a blower test done by a professional who should be able to point out the exact areas of leakage.

My 2 cents and I don't do it for a living.

tomdempsey200

Ush1 wrote: »

I don't do it for a living.

thanks.. you're a lot more helpful than the man who supposedly does

muffler

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

thanks.. you're a lot more helpful than the man who supposedly does

A little tip for you: Dont be so quick in dismissing advice and replies given. Sometimes you may not want to hear the obvious but have a read through the replies again and take everything on board and maybe, just maybe, you may form a different opinion.

tomdempsey200

muffler wrote: »

A little tip for you: Dont be so quick in dismissing advice and replies given. Sometimes you may not want to hear the obvious but have a read through the replies again and take everything on board and maybe, just maybe, you may form a different opinion.

i doubt it tbh

Audioslaven

muffler wrote: »

A little tip for you: Dont be so quick in dismissing advice and replies given. Sometimes you may not want to hear the obvious but have a read through the replies again and take everything on board and maybe, just maybe, you may form a different opinion.

I think the op is looking for suggestions of how to improved it. I don't think the guy really gave him any good suggestions. I suppose if he did they you wouldnt be getting the likes of him.

Around windows and doors are the big ones you want to focus in. On top of the guy that recommended the blow test, they can do a thermal image so see where the cold spots are. Again I am not in the business but here is some possible options. This is just some random guy on the net so I have not used him or am i promoting his business, but he has some options for you

http://www.airtightnesstesting.ie/index.php/thermal-imaging/

beauf

I mean, I'm drowning here, and you're describing the water!

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/As_Good_as_It_Gets

How much are these tests on an average sized semi/detached?

tomdempsey200

ok thanks for all the advise


i've concluded that the warmer homes is well worth getting done free as they do the most expensive part of the overall job...pumping the walls and insulating the tanks and attic


however they would need to 'tack on' a serious draughtproofing element to the scheme ,as micktheman pointed out in a roundabout way or else it's pointless

the customer(myself) here is left to do this job himself...

slimjimmc

tomdempsey200 wrote: »

however they would need to 'tack on' a serious draughtproofing element to the scheme ,as micktheman pointed out in a roundabout way or else it's pointless

http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Warmer_Homes_Scheme/About_the_BEWH.html

WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?
The service involves the installation of standard energy efficiency measures appropriate to the eligible household subject to SEAI survey, budget allocation and available capacity. The service is provided at no cost to the household and the measures currently available under this scheme are:

Attic insulation.
Draught proofing.
Lagging jackets.
Low energy light bulbs.
Cavity wall insulation.
Energy advice.

tomdempsey200

ya i think the draught proofing element only covers front and back door

4 energy saving light bulbs


pumping the outside walls helps with external draughts obviously too through cracks in plaster etc