insulation issue

amyg1982

Hi All

I have a 1980s house, bungalow with extension in last ten years, 900sqft total.

We bought house and renovated and moved in May 2016. Last winter we had big issue with mould and condensation on the bottom 2ft approx of the gable end of the original house. The condensation was on the floor also in one of the bedrooms covering a distance approx two feet out from the wall.

I had an insulation guy out and an engineer.

I suspected the bottom half of the wall was not insulated properly. House had beading pumped before be bought the house.

The insulation guy said we need ventilation and that the fibre board that was in the house from time of construction has fallen forward and blocked the beading from reaching the bottom half of the wall. He says we need to pull out all the stuff that is in the wall and repump the wall. We have been quoted over a 1000euro for this. He himself thought it was too expensive to warrant doing and suggested we dryline internally. I am hesitant to do this due to the fact surely mould will grow in the space between the board and wall.

I am here seeking any advice anyone can give with regards to this option of pulling out the original insulation and repumping. Its a lot of cash if its not the best option.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Amy

BryanF

What did the eng advise?

1k could be well spent if it solves the issue. But further investigation would be advisable.

1st question is where is the moisture coming from - inside or outside? Or is the wall just cold/uninsulated ?

You Could knock an exploratory hole for a look (google ‘inspection camera’)

You all ready know the risk with drylining. The problem shouldn’t be covered up.

Ventilation should be looked at also.

amyg1982

Thanks a mil for the reply Bryan. When I called the engineer I was suspecting rising damp. He did not agree nor disagree he wasn't much help. He said we should dig a trench inside the house to ensure an unbroken damp proof course.
NOT IDEAL

I spoke to the builder/carpenter who done the reno on the house and he said he seriously did not think it was rising damp as the skirting boards get as wet as the wall. I clear the water and 30mins later its all wet again. He also said for the level of water in the room the floor board would be warping if it was rising up.

I came up with the condensation idea as it only occurs in winter.

I would suck up and pay the money if I felt it would resolve the issue. However I wonder is the fibreboard thing moving and blocking beads a plausible idea?

The problem appears to run the length of the house. Admittedly much worse in the front bedroom as opposed to the other two rooms.

BryanF

Re ‘not ideal’: What side of the house is this occur if on ? North/ south etc

What is the internal v external ground height?

Investigation: Could there be snots of concrete crossing the cavity or dpc incorrectly installed?

amyg1982

this is occurring on the south of the house.

i dont know internal versus external. How do I even measure this?

The concrete suggestion would be very plausible.

Surely if it was a DPC issue we would have this problem in Summer also or am I wrong????

Metric Tensor

When the insulation guy told you the older insulation had slipped and moved was he giving a "best guess" or did he actually drill a hole in the wall and use a camera to check?

If he was giving his best guess then although possible it's one of the many possibilities and in my opinion there are more likely problems than that (BryanF has alluded to many of them.)

If this is the case then you need to do more investigation and be certain you know the cause before you implement the solution. The wall being physically wet only 30 minutes after drying means a LOT of moisture is coming from somewhere. I would also strongly consider checking all your pipework and plumbing for leaks. Are there radiators mounted on this wall?

Possible things to check:
1. Leaks - central heating and water supply.
2. Condensation - caused by some sort of cold bridge between inside and out. Could be any sort of blockage or insulation deficit in the cavity. Amplified most likely by poor ventilation.
3. External water crossing the cavity - either from the ground or from rain. What direction is this gable facing? Is it exposed? Is there plants, flowerbeds or ground level differences outside the wall?

BryanF

amyg1982 wrote: »

this is occurring on the south of the house.

i dont know internal versus external. How do I even measure this?

The concrete suggestion would be very plausible.

Surely if it was a DPC issue we would have this problem in Summer also or am I wrong????

Get a measuring tape put it out the window, measure distance from window cill to ground, do the same inside, subtract the difference. This tells us how low ground outside is relative to internal floor level.

Clearing the water and it’s back after 30mins suggests more than cold bridge/condensation. It suggests a leak, leaks can travel along a poorly fitted dpc amongst others.

what is the garden like / ground been like this autumn, is it water logged?

amyg1982

Thanks Guys.

The insulation guy opened the power box and found fibre strands and said the fibre was blocking insulation. So best guess I'd imagine. I went to look for bore holes today and they are up super high so chances of beading getting all the way to the bottom was probably unlikely anyway. I'm guessing.

We have a had a plumber in and he done something in the attic to assess a water level drop in the tank. That apparently would allude to a leak. That was all clear.
However surely a pipework leak would cause problems all year round? Our problem is strictly a winter issue, was clear all summer.

I really hope its not a DPC issue this is big job. Isnt it????????

There are rads mounted in the wall in one room and there is no issue on that wall surrounding the rad, but there is mould approx one foot way.

I am in Waterford approx 500mtrs from the Sea. Marsh land behind the house. Had to get drainage in the back garden. So we are one step away from being a boat. lolololol.

PLAN OF ACTION

Measure the internal versus external wall.
Buy a inspection camera from amazon they are not expensive.


Any easy way to assess DPC integrity?

BryanF

amyg1982 wrote: »

I really hope its not a DPC issue this is big job. Isnt it????????
..
I am in Waterford approx 500mtrs from the Sea. Marsh land behind the house. Had to get drainage in the back garden. So we are one step away from being a boat. ..

PLAN OF ACTION

Measure the internal versus external wall.
Buy a inspection camera from amazon they are not expensive.


Any easy way to assess DPC integrity?

Get the measuring tape first

Karangue

Get the measure tape and do measuring.

amyg1982

ok drum roll........

The results are in

The internal is window to floor is 900mm (we have laminate flooring)

The external window to ground (concrete) is 1500mm