Is Cavity Wall Insulation Always A Sensible Choice For Your Home_

1. Is Cavity Wall Insulation Always A Sensible Choice For Your Home?

2. You could be forgiven for thinking that cavity wall insulation must be a sensible choice in terms of enabling your home to retain heat during the winter months and reduce the amount of energy you consume, particularly as the UK government have been actively backing it. However, this isn’t always the case, and some problems do exist with cavity wall insulation, no matter how professionally it has been installed.

3. Why might cavity wall insulation not be such a sensible choice? Although there are other methods of insulating a cavity wall, the most popular method in the UK involves polystyrene beads being injected into the cavity and bound together with a type of glue. However, some problems can arise as a result of the beads over or under-bonding.

4. Polystyrene bead problems: Water ingress ● When beads over-bond, they can cause external walls to crack as a result of the pressure, allowing water to permeate to the inner wall by way of the hardened glue. Removing beads that are over-bonded, involves removing and rebuilding the external wall. Ants creating nests ● When ants are able to create nests by bringing soil into the cavity, between the beads, it won’t be long before damp sets in.

5. Bead-less cavities ● If a house whose cavities are filled with under-bonded beads undergoes any alterations, when the bricks are removed, so will many of the beads be removed. Whitewool mineral fibre is another common type of cavity wall insulation, which is made of glass or slag rock that has been broken down and spun to form fibres, before being coated with water-resistant silicone.

6. Whitewool mineral fibre problems: It’s water resistant, not waterproof ● This type of fibre is not waterproof and for walls exposed to long periods of heavy rain, water may easily penetrate your home. Insects creating nests ● As with other types of insulation, if insects such as ants get inside, issues with damp may quickly arise.

7. Incorrect density ● Some unscrupulous insulating companies may decide to get the job done in half the time by failing to inject the fibre into the cavity at the appropriate pressure. This can cause problems whereby dense circles of the fibre are created at the point where they were injected, leaving the rest of the cavity uninsulated. Some homes may also have been insulated with urea formaldehyde, although this is no longer used.

8. Disadvantages arising from all types of cavity wall insulation In a home that isn’t being appropriately heated and ventilated, insulated wall and loft spaces can mean that the moisture from the property’s inhabitants alone can be enough to turn it into a space full of humidity with no means of escape. If adequate heating and ventilation aren’t installed along with the insulation, your home can quickly be overtaken by mold, which will start to grow on pretty much any surface available; the smaller a home, the bigger the risk. It’s also worth noting that an installation of cavity wall insulation could render the 25 year guarantee invalid, should you need to have the wall ties within the cavity walls replaced at any time.

9. If you’re still unsure as to whether cavity wall insulation is the right choice for your home, it’s best to schedule a consultation with a structural engineering expert or other such professional who can give you an unbiased and frank answer. NorthWest Wall Ties is a small family-run wall tie company based out of the heart of the Northwest. We specialize in offering cavity wall tie replacement and high-quality workmanship that is designed to last. We have been in business for over 20 years, and our experienced team of professionals has provided countless customers with reliable and affordable wall tie solutions. If you are looking for a wall tie specialist, contact Northwest Wall Ties at 01942 933821 or email:northwestwallties@yahoo.com.