Insulation and condensation saves the planet!

[franksinatra]

I must be due a letter of thanks from Greta as my conservatory is full of condensation every morning in the cold weather.

Actually if Greta got her way buildings would be better insulated and this would help mitigate a lot of the issues of condensation.

 

[franksinatra]

I've been building houses for 30 years mate. I won't claim to know anything about the building regs over there and we build houses very differently over here. Having said that, the vapour barrier is there to stop the warm air inside the house and the cold air on the other side of the drywall coming into contact with each other. Insulation alone will not cut it.
I'm not sure what PIR insulation is but we have used nothing but spray foam insulation for close to ten years now as it doesn't need a vapour barrier. It's expensive and if it's not done right can cause a shitload of problems.
Now, my house is an older, double brick house (I'm what you call a cavity wall), and the inside of the windows are dripping all winter long. I do my best to deal with it but it's mostly a dehumidifier and a lot of paper towels.
The reason it's doing this is because I framed and insulated/vapour the basement (no condensation down there) and not the main floor (bungalow).
It's not the end of the world mate but I feel your pain.

Just to explain a bit here Barcon. Often a VCl (Vapour control layer) is adopted over here on timber frame buildings. However on roofs which are tiled, breather membrane below its widely been accepted that the PIR board (Kingspan/Celotex) when the boards are tightly abutted and taped, is accepted as a VCL.

 

[southamptonblue]

Most building inspectors are degree educated, complete CPD to maintain there professional membership and have recently undergone a 9 months course and/or sat a validation exam to become a licensed contractor.

Some builders are absolutely great and very knowledgeable but I could call myself a builder, set up and quote for work tomorrow without even doing a DIY course.

We would not even require building inspectors if there was faith that contractors were doing work to the required standard, but we can see from all the problems in new build properties that is a big issue on site with quality of work.

I agree about cowboy builders, and no, I'm not a builder or similar trade......however your first paragraph pretty much confirms what I said, has a degree, has sat in a classroom and passed an exam, but built nothing more than Lego.

 

[Barcon]

Just to explain a bit here Barcon. Often a VCl (Vapour control layer) is adopted over here on timber frame buildings. However on roofs which are tiled, breather membrane below its widely been accepted that the PIR board (Kingspan/Celotex) when the boards are tightly abutted and taped, is accepted as a VCL.

Sounds similar to what we would call styrofoam SM.
Which we also sometimes use if it's difficult to get a good seal with vapour barrier.
We would then seal it with tuck tape.

 

[franksinatra]

I agree about cowboy builders, and no, I'm not a builder or similar trade......however your first paragraph pretty much confirms what I said, has a degree, does sat in a classroom and passed an exam, but built nothing more than Lego.

Most building inspectors come from a trade background that I know but yes to understand a building you need to understand building pathology, the building regulations and how buildings have evolved over time and that requires study. Being a bricklayer for example is not going to help you agree the fire strategy in a hospital or check the steelwork in a ten storey block of flats.

Like I say if everything was great in the industry and contractors were doing what they were supposed to do building inspectors would not be required.

 

[franksinatra]

Sounds similar to what we would call styrofoam SM.
Which we also sometimes use if it's difficult to get a good seal with vapour barrier.
We would then seal it with tuck tape.

Yes probably is. Problem we find often is the workmanship. Not very effective if the boards are not fitted tightly together as you are then relying on the tape and, if there is a gap between the boards, to exacerbate the issue there is a thermal bridging issue directly behind the tape which is the primary cause of condensation/mould growth.

I much prefer the use of VCL as it is a continuous material so takes away a lot of the workmanship issues if you get a decent overlap.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

I agree about cowboy builders, and no, I'm not a builder or similar trade......however your first paragraph pretty much confirms what I said, has a degree, has sat in a classroom and passed an exam, but built nothing more than Lego.

The world needs both experts from academia and the university of life aka experience.

 

[Blue Maverick]

@Barcon PIRis basically styrofoam which is foil backed so this is the vapour barrier, when i put between the studs any gaps were sealed with expanding foam and then a foil tape over the top of that. They have even said on the PIR the sides need taping up as well, I didn’t have to do this but did anyway for peace of mind.
Put a dehumidifier in the garage last night and got about 2/3 litres of water and the rest of the house is bone dry compared to normal, so will give a week or so get the radiator in there and see how it fairs.

 

[Bigg Bigg Blue]

Actually if Greta got her way buildings would be better insulated and this would help mitigate a lot of the issues of condensation.

How do you insulate a conservatory, its mostly glass

 

[Blue Maverick]

How do you insulate a conservatory, its mostly glass

You can’t you’d have to replace the roof to insulate that and then you still have the problem of the windows!