Cavity Wall Insulation
Cavity Wall Insulation
Cavity Wall Insulation
What is a cavity wall? A house that was built from the 1920s onwards it is more likely to its external wall comprised of two layers of wall. The external wall could be made of stone, brick, wood or any synthetic siding such as vinyl or fiber cement while the internal wall could be made of any finishing board like gypsum. The gap between the external and the inner wall is what you call cavity wall.
The introduction of cavity wall was nor primarily for aesthetic reasons. It was thought of and put into use for building walls as it was the best possible solution and precaution against damp. Before the advent of waterproofing admixtures and paints, masonry walls will eventually let water in as masonry is porous. Without any form of waterproofing barrier, the water will seep in no matter how thick the wall is. By the insertion of a cavity, it would be quite impossible for water seepage from the exterior wall to occur. Whatever water seeps in through the exterior wall will be drained through the holes at the base of the cavity walls.
It is important that the two "skins" of the cavity walls are connected by ties to prevent the two walls from acting independently of each other. The positioning of the wall ties is important for if any is placed sloping down towards the inner wall, water can run down to the inner wall. The wall ties should be placed from 90 cm horizontally and 45 cm vertically. However for walls that are bonded together, there would be no need for wall ties. The gap or cavity between the two walls should be from 5 cm to 7.5 cm and up to a permissible 10 cm depending on the wall tie that is used.
Does your home have cavity walls? If your home has been built near the close of the first quarter of the 20th century, then your home has cavity walls. If you are not sure, measure the thickness of your exterior walls by going to a window or door and measure from that point your wall. If the width is more than 26 cm deep, then you might have a cavity wall. If you are not sure, call in a qualified professional and have your walls assess.
There is a need for cavity wall insulation as this will help conserve energy. You will be able to heat or cool your house effectively with a possible 150 in savings in energy cost and a loss of 610 kg of carbon dioxide emission. Cavity wall insulation will also minimize interior condensation.
Styrofoam or foam panels. The cavity wall seemed to have solved permeating damp. However, the gap between the walls has outside air circulating within. The cavity wall has ventilation and this causes heat loss because the damp and cool air circulating in the cavity walls is a sure way to freeze the home's interior. If your house was built in the last ten years, chances are your have cavity wall insulation. The use of cavity walls insulation was dominant in the 1970s but the insulation back in those days was Styrofoam panels or foam board. Well, this cavity wall insulation was not really effective but they were better than nothing. Styrofoam boards have a satisfactory insulation level but when they are used as insulation for cavity walls, the joints are not properly sealed so that heat loss is still evident.
Different types of cavity wall insulation
Houses built in the last ten years need not worry about cavity wall insulation as the walls are already insulated as specified in the building code regulations. However for homes that have no cavity wall insulations or ineffective insulation, there are currently three types of materials that can be used in the insulation.
Mineral wool These are man-made fibers from synthetic or even natural materials. Mineral wool is highly effective for thermal insulation and soundproofing.
Urea Formaldehyde (UF) Foam This type of insulation is injected into cavity walls through a small opening in the exterior wall. UF foam is water based and once injected into the cavity wall is sets quickly trapping the air bubbles to reduce heat loss.
Expanded Polystyrene Beads- These beads are tiny expanded polystyrene that are used to stuff toys and beanbags. These are thermoplastic materials that can be used for insulation. It is in solid form and the individual beads are blown into the cavity wall together with an adhesive binding them together to create air pockets.
All the three materials used for cavity wall insulation are manufactured in accordance with the British standards. Any type of foam insulation should be done by certified and licensed professional installer and the system certified by the British Board of Agrment.
Cavity Wall Insulation
By: Alastair Taylor
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