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Your stuff is absolutely cracking Charlie. As a young home owner you’ve saved me a fortune on showing me stuff I can do myself, and a fortune on knowing enough to tell when a tradesman is talking shite
@@BaughbeSauceSpeaking as an Ohio based insulation contractor (now retired) with a lot of basements behind me, I have pretty much seen it all and have concluded that closed cell polyurethane spray foam has everything else beat by a good margin. You not only get excellent thermal insulation, you also get moisture control. I long since lost count of how many basements we did this way but and customers were universally happy and impressed.
Another great video Charlie. I'm doing up an old stone railway cottage in Ireland, so very much on topic. I did dry line a wall last week in another cottage and your tip for taping the socket box is a good one and I will go back and do that.
Very useful. In my DiY video I used PIR and plasterboard (separately one over the other for cheapness) and secured with screws. I used this method partly because we could only spare 1.5 inches off the room dimension due to internal constraints. As you can imagine that attracted comments. But 3 years on we've not (knowingly) experienced any condensation problems. Our old house is well ventilated and moisture levels are low. We recently got a dehumidifier and it virtually never runs. Cheers
You really made a lovely video on a topic which has taken much of my thoughts as well. Some details are really good: the way you attach the air control layer (Intello clima) on the inside to the floor and ceiling is really good. In this way you really make sure you limit any leaks. Another lovely detail is the way you airseal the sockets. One detail you talk about with respect to the windows (how you make sure the air control layer is continuous until it reaches the window), was a bit harder to follow/understand. Perhaps I need to watch that bit again because I can tell you really thought trough the details. The part you explained about the variable vapour permeability was a bit counter intuïtieve because you spoke of the relative humidity instead of temperature. The most important part is that it is harder for moisture to pass through in winter (when it is cold outside and the dew point resides within your wall). In summer the membrane is much more open, which allows for all the moisture which did built up in the wall during the winter, to dry out. One might consider leaving a small ventilation gap between the brick wall and the insulation: this will lead to condensation of the moisture on the bricks. The pro is that the glass wool will stay dry. The con is that the moisture will drip down an accumulate at the bottom of the wall. For this reason, sometimes weeping holes are added at the bottom of the brick wall. These allow for water to drip out. As these weeping holes also allow water to get in from the outside, they need to be above ground level, which requires that the inside bottom of the air cavity is also above ground level. One final note: the German website www.ubakus.de/ does brilliant simulations of moisture build up, thermal mass and insulation of any kind of wall and roof setup. It is a brilliant website which helps you to see what happens in a particular build-up and what e.g. the effect can be of different kinds of insulation materials, including the use of the mentioned ventilation gap.
Thanks for your very detailed comment. I think my point about relative humidity was meant to be that if you keep RH down to say between 40 and 50% you're very unlikely to be creating high levels of moisture that will want to migrate through the wall. I've experienced this in my son's room where I rather badly insulated with Kingstown K118 and was shocked to find out how damp it was in the electrical socket back boxes a year or so after install. A few years later I checked again expecting the same only to find it was dry as a bone. Could have been the plasterboard adhesive had dried out but more likely we gave a very robust vapour management strategy now with plenty of ventilation. Thank you for mentioning ubakus. Sam on our Discord channel also uses it. It's brilliant isn't it! SWIP don't recommend leaving a gap between brick and insulation. I like you personally don't buy the arguement it helps to prevent condensation but that's their policy.
In Canada, all electrical boxes require a moulded vapour barrier around back of the box, sealed to the cables and to the vapour barrier. Or special vapour sealed boxes.
Sooo happy to finally see a new video from you! I’ve been visiting your channel regularly hoping to find a new one but being sorely disappointed! Keep up the good work 😊
I'd venture to say very few builders would go down to the level of detail you did installing this stuff, likely not that many DIY's would either! Well done Charlie!
@@danielmcgregor3124 hi mate, it was an old kitchen being decided up into smaller rooms, utility, wc and entrance area. Still ongoing as I have my usual 9-5 on the go also. I’ve been impressed with the swip so far quality of the materials is decent and knowing that Charlie and others had given it a go gave me a bit of faith in the system. The tech support are always open to a video call to discuss if needed. Still got the membrane to fit and a few more of “wool“ batts whilst the final few services are finished.
This seems very common to systems prevalent in warmer parts of the world, e.g. like how Scott Brown has been doing in NZ on his channel recently. Might have to look into it myself when we get round to insulating our house 👍🏼
Hello Charlie. Glass-and stone wool are very normal to use in Norway. You're so right when you say it's easy to use. The difference between glass wool and stone wool (how we call it in Norway) is that stone wool does not burn. It can withstand temperatures up to 1000⁰c whilst glass wool starts melting at around 500⁰c and it can burn.
I would say wood fiber insulation with Intello membrane are fore sure better than glass or rock wool because wood fiber has high capacity for absorbing ambient humidity it also release it very well. I have seen many wall insulated without any vapor barrier or membrane and glass wool has appeared a lot of black stuff quite sure that is some kind of mold. Never seen same happening with rock wool and even less with wood fiber insulation.
The differences in melting temp and moisture resistance (low for both) are probably not practically relevant. What is important though is that rock wool is heavier and much better at sound insulation. Hence it is preferred for interior walls and ceilings, while glass wool is commonly used for roofs.
I've been restoring (not renovating) old properties for years. I do the exact same thing in areas that cannot be solved. I usually try to identify an issue and resolve it at source but sometimes you just can't win. I actually make my own studs using kingspan seconds and ply. Glue the two together as 8x4 sheets then rip with a circular saw to 75/80mm width studs, it works a treat and saves a ton of cash. Have you tried vapour barrier direct to the existing wall before the knauf fill to control moisture ingress to the batts? Your vids are great, keep going!!
That is an excellent idea for the studs! I haven't tried that but I reckon the vapour barrier should be on the warm not cold side of the insulation otherwise you're encouraging the vapour to condense inside the wall. Remember it's the vape in the room we're trying to stop more than anything coming in from outside.
@@kevocos I've used most things, silicon works super well, contact adhesive etc, it's only to hold the two together until you screw them to the wall. What I do also is pre drill the hole through the stud and jam a good glob of silicone or frame sealant in this hole to stop any moisture creep through the fixing..
@@tinfoilhat4837what thickness of kingspan do you use and any product names of the adhesive? This maybe a much better solution for those of us not in the UK Thanks
Somewhat over simplified, dew point is where warm meets cold. Familiar example being single glazing when it's cold outside and heated indoors, dew forms on the inside face of the glass.
@@Stewart_Bell You are of course right - up to a point. The meeting of the warm air and the cold air cools the warm air, which because it's warm has the capacity to carry a relatively large amount of water vapour, it cools the warm air such that the warm air becomes saturated with water vapour and condensation likely occurs. The dew point is a measurement of the temperature at which this happens - the saturation process - and is, as such, measured as a temperature, i.e. in degrees celsius. In your example, dew point is reached at the inside surface of the window for the reason that you state, but dew point is the temperature to which that warm air contacting the window pane falls, for condensation to occur.
Well yes, but the dew point could be present at any point in the structure, depending on the outside temperature. I suppose the correct term for what he is saying would be "condensation point". There is a temperature gradient between inside surface and the outside. The dew point temperature will occur somewhere in the wall. That is why it is important to have an air/vapour impermeable barrier near the inside surface. Even if air cannot pass through, water vapour can travel through materials to the point where condensation occurs. This could be at the outside or in the middle.
Love this Charlie i have been searching for the best system for ages and this is just right for my room -- followed step by step and worked out really well..
Dear Charlie, thank you so much for the information and making this clear video. Insulation seems a very difficult area and full of conflicting advice and you have made it seem logical. thanks so much
I am so grateful to you for this Charlie. I was going to follow your example with the Kingspan but I found that their technical support was giving advice that contradicted their own online instructions. I think it was regarding whether to seal all the way around each of their insulated plasterboards. Anyway, this seems like a far better solution. Thank you
Such a professional video Charlie! There’s content and there’s presentation- you nailed (or glued or screwed or foamed) both 😂! I wish you’d done this video a year ago! Same type of property and although no damp I suspect that’s because all doors and windows are wood. Cold areas everywhere! It’s an old coach house - though it’s conversion is only surface ! Just finishing off polished concrete kitchen flooring - it’s an interesting product. Keep the vids coming!
Love that comment - thanks so much mate. Love the sound of the polished concrete too - bet it looks amazing👌. I've got a tiling vid to do - newly finished laying the monster 1200mm square porcelains. I think it's created a similar effect. 👊
Using your analogy with the sponge. After the moisture has passed through, which sponge is drier and which one is retaining moisture therefore which will dry out quicker. The difference appears quite visible even during your example.
Nice to see someone is dealing with this issue. My builder friend didn't know about this but did warn me about dot and dab to external walls causing damp spots to come through. We used instastick to glue up foil backed PIR boards and it's been OK so far. The cable derating is no different whether it's in the insulation or not- it's all installation type A whether it's buried or just butted against with a board on one side to cool down as you've done. Another great video Charlie- you'll need a new house to refurbish soon 😄
Thanks mate.. Yes I'm kicking myself I didn't mention the benefits of using foam with PIR/ insulated plasterboard. I've done a few videos on this now and forgot to do this on each. I think expanding foam would eliminate much of the issues I mentioned.
18:02 it usually says on the can📝 allow 5-10mins for the foam to go tacky . at that point it makes a rock solid bond. (the product wont work as intended when still in liquid form)
I'd like say that continuity of the vapor barrier is not critical for vapor diffusion (ie the insulation backed plaster board), but it does have a significant impact in air borne moisture movement which can transport significantly more moisture to a condensing surface than vapor diffusion. In the example of the insulation backed plaster board, as long as all the board is finished well, it will be air tight, with the foil providing the vapor barrier. However, when is the bottom edge of plaster ever finished nicely? That could be a major source of air movement. A dedicated air and vapor control layer like intello is a much better way to approach it. The second consideration with the insulation backed plaster board is that you will have a lot of moisture drive inward thorough the masonry. That will be trapped by the vapor barrier with the only way to dry out being outward. Depending on the water carrying capacity of the masonry and whether it had time to dry out sufficient before another water event occurs will determine whether there is mold and other moisture issues in the wall. To address inward water movement through the masonry, proper exterior bulk water management is key. Apologies of my terminology is off, I'm visiting from across the pond. : ) Love the masonry building content from England as yall have a much better understanding of solid masonry structures than we do.
Thanks, yes that's a good point I should have mentioned. Also you can reduce this concern by using foam adhesive rather than plasterboard adhesive which creates a better vapour barrier around sockets and breaks in the board.
Lots of our structures were originally designed to be clad, the Victorians took it all and now still to this day we are struggling with damp solid walls.
Just found this channel. The amount of work and effort you've put in both the build and video is next level. Thats not a small or easy job to get right and for the average DIY'er, probably proceed with caution😄
Thanks so much mate, I really appreciate that. Yes it's pretty debilitating at times - would be so much easier if I was just doing vlog style content and my videos would be a lot more regular. 😉👊
I had condensation on every window in a 200 year old building, until I had a PIV unit installed in the attic. Like magic, all the condensation disappeared!
Thank you Charlie. First I’ve watched of your channel, but you got my sub! Gonna need all the help good folk like you share, as you’ve made folk like me decide to buy old stone cottages with no roofs to do up 😂
Great update, nice to see the move away from PIR on the whole, just need to work on your foam addiction next! 😄 A note about the tapes to say that they should be pressed into place with an applicator tool to make the joints fully sealed.
Like the insulated PB, I’m guessing the studs are also fairly closed to vapour, so it relies on the Knauf to breathe albeit slowly. And the Inteilo membrane helps regulate vapour. Very interesting and useful build out. I’m sure for your property it’s going to work well and will be warm! Like you said vapour plan especially in the kitchen is needed anyway. Excellent video Charlie! Thank you!
I was so looking forward to this video ! Pretty much since the first insulation video you did. I got to say it was worth the wait. This is going to turn our old victorian house into a cozy home and I'm really glad I won't have to pay a fortune to have the walls lime-rendered. It's going to be so much better to have those smooth and flat plasterboard sheets. One questions though, what would you recommend for internal walls ? especially ground floor where rising damp might be an issue ?
This is great information, Charlie. I considered drylining our house before but the conflicting information on how to do so with solid walls was head melting, so I never did it. Fortunately we were able to get external insulation, but had I known this a few years ago I likely would have gone down this route.
"whilst the ceiling board was, well...still a bit emotional" Haha. A nice reminder that whilst we always see Charlie in good spirits throughout his videos, there is undoubtedly many occasions of stress, swearing and no doubt some tears and feelings of hopelessness.
best yet. I have recently installed 80 mm polystyrene insulation on my bedroom / downstairs fairly modern 30 ish year old home in Portugal. NOTICEABLE improvement . Upstairs floors are ceramic tilled over concrete / gravel filled heat sink,s . So Impressed with the ceiling insulation that I am looking to insulate the outer walls from the inside . Ab small amount of mould has occurred in the outer corners of the bedroom ceilings / walls. If you fancy a look see please come out to Alvito Portugal for a stop over break / holiday . Airport pick up and loan car foc .
Thanks for bringing another option of breathable IWI to our attention, it's something I'm really needing on our project and this is possibly the answer. I was thinking of using woodfibre, but it requires a flat surface to bond to and like you (and most others) I don't have that. I'm a bit suspicious of the use of FF everywhere as I know it doesn't fill voids anywhere near as well as we think it does, but unsure how much, or if it does matter in this situation. As regards lime V gypsum, it's not about whether one is more vapour permeable than the other (they both are and every building material is to a degree), it's that one is ruined by constantly having damp go through it and the other one isn't. Every system has it's pros n cons and should be used or modified to suit the situation it's fitted into. The good thing about this system (for us, not SWIP) is that you can buy all the components elsewhere and make it yourself, probably a lot cheaper - if you have the tools.
Yeah I was wondering the same regarding the gap filling behind the stud. Another comment below had a great suggestion that the studs can be fabricated onsite, just buy the XPS insulation, osb and bond them together. I wonder could you go a step further and bond a layer of mineral wool to the XPS. The mineral being compressible would fill the gaps against the wall.
@@kevocos Yes I was thinking of putting the wool behind the studs too, but it depends how irregular your surface is perhaps. You could also gun the foam on the back face just before finally fixing it to the wall. As regards making the studs you can buy PIR already bonded to OSB in sheet form, all you need to do is run the saw down it. You need to make sure you choose the right type of wool, IIRC one soaks up water, the other doesn't.
I have done extensive research into IWI in solid wall construction as I have 130 sqm to do on an upcoming project, tbh I am absolutely sick to the teeth of reading about it and trying to decide which system to use. The SWIP system looks promising and I may even use it myself however IMHO woodfibre boards and a lime based finishing plaster should be regarded as the benchmark, I believe it is the system that is least likely to suffer from interstitial condensation. But every situation is different and SWIP may be totally satisfactory in many houses, certainly those is low exposure areas of the country.
Bit of a misunderstanding about how moisture buffering in lime works. Rather than moisture pass through it will normally go into the lime during periods of high humidity then back into the room when humidity drops. The knauf insulation allows moisture to pass through but will not deal with moisture as well as products like wood fibre. The easiest system is simply fully bond wood fibre insulation to the wall and plaster over with lime based plaster. No membranes required.
@@lksf9820 if there isn’t a breathable surface, the non breathable material, ie cement or gypsum plaster should be removed first anyway whatever the system. A wall can be levelled up with the lime based adhesive prior to binding wood fibre. This system is clearly a reasonable alternative but imo slightly over complicated.
Agreed, from my own basic research, wood fibre and lime skimcoat seems like a system that will perform the best in terms of moist management. It would be interesting to compare the price/m2 of both systems.
OMG, the masking tape to hold the foam insulation is DIY gold. I came to this video hoping for something to help me. I had new windows installed in a bungalow with cavity walls and discovered cavity closers when it was too late. So I've been struggling to fill the cavities with foam, but not any more. Thanks.
Hello Charlie. This is something I am considering myself but I am receive conflicting information. I am not being critical but do have a few constructive questions - Do you not need a ventilation gap between the insulation and the outside wall ? Does the outside wall not need heat from within the house to keep it naturally dry from the elements - rain in winter particularly? Would it not have been a lot easier to build an independent stud wall from floor to ceiling so no leveling out. Also eliminating the possibility of moisture from the outside wall travelling in to the new work - ventilation gap prevents ?? Thank you...
A ventilation gap is only any use if you have air movement. It does stop the direct transmission of water which is why cavity walls exist and it’s a bad idea to fill them with insulation as you then create a bridge. All air has some moisture in it. The problem comes as the temperature changes and it starts to condense. The trick is keeping a route for more humid air as difficult as possible. Vapour barriers are actually vapour retarders that slow down the transfer of air. You are unlikely to get a house airtight, but can reduce the transfer and therefore reduce the risk of moist air hitting a surface that is colder than its dew point. MVHR is the gold standard in a well sealed home. It it were me I’d consider Stormdry on the outside, MVHR and vapour barriers with insulation.
I'm struggling to see the difference between this and the Kingspan system used in the bedroom other then the VCL. I expect the PIR and stud system with a VCL is going to be a lot cheaper. It overcomes cold bridging but the at those thicknesses of insulation the difference in the R-value between a normal stud and the insulation is not going to be enough to result in a condensation problem on the cold bridge. Given the Insulation should be behind a VCL in both systems the vapour permeability of the insulation won't matter. If the VCL fails and the vapour permeability of the insulation does become a factor then surely a less vapour permeable insulation would be better to prevent interstitial condensation occuring on the wall behind. Perhaps I missed something in the video? I also think the thermal massing mentioned at the beginning goes both ways. A lot of thermal massing will sap heat out of the building and make the internal temperature a lot less reactive to turning the heating on/up. Works better in hotter countries to prevent overheating.
Have you looked into Steico wood fibre internal insulation boards? They should be suitable for older houses as well, basically they can be plastered right onto the brick because the claim is that the board is structured in a way that allows capillary action to wick the water away from the wall and to the side of the board which is getting heated.
I done a room in my house with this or actually it was the Gutex version. Never plastered before but I managed it and it came out great. Mind you I got a plasterer to do the finish lime plasterer. Clay based paint to finish. It's a very very pleasant and warm room. You can tell it's an airy and warm and healthy room to be in however..... It was very expensive to do in the end and couldn't justify to do the whole house that way.
Thanks for the info, yeah its not the cheapest, but I only have few walls which cant be done externally so in those few places I wouldnt mind paying more to get it done nicely with this. So to clarify you didnt use any sort of vapour control/barrier layer, just plastered the wall flat, slapped the fibre boards to it and then covered with lime?@@brycon232
@@lksf9820 not really.. mine was far from perfect but there is room to level out with the breathable adhesive you use for bonding. If it's very bad you can level it with a scud coat of lime plaster.
Great video charlie. I've never heard of or seen this product before but it seems like a great solution for this issue with older houses. I'll definitely be looking into this system. 👍
I really wanted to do this with my victorian house ... but chickened out and went for the much cheaper and easier Wallrock wallpaper instead. It's still made quite a bit of a difference, although obviously nothing on this. I couldn't find a single company who would give me a sensible quote for doing the job properly - something we really need in this country.
That looks like Knauff Thermoshell to me. …. I put this in a single brick WALLED cottage just under 10 years ago. And I can tell you it is FANTASTIC…. I would 100% recommend … it’s not cheap. But it works. For sure and I’m 10 years in 😊
Charlie, great informative video, I'm refurbishing a timber framed house which is space 'challenged', I've replaced the ancient 2 inch glass fibre insulation with 50mm of PIR, all joints taped, then I've used a product made by SuperFOIL as an internal heat reflective vapour barrier before installing counter battening to create a service void before fitting the internal wall surface. UK made, their Tech Support did all the heavy lifting of calculating the U values for me. If I was doing a solid wall refurb I'd definitely be using SWIP, based on your great video and the product has all the features you'd want to avoid cold bridging and get a warmer house.
@@CharlieDIYte When its finished I will let you know how good it actually is - we are also going for a Vent Axia PIV unit in the loft and humidity sensing fans in the bathroom, there's no room for an MHRV unit 😞 VentAxia tech support have also been very helpful.
Charlie, just watched your video on ewi/iwi and noticed your shenanigans with expanding foam, just a tip,........ when using xfoam if you spray both the area and the say, board with a water atomiser then leave for five minutes or so until, when you touch the xfoam it is spongy ,but not sticky, it will come together so much easier and, will need minimal support !..........i like to think you will be amazed !............. Kind regards, Kieran Connolly (The Quiet Man)......
Many thanks for a brilliant video. Just what I was looking for before starting a similar project on the corner bedroom of my traditional 3 bed semi. Most things make sense to me and there's a few things that I'd appreciate some clarification on please. In my experience, the coldest/dampest place is often the external wall corners & window reveals. (1) You have a doubled-up overlapping vertical battens in the corners, foam filled the gaps & adjoined horizontals at the top & bottom. Surely the system becomes the least breathable at the most critical coldest/dampest area? (2) With all the concerns of using PIR backed PB, why is it a good idea to use it in the other vulnerable area (your window reveals)? (3) With your positive pressure system, the main flow will be from the house to the outside via the least restrictive holes (airbricks, window vents etc). With hardly any flow through the plasterboard. If you're after the most breathable wall, why use the membrane at all? (4) Why do you need the 'intelligent' membrane to block the vapour during the warmest/driest period of the year when you are missing the opportunity for it to dry out? (5) You explain the problem with dot/dab plasterboard is that the vapour goes through the board and condenses on the wall. So if you add the breathable barrier and insulation between your plasterboard and wall, then less heat will reach the surface of that wall, so why won't there be even more water condensing and trapped on the even colder wall (behind the insulation)? Many thanks and keep up the good work! (6) Confusing me even more, If you go to the gov site... assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614b30aad3bf7f718a54c0be/iwi-guidance.pdf look at item 58, it says.. "58. Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) should not be installed with internal wall insulation. The risk of interstitial condensation between the wall and the IWI is increased when using a ventilation system such as PIV, that actively pushes warm, wet air into the building fabric."
Similar to how I done my IWI. After a lot of research I settled on 75mm studs set off the wall and squared up, full filled with 100mm treated sheep's wool. Then the intello membrane followed by 50mm horizontal battens to create a service cavity which I then filled with 50mm wood fiber batts (steico flex) and finished with regular plasterboard and a nice fairly breathable paint. (Not full on clay paint but definitely not a cheap plastic paint) Has worked a treat so far.
What a great system - thanks for sharing. Yes I forgot to mention I've used a Jonmatt matt emulsion which I think is one of Johnstone's only breathable emulsions.
Sounds like a good job you have done. Can I ask how did you satisfy yourself that regular plasterboard would be sufficiently breathable? (given all the other components of your buildup are very much so). And did you skm over the PB with gypsum? I'm completely sold on the benefits of woodfibre and sheeps wool and I would like to use regular plasterboard and gypsum skimcoat but so many people seem to advise against it.
@kevocos I don't have the research to hand but as far as I remember there is enough vapour permeability and buffering in gypsum to work considering where it is placed in the wall build up. If it was up against a cold wall it will get overloaded and saturated and then fail but on the very warm side of the build up there are no issues along with regular skimcoat and a good emulsion. I also used hemplime and hemplime plaster that I mixed up myself to patch in around windows and in tight awkward areas.
@@brycon232 Yes makes sense. Like the idea with the hemplime around the window reveals. I think Charlie has done a great job but I wouldn't be a fan of foaming insulated PB around the reveal.
How far did you set the 75mm studs off the wall? Did you use anything say chicken wire or something to stop the wool falling out the back onto the external wall? I was thinking of doing 100mm stud with the Knaff rockwool and vapor barrier followed by standsrd plasterboard taped & jointed?
A great video well done. That system seem well thought out. I particularly like the thermal break stud work. That is a clever idea. I agree with everything you say about the gypsum vs lime debate. think comments about gypsum plasterboard allegedly being non vapour permeable and not being applicable in period properties is a bit of new smoke and mirrors by the lime fraternity as a sort of mild scare tactic to improve uptake of lime products. I think you are absolutely right that you have to chose the right properties and the right type of vapour barrier for the right type of property and exposure. Also, occupation and how you manage moisture has a big influence on how much condensation may be generated within the wall and how much evaporative effect is created. There are some simple software apps that help you to calculate the condensation risk to test designs in a rule of thumb way. Its all a balance which I think you have got just right.
This looks like a great system. Watching from USA where it's more an issue of keeping hot humid air out with cool conditioned air inside, but it looks like this would do well for that too.
With that much attention to sealing and moisture control, I have to assume you're going for a door blower test and some form of MVHR, look forward to seeing the plans as they emerge.
Thanks so much Charlie, so much conflicting information out there. I had a suspicion there would be a solution to breathable walls other than the full eco route, or spacetherm, both very expensive. Your cost per sq m would have been a great additional bit of info. Spacetherm told me that they treat thin layers of wall plaster as breathable, so try to keep it below 2-3mm, basically a skim coat. All the more reason to get those walls plumb and flat. But they recommended MgO board instead. Did you consider MgO board instead of plaster board? If so why did you decide to go plasterboard in the end? Probably worth always highlighting that the moisture can come from outside in as well as inside out, so sorting out your external moisture sources, e.g. good drainage and/or water repellent creams on highly exposed walls is also essential. The real secret to this type of system is the vapour control membrane being on the warm side. The moist internal air can’t condense behind the plasterboard as it is still too warm (above dew point), and any moisture that is pushed through from the external walls will warm as it reaches the plasterboard and again not condense. Provided the costs are acceptable (they looked it from what you showed) I’ll be using this system for our next home. Thanks so much again!
Agree with all that but my understanding is that any external bourne moisture may condense on the cold side of the insulation,. The likelihood of that, and whether it would be a big issue, is something I'm trying to figure out before I'm sold on this system.
@@kevocos it would condense first on the cold wall, which I suppose could wick into the insulation if in contact. The idea is that without so much additional moisture coming from the house then this is less frequent/ less likely. But as I say, it’s also reliant on minimising the amount coming from outside by dealing with drainage and ingress from prevailing weather. You then have to hope that with both moisture fronts managed the balance will be that during dry periods the walls dry out enough to avoid high humidity inside the wall during cold periods when condensing can happen. I would think in most situations that would be the case with this system. But there is a moisture balance simulation model that was developed by German researchers that looks at all factors and can advise on the level of vapour open system needed in any one type of construction in a specific geographical location and orientation. This is the good standard means to assess different internal insulation system, but not many have the skill to use it and so it’s a costly analysis. Sorry I can’t recall what it’s called off the top of my head.
@@stephenshapcott1353 I think the relevance of the basis of that German research is missed in most reviews of IWI system, that being the effect that geographical site location and wall orientation has on the effectiveness of each IWI system. IWI discussions are usually along the lines of "this/that system works/doesn't work due to these differences in their respective buildups". Whereas in reality the performance is more so as a result of where the house is situated and it's a wide spectrum; from a south west facing wall on a house in the highlands of Scotland to well shealtered gable nestled in a terrace in London and all in between.
Cork spray insulation is the best product Ive yet to find. Incredible properties and 100% natural. Can be used internally or externally and combined with cork boards for natural superinsulation. Breathable and waterproof. Works out around £60 per sqm.
Where do you buy and wiuld it work on a stone cottage internal walls ? It currently has lime plaster internally no insulation and is getting awful black mould and the cottage is freezing even with heating , humidity is really high..
I went the PIR backed plasterboard route. I appreciate the breathability/moisture argument but will likely just fit a MVHR system to help remove any excess internal humidity
The issue with that arrangement (in theory) is damp/moisture that makes its way in the wall build-up from the outside may sit cold side of the PIR, layer and the MVHR will have no affect on the source of damp/moisture. However In practice this may not be an issue in your particular situation.
I have a cold spot behind a washing machine that backs on to an outside wall in the kitchen. I was thinking about just using something like a PIR board glued to the wall. I like the idea of the Swip system but fara too overkill for about a 1.5MX 1.5M bit of wall. I am not sure if gluing PIR board might just make the problem worse or move it somewhere else.
Could you not effectively combine your methods by sticking PIR to the walls. Taping the joints. Add a vapour control layer. Then apply osb sheets over the PIr and mechanically fix through? So essentially making the whole wall one of the swip battens? Still some issues with sockets I conceded but they could be carved out and the same brackets used - plus greater uvalue for the space used?
How are yiu fixing the boards to the wall if youre sealing everything. Surly all the screw will put holes all in the barrier? Im looking to use this system but wondered how you fix the plasterboard to battoned walls and how do you fit things like radiators and kitchen united to this product? Are you allowed to screw through it because i cant see any other way of fixing anything ..?
Great video, you hit all the important points. One thing I don't get, surely the wool type insulation is far riskier than a PU insulation because at this thickness the dew point would be either within the wool or the internal face of the masonry, either way the wool is going to hold moisture. So why not use a PU insulation which has twice the R value?
Really good video. One thing though. Dew point isn't the location where condensation forms. Dew point is a measurement off the airs humidity. It's basicly the temperature at which humidity reaches 100 percent. A few point off 6 degrees means the surface temp needs to be 6 degrees and bellow to get condensation
Thanks. Correct, but at the dew point that's where the air dumps the moisture and that tends to be activated by cold surfaces that reduce the air's ability to hold moisture thereby raising the RH and causing condensation to form. So it's kind of the same thing.
Having just viewed a cottage that was constructed in 1803, this video was a perfect example of what I'd be looking at doing. My plans, if we do buy, would be insulate, ventilate, make it breathable and I'm improve airtightness. Bash in solar and ASHP and it'd be lovely.
From memory SWIP say in the instructions it has to be a non solvent based foam I think but I basically used a mixture of adhesive foams and gap fillers. Worth checking though when/ if you get the system but a gap filling foam will be fine.
@13:59 you mentioned not insulating where the joists intersect with the internal wall can you elaborate on why? can this cause moisture retention issues around the joists perhaps?
It's actually the external wall. Yes the point was they're not tanelised and SWIP were concerned that any moisture travelling up through the ceiling could get into the joists and rot them if there was no air circulation. If in doubt give them a call if you're using this system.
All you need to do is to glue kingspan board together. It is much better insulation in terms of stability and efficiency. Rockwool and Knauf will sag after some time making words around, especially in the walls.
Nice. Interested to see know the gypsum plasterboard plays out over the years. Did something similar using Steico products, instead of plasterboard we used wood wool and a lime based render... been brilliant so far. More work and higher costs though.
Hey Charlie, thinking of using this system in my 1887 end terrace - solid brick, lots of them external! Starting in the upstairs bedroom. The original floor joists are located on the external wall and I was wondering how you closed the system before your ceiling joists? As I would want to do the same but close it at my floor! Super informative video, keep up the great work! Thanks, Joe
Hi. The manufacturer recommends that insulation is left out between the joists on the original timbers. Did you fix your vapour barrier between the joists and add insulation outside the vapour barrier on these joists?
Here in Canada, I have downgraded my use of plastic. On one job, I had to replace all the SM board that had been honeycombed by ants and mice. On my own home, I spray foamed the attic rafters. Then the wasps tunneled through 6 feet of it to emerge through a light socket. How do you fix that without ripping off the roof or interior drywall and cutting out all the foam? The studs you use are mostly plastic. How about rockwool board up against the brick for a thermal break, then a regular stud wall built out far enough so you don't have to scribe everything? Fill the studs with rockwool. I don't like fiberglass batts as they hold water and mice love to tunnel in it.
5:17 you cant say with certainty because if there is no tray above the lintel then rain water from wet bricks will come down and stays there so it could be that as well !
So I have a underlay with dpm going down on a concrete slab. Engineered wood going on top. I got the sealing tape for the joins for the underlay but do I also tape to the wall? No really obvious damp issue from what I can see.
When internally insulating solid walls, using the SWIP method, instead of using plasterboard and then plaster on top of the insulation and battens/studs, could I use timber matchboard (breathable?) painted with breathable chalk paint as a finish? And if not, why not? Any advice welcome.
@charlieDIYte There is a case of a SWIP system wall insulation that seems to be the associated with extensive dry rot after only several months of install doing the rounds on Linkedin at the moment. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My view is keep it simple, understand old buildings and use natural breathable materials. Membranes rely on perfect installation and not getting damaged over time. Manmade insulation and membranes do not allow transit of both water vapour and liquid water that may arise from interstitial condensation or penetration from the outside.
Awesome job! Q. Dis you say that the rockwool was worse to deal with? I am confused by this because the stuff you used is glass, which is usually worse. I would love to see a video comparing them if possible.
Hi Charlie. I’ve come across your Chanel, thanks for all the information. I’m not renovating but in the process of buying an old farm building that was converted in 2015. Never having lived in an old place like this before, I’m just nervous about the quality of the renovation bits that I can’t see. The wall insulation would be inside of course as the outside is the original brick. The survey hasn’t found anything….should I be worried about anything or look into anything more and how best to do this when I can’t see with my own eyes. Survey did mention patio had been built up a bit high to the damp proof course which is a slate course but nothing other than that. I’d welcome your thoughts if you have time in your busy day. Thank you.
Hi Charlie. Thanks for this video, it's amazing but I have a few questions. On an older Victorian house (single, solid wall construction) I'm told by some experts that the wall is designed to breathe both ways, this allows the solid wall to dry out using heat permeating from the inside out. If you create a heat barrier the external wall always remains cold. Whilst this might address vapour and heat values internally, wet and cold external walls will take longer to dry out. This will accelerate the weathering of the external walls (spalling and render degradation) - have you taken that into consideration and what advice can you offer before I embark on internal insulation? Many thanks, Ty
You're welcome. When you're insulating a period property there are always compromises - which is why EWI is always the best solution if you can. However whilst the experts are right on the theory, take my place which had cement Tyrolean render on the outside and the couple we bought from had polystyrene backed wallpaper everywhere inside. So it couldn't breathe but the walls were bone dry when we started stripping them down. My daughter's room was unheatable before we insulated it and the insulation transformed it into a cosy room so you have to decide what's important.
Great video. I have 2 questions 1) i might be wrong but it looked like you didn't continue the vapour barrier into the window reveal, why was that and isn't there a risk of getting condensation there because of that? And 2) do you attach the plasterboard with drywall screws? Is the assumption that where the screws penetrate the vapour barrier the holes will self-seal? Thanks in advance
Thanks. Yes there's no need for the barrier in the reveal as it's completely foamed up - there may even be a barrier in that insulated plasterboard that goes into the reveal. I'd need to check. Yes the plasterboard screws go straight into the osb on the front of the batten, so no vape is going to get through the screw hole and onto the foam behind.
This is how we’ve been insulating our basements in Canada for decades. Not sure why timber frames and vapor management have taken so long to take off in the uk but it’s absolutely the best system when installed correctly.
@@CharlieDIYte Yea, no point in trying to fill a leaky bucket. I'm about to start insulating an ancient barn in Devon actually, and am looking for the best system, which is how I've come back to your channel. I think timber frame, PIR, vapour barrier, is going to be my route of choice as trying to keep costs down. Offsetting the framing against the stone wall with expanding foam is probably the perfect fix for preventing that cold bridge, so thanks for the tip there Charlie
Further to your reply to my comment... Even with a vapour membrane on the warm side of the new insulation the 9" solid wall will contain enough moisture for condensation to form in the wall & on the inside face under the insulation & this will occure more frequently because by placing insulation on the inside face you have substantially dropped the temp. of the wall & the no. of times the wall is below due point. The calculations to proove this are fairly straight forward. The same calcs. will also demonstrate the temperature gradient across the thickness of the wall and where due point & freezing point within the wall now occures. Yes this method of retrospective insulation will reduce heat loss through the wall, but not only will the cost of it never be recovered in fuel savings in the lifetime of the building it will increase condensation & put the brickwork at incresed risk of frost damage. Condensation must form on surfaces below due point & this system of building not only increases the risk of condensation, it provides no air supply sufficient to remove it. That requires a ventilated cavity. . Q. Do the manufactures of the products you use have a BBA approval for the way you use them?
Builder from Belgium here. We alsof use pro clima's intello plus. But use blown in cellulose. And normal SLS or CLS studs. I'm personly lookinh into hempcrete. Maybe u find it interesting to?
I am trying to work out what to do with a 1930s exposed building . It was originally standard cavity construction. Cavity filled with fibre blown insulation in 1980s , being in exposed area not a good idea . However since then Cotswold stone , genuine not panels has been applied externally . So now we have stone , lime mix cement behind , brick wall , filled cavity , internal brick wall now exposed . Question now is how to insulate this wall to avoid what I anticipate as being the need for the wall to breathe .
Sorry last para doesn’t make sense , I anticipate the internal wall needs to breathe and how to insulate it whilst giving it the ability to breathe is my problem
Multi-foil works fantastically well also, & other far infrared heating systems, similar to your IR underfloor heating 👍👍👍 Are you going to use, a breathable foam, in that door gap? That's what they normally use these days, don't they??
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Your stuff is absolutely cracking Charlie. As a young home owner you’ve saved me a fortune on showing me stuff I can do myself, and a fortune on knowing enough to tell when a tradesman is talking shite
Love it when u catch them talking bolloks!
Great video I so need to do this with my solid walls 👍
There are better ways. And cheaper too. Even without plastics, foil and all that tape...
@@alis49281Could you please explain ?
Totally agree, love genuine utube vids giving u help & honest advice.
Good to hear that a manufacturer gives good after sales and tech support.
Im in the USA and looking to add insulation to my “old” home from 1940. This is one of the best videos I’ve watched. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much - chuffed you've found it watching from the US.
Same. I'm in Iowa and trying to figure out how to finish the basement and potentially insulate some of my cavity walls in my 1913 home.
@@BaughbeSauceSpeaking as an Ohio based insulation contractor (now retired) with a lot of basements behind me, I have pretty much seen it all and have concluded that closed cell polyurethane spray foam has everything else beat by a good margin. You not only get excellent thermal insulation, you also get moisture control. I long since lost count of how many basements we did this way but and customers were universally happy and impressed.
Another great video Charlie. I'm doing up an old stone railway cottage in Ireland, so very much on topic.
I did dry line a wall last week in another cottage and your tip for taping the socket box is a good one and I will go back and do that.
Best advice I have ever received- It's not about keeping water out. . . It's LETTING water out.
Charlie I feel like we need more of the story of the emotional roller coaster you went through doing all this
Very useful. In my DiY video I used PIR and plasterboard (separately one over the other for cheapness) and secured with screws. I used this method partly because we could only spare 1.5 inches off the room dimension due to internal constraints. As you can imagine that attracted comments. But 3 years on we've not (knowingly) experienced any condensation problems. Our old house is well ventilated and moisture levels are low. We recently got a dehumidifier and it virtually never runs. Cheers
You really made a lovely video on a topic which has taken much of my thoughts as well.
Some details are really good: the way you attach the air control layer (Intello clima) on the inside to the floor and ceiling is really good. In this way you really make sure you limit any leaks. Another lovely detail is the way you airseal the sockets.
One detail you talk about with respect to the windows (how you make sure the air control layer is continuous until it reaches the window), was a bit harder to follow/understand. Perhaps I need to watch that bit again because I can tell you really thought trough the details.
The part you explained about the variable vapour permeability was a bit counter intuïtieve because you spoke of the relative humidity instead of temperature. The most important part is that it is harder for moisture to pass through in winter (when it is cold outside and the dew point resides within your wall). In summer the membrane is much more open, which allows for all the moisture which did built up in the wall during the winter, to dry out.
One might consider leaving a small ventilation gap between the brick wall and the insulation: this will lead to condensation of the moisture on the bricks. The pro is that the glass wool will stay dry. The con is that the moisture will drip down an accumulate at the bottom of the wall. For this reason, sometimes weeping holes are added at the bottom of the brick wall. These allow for water to drip out. As these weeping holes also allow water to get in from the outside, they need to be above ground level, which requires that the inside bottom of the air cavity is also above ground level.
One final note: the German website www.ubakus.de/ does brilliant simulations of moisture build up, thermal mass and insulation of any kind of wall and roof setup. It is a brilliant website which helps you to see what happens in a particular build-up and what e.g. the effect can be of different kinds of insulation materials, including the use of the mentioned ventilation gap.
Thanks for your very detailed comment. I think my point about relative humidity was meant to be that if you keep RH down to say between 40 and 50% you're very unlikely to be creating high levels of moisture that will want to migrate through the wall. I've experienced this in my son's room where I rather badly insulated with Kingstown K118 and was shocked to find out how damp it was in the electrical socket back boxes a year or so after install. A few years later I checked again expecting the same only to find it was dry as a bone. Could have been the plasterboard adhesive had dried out but more likely we gave a very robust vapour management strategy now with plenty of ventilation. Thank you for mentioning ubakus. Sam on our Discord channel also uses it. It's brilliant isn't it! SWIP don't recommend leaving a gap between brick and insulation. I like you personally don't buy the arguement it helps to prevent condensation but that's their policy.
Thanks for your comprehensive coverage. Happy Christmas!
Thanks, really appreciate that. Happy Christmas to you too 🎄☃️
Brilliantly helpful, Charlie. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Great work 💪
In Canada, all electrical boxes require a moulded vapour barrier around back of the box, sealed to the cables and to the vapour barrier. Or special vapour sealed boxes.
Sooo happy to finally see a new video from you! I’ve been visiting your channel regularly hoping to find a new one but being sorely disappointed! Keep up the good work 😊
I'd venture to say very few builders would go down to the level of detail you did installing this stuff, likely not that many DIY's would either! Well done Charlie!
Thanks, I really appreciate that 👊
We used swip last year. Fabulous
I’ll be installing this system at some point over the next few weeks. Really appreciate the video Charlie. Thank you.
Hi mate, how have you gotten on with SWIP? What rooms are you doing?
@@danielmcgregor3124 hi mate, it was an old kitchen being decided up into smaller rooms, utility, wc and entrance area. Still ongoing as I have my usual 9-5 on the go also. I’ve been impressed with the swip so far quality of the materials is decent and knowing that Charlie and others had given it a go gave me a bit of faith in the system. The tech support are always open to a video call to discuss if needed. Still got the membrane to fit and a few more of “wool“ batts whilst the final few services are finished.
@@danielmcgregor3124 this video from charlie was invaluable also!
This seems very common to systems prevalent in warmer parts of the world, e.g. like how Scott Brown has been doing in NZ on his channel recently. Might have to look into it myself when we get round to insulating our house 👍🏼
Hello Charlie. Glass-and stone wool are very normal to use in Norway. You're so right when you say it's easy to use. The difference between glass wool and stone wool (how we call it in Norway) is that stone wool does not burn. It can withstand temperatures up to 1000⁰c whilst glass wool starts melting at around 500⁰c and it can burn.
Thanks Alex, that's good to know 👌
Not sure that is an issue.
But what is is the moisture resistance.
Saturate both types and you will find Rockwool is far superior.
I would say wood fiber insulation with Intello membrane are fore sure better than glass or rock wool because wood fiber has high capacity for absorbing ambient humidity it also release it very well.
I have seen many wall insulated without any vapor barrier or membrane and glass wool has appeared a lot of black stuff quite sure that is some kind of mold. Never seen same happening with rock wool and even less with wood fiber insulation.
The differences in melting temp and moisture resistance (low for both) are probably not practically relevant. What is important though is that rock wool is heavier and much better at sound insulation. Hence it is preferred for interior walls and ceilings, while glass wool is commonly used for roofs.
You can also add some ply in-between the OSB battens so you have a solid fixing surface all across the surface.
Yes you could do that - just making sure the screws you attach to the ply when you fix things to the wall don't penetrate the vcl
I've been restoring (not renovating) old properties for years. I do the exact same thing in areas that cannot be solved. I usually try to identify an issue and resolve it at source but sometimes you just can't win. I actually make my own studs using kingspan seconds and ply. Glue the two together as 8x4 sheets then rip with a circular saw to 75/80mm width studs, it works a treat and saves a ton of cash. Have you tried vapour barrier direct to the existing wall before the knauf fill to control moisture ingress to the batts?
Your vids are great, keep going!!
That’s a great idea with the kingspan
That is an excellent idea for the studs! I haven't tried that but I reckon the vapour barrier should be on the warm not cold side of the insulation otherwise you're encouraging the vapour to condense inside the wall. Remember it's the vape in the room we're trying to stop more than anything coming in from outside.
Brilliant idea making up you own studs.
What type of glue do you use?
@@kevocos I've used most things, silicon works super well, contact adhesive etc, it's only to hold the two together until you screw them to the wall. What I do also is pre drill the hole through the stud and jam a good glob of silicone or frame sealant in this hole to stop any moisture creep through the fixing..
@@tinfoilhat4837what thickness of kingspan do you use and any product names of the adhesive? This maybe a much better solution for those of us not in the UK
Thanks
I might be misunderstanding what you mean, but dew point is a temperature - variable depending upon a number of factors - not a place or area.
I think he was saying just dew point when what he meant was “dew point caused condensation”, ie “there we are getting dew point caused condensation”
Somewhat over simplified, dew point is where warm meets cold. Familiar example being single glazing when it's cold outside and heated indoors, dew forms on the inside face of the glass.
@@Stewart_Bell You are of course right - up to a point. The meeting of the warm air and the cold air cools the warm air, which because it's warm has the capacity to carry a relatively large amount of water vapour, it cools the warm air such that the warm air becomes saturated with water vapour and condensation likely occurs. The dew point is a measurement of the temperature at which this happens - the saturation process - and is, as such, measured as a temperature, i.e. in degrees celsius. In your example, dew point is reached at the inside surface of the window for the reason that you state, but dew point is the temperature to which that warm air contacting the window pane falls, for condensation to occur.
Well yes, but the dew point could be present at any point in the structure, depending on the outside temperature. I suppose the correct term for what he is saying would be "condensation point". There is a temperature gradient between inside surface and the outside. The dew point temperature will occur somewhere in the wall.
That is why it is important to have an air/vapour impermeable barrier near the inside surface. Even if air cannot pass through, water vapour can travel through materials to the point where condensation occurs. This could be at the outside or in the middle.
Love this Charlie i have been searching for the best system for ages and this is just right for my room -- followed step by step and worked out really well..
Dear Charlie, thank you so much for the information and making this clear video. Insulation seems a very difficult area and full of conflicting advice and you have made it seem logical. thanks so much
Cheers Mark, I appreciate that 👊
So 10 years ago the builder did a not great job and you have built all this knowledge up since then.Well done, I had a heart failure start up instead!
I am so grateful to you for this Charlie. I was going to follow your example with the Kingspan but I found that their technical support was giving advice that contradicted their own online instructions. I think it was regarding whether to seal all the way around each of their insulated plasterboards. Anyway, this seems like a far better solution. Thank you
Been waiting for this vid for ages! Excellent as always, looking forward to following this method soon. 🎉
Thanks Oliver. Glad you found it useful 👊
Such a professional video Charlie! There’s content and there’s presentation- you nailed (or glued or screwed or foamed) both 😂!
I wish you’d done this video a year ago!
Same type of property and although no damp I suspect that’s because all doors and windows are wood. Cold areas everywhere! It’s an old coach house - though it’s conversion is only surface !
Just finishing off polished concrete kitchen flooring - it’s an interesting product.
Keep the vids coming!
Love that comment - thanks so much mate. Love the sound of the polished concrete too - bet it looks amazing👌. I've got a tiling vid to do - newly finished laying the monster 1200mm square porcelains. I think it's created a similar effect. 👊
Fantastic video, I’ve been looking for an understandable explanation of this for months and this really helps.
This is one of the videos I’ve seen that helps you understand how to insulate an old house.
Thanks 🙏
Using your analogy with the sponge.
After the moisture has passed through, which sponge is drier and which one is retaining moisture therefore which will dry out quicker.
The difference appears quite visible even during your example.
Nice to see someone is dealing with this issue. My builder friend didn't know about this but did warn me about dot and dab to external walls causing damp spots to come through. We used instastick to glue up foil backed PIR boards and it's been OK so far.
The cable derating is no different whether it's in the insulation or not- it's all installation type A whether it's buried or just butted against with a board on one side to cool down as you've done.
Another great video Charlie- you'll need a new house to refurbish soon 😄
Thanks mate.. Yes I'm kicking myself I didn't mention the benefits of using foam with PIR/ insulated plasterboard. I've done a few videos on this now and forgot to do this on each. I think expanding foam would eliminate much of the issues I mentioned.
18:02
it usually says on the can📝
allow 5-10mins for the foam to go tacky .
at that point it makes a rock solid bond.
(the product wont work as intended when still in liquid form)
This is more like a hybrid passive house refurb.. Great work and well thought through..
Thanks 👊
Excellent video Charlie - I have a similar problem and this helps solve it 👍👍👏👏
I'd like say that continuity of the vapor barrier is not critical for vapor diffusion (ie the insulation backed plaster board), but it does have a significant impact in air borne moisture movement which can transport significantly more moisture to a condensing surface than vapor diffusion.
In the example of the insulation backed plaster board, as long as all the board is finished well, it will be air tight, with the foil providing the vapor barrier. However, when is the bottom edge of plaster ever finished nicely? That could be a major source of air movement.
A dedicated air and vapor control layer like intello is a much better way to approach it.
The second consideration with the insulation backed plaster board is that you will have a lot of moisture drive inward thorough the masonry. That will be trapped by the vapor barrier with the only way to dry out being outward. Depending on the water carrying capacity of the masonry and whether it had time to dry out sufficient before another water event occurs will determine whether there is mold and other moisture issues in the wall.
To address inward water movement through the masonry, proper exterior bulk water management is key.
Apologies of my terminology is off, I'm visiting from across the pond. : )
Love the masonry building content from England as yall have a much better understanding of solid masonry structures than we do.
Thanks, yes that's a good point I should have mentioned. Also you can reduce this concern by using foam adhesive rather than plasterboard adhesive which creates a better vapour barrier around sockets and breaks in the board.
Lots of our structures were originally designed to be clad, the Victorians took it all and now still to this day we are struggling with damp solid walls.
Interesting, clad with what?
Just found this channel. The amount of work and effort you've put in both the build and video is next level. Thats not a small or easy job to get right and for the average DIY'er, probably proceed with caution😄
Thanks so much mate, I really appreciate that. Yes it's pretty debilitating at times - would be so much easier if I was just doing vlog style content and my videos would be a lot more regular. 😉👊
I had condensation on every window in a 200 year old building, until I had a PIV unit installed in the attic. Like magic, all the condensation disappeared!
Makes your house bloody cold in the winter though!!
Thank you Charlie. First I’ve watched of your channel, but you got my sub! Gonna need all the help good folk like you share, as you’ve made folk like me decide to buy old stone cottages with no roofs to do up 😂
Great update, nice to see the move away from PIR on the whole, just need to work on your foam addiction next! 😄
A note about the tapes to say that they should be pressed into place with an applicator tool to make the joints fully sealed.
Like the insulated PB, I’m guessing the studs are also fairly closed to vapour, so it relies on the Knauf to breathe albeit slowly. And the Inteilo membrane helps regulate vapour. Very interesting and useful build out. I’m sure for your property it’s going to work well and will be warm! Like you said vapour plan especially in the kitchen is needed anyway. Excellent video Charlie! Thank you!
Yes that's right. Thanks 👊
I was so looking forward to this video ! Pretty much since the first insulation video you did. I got to say it was worth the wait. This is going to turn our old victorian house into a cozy home and I'm really glad I won't have to pay a fortune to have the walls lime-rendered. It's going to be so much better to have those smooth and flat plasterboard sheets. One questions though, what would you recommend for internal walls ? especially ground floor where rising damp might be an issue ?
This is great information, Charlie. I considered drylining our house before but the conflicting information on how to do so with solid walls was head melting, so I never did it. Fortunately we were able to get external insulation, but had I known this a few years ago I likely would have gone down this route.
Thanks.. You're much better off with external though. 👌
Well done!! Love all the detail.
"whilst the ceiling board was, well...still a bit emotional" Haha. A nice reminder that whilst we always see Charlie in good spirits throughout his videos, there is undoubtedly many occasions of stress, swearing and no doubt some tears and feelings of hopelessness.
Yep there have been many of those moments on this job!! 👊
best yet. I have recently installed 80 mm polystyrene insulation on my bedroom / downstairs fairly modern 30 ish year old home in Portugal. NOTICEABLE improvement . Upstairs floors are ceramic tilled over concrete / gravel filled heat sink,s . So Impressed with the ceiling insulation that I am looking to insulate the outer walls from the inside . Ab small amount of mould has occurred in the outer corners of the bedroom ceilings / walls. If you fancy a look see please come out to Alvito Portugal for a stop over break / holiday . Airport pick up and loan car foc .
Thanks Richard. 👍
Thanks for bringing another option of breathable IWI to our attention, it's something I'm really needing on our project and this is possibly the answer. I was thinking of using woodfibre, but it requires a flat surface to bond to and like you (and most others) I don't have that. I'm a bit suspicious of the use of FF everywhere as I know it doesn't fill voids anywhere near as well as we think it does, but unsure how much, or if it does matter in this situation.
As regards lime V gypsum, it's not about whether one is more vapour permeable than the other (they both are and every building material is to a degree), it's that one is ruined by constantly having damp go through it and the other one isn't.
Every system has it's pros n cons and should be used or modified to suit the situation it's fitted into.
The good thing about this system (for us, not SWIP) is that you can buy all the components elsewhere and make it yourself, probably a lot cheaper - if you have the tools.
Yeah I was wondering the same regarding the gap filling behind the stud.
Another comment below had a great suggestion that the studs can be fabricated onsite, just buy the XPS insulation, osb and bond them together.
I wonder could you go a step further and bond a layer of mineral wool to the XPS. The mineral being compressible would fill the gaps against the wall.
@@kevocos Yes I was thinking of putting the wool behind the studs too, but it depends how irregular your surface is perhaps. You could also gun the foam on the back face just before finally fixing it to the wall. As regards making the studs you can buy PIR already bonded to OSB in sheet form, all you need to do is run the saw down it. You need to make sure you choose the right type of wool, IIRC one soaks up water, the other doesn't.
I have done extensive research into IWI in solid wall construction as I have 130 sqm to do on an upcoming project, tbh I am absolutely sick to the teeth of reading about it and trying to decide which system to use.
The SWIP system looks promising and I may even use it myself however IMHO woodfibre boards and a lime based finishing plaster should be regarded as the benchmark, I believe it is the system that is least likely to suffer from interstitial condensation.
But every situation is different and SWIP may be totally satisfactory in many houses, certainly those is low exposure areas of the country.
Correct. Woodfibre with lime plaster. Fully bonded with vapour open adhesive. Very simple and most effective at dealing with moisture.
Or you go hemp lime solid plaster
..but does it achieve the same insulation value, for a similar thickness.
Bit of a misunderstanding about how moisture buffering in lime works. Rather than moisture pass through it will normally go into the lime during periods of high humidity then back into the room when humidity drops. The knauf insulation allows moisture to pass through but will not deal with moisture as well as products like wood fibre. The easiest system is simply fully bond wood fibre insulation to the wall and plaster over with lime based plaster. No membranes required.
It's not the easiest, it's just a different method. WFB requires a perfectly flat breathable surface to bond to, not many old houses have those.
@@lksf9820 if there isn’t a breathable surface, the non breathable material, ie cement or gypsum plaster should be removed first anyway whatever the system. A wall can be levelled up with the lime based adhesive prior to binding wood fibre. This system is clearly a reasonable alternative but imo slightly over complicated.
Thanks for sharing that. 👌
Agreed, from my own basic research, wood fibre and lime skimcoat seems like a system that will perform the best in terms of moist management.
It would be interesting to compare the price/m2 of both systems.
lime coat with cork or wood fibre would cost shit loads@@kevocos
OMG, the masking tape to hold the foam insulation is DIY gold. I came to this video hoping for something to help me. I had new windows installed in a bungalow with cavity walls and discovered cavity closers when it was too late. So I've been struggling to fill the cavities with foam, but not any more. Thanks.
Thanks Julian. Really glad you found it useful..👊
Hello Charlie.
This is something I am considering myself but I am receive conflicting information. I am not being critical but do have a few constructive questions -
Do you not need a ventilation gap between the insulation and the outside wall ?
Does the outside wall not need heat from within the house to keep it naturally dry from the elements - rain in winter particularly?
Would it not have been a lot easier to build an independent stud wall from floor to ceiling so no leveling out. Also eliminating the possibility of moisture from the outside wall travelling in to the new work - ventilation gap prevents ??
Thank you...
A ventilation gap is only any use if you have air movement. It does stop the direct transmission of water which is why cavity walls exist and it’s a bad idea to fill them with insulation as you then create a bridge. All air has some moisture in it. The problem comes as the temperature changes and it starts to condense. The trick is keeping a route for more humid air as difficult as possible. Vapour barriers are actually vapour retarders that slow down the transfer of air. You are unlikely to get a house airtight, but can reduce the transfer and therefore reduce the risk of moist air hitting a surface that is colder than its dew point. MVHR is the gold standard in a well sealed home. It it were me I’d consider Stormdry on the outside, MVHR and vapour barriers with insulation.
I'm struggling to see the difference between this and the Kingspan system used in the bedroom other then the VCL. I expect the PIR and stud system with a VCL is going to be a lot cheaper.
It overcomes cold bridging but the at those thicknesses of insulation the difference in the R-value between a normal stud and the insulation is not going to be enough to result in a condensation problem on the cold bridge.
Given the Insulation should be behind a VCL in both systems the vapour permeability of the insulation won't matter.
If the VCL fails and the vapour permeability of the insulation does become a factor then surely a less vapour permeable insulation would be better to prevent interstitial condensation occuring on the wall behind.
Perhaps I missed something in the video?
I also think the thermal massing mentioned at the beginning goes both ways. A lot of thermal massing will sap heat out of the building and make the internal temperature a lot less reactive to turning the heating on/up. Works better in hotter countries to prevent overheating.
Have you looked into Steico wood fibre internal insulation boards? They should be suitable for older houses as well, basically they can be plastered right onto the brick because the claim is that the board is structured in a way that allows capillary action to wick the water away from the wall and to the side of the board which is getting heated.
I done a room in my house with this or actually it was the Gutex version.
Never plastered before but I managed it and it came out great. Mind you I got a plasterer to do the finish lime plasterer.
Clay based paint to finish.
It's a very very pleasant and warm room. You can tell it's an airy and warm and healthy room to be in however.....
It was very expensive to do in the end and couldn't justify to do the whole house that way.
Thanks for the info, yeah its not the cheapest, but I only have few walls which cant be done externally so in those few places I wouldnt mind paying more to get it done nicely with this.
So to clarify you didnt use any sort of vapour control/barrier layer, just plastered the wall flat, slapped the fibre boards to it and then covered with lime?@@brycon232
You need perfectly flat walls to bond wood fibre boards to.
@@lksf9820 not really.. mine was far from perfect but there is room to level out with the breathable adhesive you use for bonding.
If it's very bad you can level it with a scud coat of lime plaster.
@07:22ff Thanks for comparing the Mineral Wool with EOS to RockWool.
Great video charlie. I've never heard of or seen this product before but it seems like a great solution for this issue with older houses. I'll definitely be looking into this system. 👍
Thanks. Yes it's a fab system. Really pleased with it.
I really wanted to do this with my victorian house ... but chickened out and went for the much cheaper and easier Wallrock wallpaper instead. It's still made quite a bit of a difference, although obviously nothing on this. I couldn't find a single company who would give me a sensible quote for doing the job properly - something we really need in this country.
Learning about insulation new ideas. Thanks for the vid. Midwest from the states - dreamer here for fixing up a house or mobile home.
Thanks Andrew. Always humbled when my vids reach so far afield. Hope you manage to realise the dream some day 🤞👊
That looks like Knauff Thermoshell to me. …. I put this in a single brick WALLED cottage just under 10 years ago. And I can tell you it is FANTASTIC…. I would 100% recommend … it’s not cheap. But it works. For sure and I’m 10 years in 😊
Yes I think that's right. It's a great system. The kitchen is so warm today
Charlie, great informative video, I'm refurbishing a timber framed house which is space 'challenged', I've replaced the ancient 2 inch glass fibre insulation with 50mm of PIR, all joints taped, then I've used a product made by SuperFOIL as an internal heat reflective vapour barrier before installing counter battening to create a service void before fitting the internal wall surface. UK made, their Tech Support did all the heavy lifting of calculating the U values for me.
If I was doing a solid wall refurb I'd definitely be using SWIP, based on your great video and the product has all the features you'd want to avoid cold bridging and get a warmer house.
You've done a lovely job there. The difference must be extraordinary!! 👌
@@CharlieDIYte When its finished I will let you know how good it actually is - we are also going for a Vent Axia PIV unit in the loft and humidity sensing fans in the bathroom, there's no room for an MHRV unit 😞 VentAxia tech support have also been very helpful.
Excellent video and has helped me massively. Thanks Charlie!
You're welcome. Thanks for the comment Tom 👊
Can recommend the SWIP system. Used it one of our properties which was built in the 1840s. Brought the EPC rating up to a grade C from an F.
Thanks that's good to know. 👊
Charlie, just watched your video on ewi/iwi and noticed your shenanigans with expanding foam, just a tip,........ when using xfoam if you spray both the area and the say, board with a water atomiser then leave for five minutes or so until, when you touch the xfoam it is spongy ,but not sticky, it will come together so much easier and, will need minimal support !..........i like to think you will be amazed !.............
Kind regards, Kieran Connolly (The Quiet Man)......
Thanks Kieran. Funnily enough Sam on our Discord forum said something similar. I'll make sure I should you out when I do the vid on this. 👌👊
Many thanks for a brilliant video. Just what I was looking for before starting a similar project on the corner bedroom of my traditional 3 bed semi.
Most things make sense to me and there's a few things that I'd appreciate some clarification on please.
In my experience, the coldest/dampest place is often the external wall corners & window reveals.
(1) You have a doubled-up overlapping vertical battens in the corners, foam filled the gaps & adjoined horizontals at the top & bottom. Surely the system becomes the least breathable at the most critical coldest/dampest area?
(2) With all the concerns of using PIR backed PB, why is it a good idea to use it in the other vulnerable area (your window reveals)?
(3) With your positive pressure system, the main flow will be from the house to the outside via the least restrictive holes (airbricks, window vents etc). With hardly any flow through the plasterboard. If you're after the most breathable wall, why use the membrane at all?
(4) Why do you need the 'intelligent' membrane to block the vapour during the warmest/driest period of the year when you are missing the opportunity for it to dry out?
(5) You explain the problem with dot/dab plasterboard is that the vapour goes through the board and condenses on the wall. So if you add the breathable barrier and insulation between your plasterboard and wall, then less heat will reach the surface of that wall, so why won't there be even more water condensing and trapped on the even colder wall (behind the insulation)?
Many thanks and keep up the good work!
(6) Confusing me even more, If you go to the gov site... assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614b30aad3bf7f718a54c0be/iwi-guidance.pdf look at item 58, it says.. "58. Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) should not be installed with internal wall insulation. The risk of interstitial condensation between the wall and the IWI is increased when using a ventilation system such as PIV, that actively pushes warm, wet air into the building fabric."
Similar to how I done my IWI.
After a lot of research I settled on 75mm studs set off the wall and squared up, full filled with 100mm treated sheep's wool. Then the intello membrane followed by 50mm horizontal battens to create a service cavity which I then filled with 50mm wood fiber batts (steico flex) and finished with regular plasterboard and a nice fairly breathable paint. (Not full on clay paint but definitely not a cheap plastic paint)
Has worked a treat so far.
What a great system - thanks for sharing. Yes I forgot to mention I've used a Jonmatt matt emulsion which I think is one of Johnstone's only breathable emulsions.
Sounds like a good job you have done.
Can I ask how did you satisfy yourself that regular plasterboard would be sufficiently breathable? (given all the other components of your buildup are very much so). And did you skm over the PB with gypsum?
I'm completely sold on the benefits of woodfibre and sheeps wool and I would like to use regular plasterboard and gypsum skimcoat but so many people seem to advise against it.
@kevocos I don't have the research to hand but as far as I remember there is enough vapour permeability and buffering in gypsum to work considering where it is placed in the wall build up.
If it was up against a cold wall it will get overloaded and saturated and then fail but on the very warm side of the build up there are no issues along with regular skimcoat and a good emulsion.
I also used hemplime and hemplime plaster that I mixed up myself to patch in around windows and in tight awkward areas.
@@brycon232 Yes makes sense.
Like the idea with the hemplime around the window reveals. I think Charlie has done a great job but I wouldn't be a fan of foaming insulated PB around the reveal.
How far did you set the 75mm studs off the wall? Did you use anything say chicken wire or something to stop the wool falling out the back onto the external wall?
I was thinking of doing 100mm stud with the Knaff rockwool and vapor barrier followed by standsrd plasterboard taped & jointed?
A great video well done. That system seem well thought out. I particularly like the thermal break stud work. That is a clever idea. I agree with everything you say about the gypsum vs lime debate. think comments about gypsum plasterboard allegedly being non vapour permeable and not being applicable in period properties is a bit of new smoke and mirrors by the lime fraternity as a sort of mild scare tactic to improve uptake of lime products. I think you are absolutely right that you have to chose the right properties and the right type of vapour barrier for the right type of property and exposure. Also, occupation and how you manage moisture has a big influence on how much condensation may be generated within the wall and how much evaporative effect is created. There are some simple software apps that help you to calculate the condensation risk to test designs in a rule of thumb way. Its all a balance which I think you have got just right.
This looks like a great system. Watching from USA where it's more an issue of keeping hot humid air out with cool conditioned air inside, but it looks like this would do well for that too.
Thanks, I appreciate you watching it 👊
With that much attention to sealing and moisture control, I have to assume you're going for a door blower test and some form of MVHR, look forward to seeing the plans as they emerge.
I'm going to install a single room MVHR in the utility.
Thanks so much Charlie, so much conflicting information out there. I had a suspicion there would be a solution to breathable walls other than the full eco route, or spacetherm, both very expensive. Your cost per sq m would have been a great additional bit of info.
Spacetherm told me that they treat thin layers of wall plaster as breathable, so try to keep it below 2-3mm, basically a skim coat. All the more reason to get those walls plumb and flat. But they recommended MgO board instead. Did you consider MgO board instead of plaster board? If so why did you decide to go plasterboard in the end?
Probably worth always highlighting that the moisture can come from outside in as well as inside out, so sorting out your external moisture sources, e.g. good drainage and/or water repellent creams on highly exposed walls is also essential.
The real secret to this type of system is the vapour control membrane being on the warm side. The moist internal air can’t condense behind the plasterboard as it is still too warm (above dew point), and any moisture that is pushed through from the external walls will warm as it reaches the plasterboard and again not condense.
Provided the costs are acceptable (they looked it from what you showed) I’ll be using this system for our next home. Thanks so much again!
Agree with all that but my understanding is that any external bourne moisture may condense on the cold side of the insulation,. The likelihood of that, and whether it would be a big issue, is something I'm trying to figure out before I'm sold on this system.
@@kevocos it would condense first on the cold wall, which I suppose could wick into the insulation if in contact. The idea is that without so much additional moisture coming from the house then this is less frequent/ less likely. But as I say, it’s also reliant on minimising the amount coming from outside by dealing with drainage and ingress from prevailing weather.
You then have to hope that with both moisture fronts managed the balance will be that during dry periods the walls dry out enough to avoid high humidity inside the wall during cold periods when condensing can happen. I would think in most situations that would be the case with this system.
But there is a moisture balance simulation model that was developed by German researchers that looks at all factors and can advise on the level of vapour open system needed in any one type of construction in a specific geographical location and orientation. This is the good standard means to assess different internal insulation system, but not many have the skill to use it and so it’s a costly analysis. Sorry I can’t recall what it’s called off the top of my head.
@@stephenshapcott1353 I think the relevance of the basis of that German research is missed in most reviews of IWI system, that being the effect that geographical site location and wall orientation has on the effectiveness of each IWI system.
IWI discussions are usually along the lines of "this/that system works/doesn't work due to these differences in their respective buildups".
Whereas in reality the performance is more so as a result of where the house is situated and it's a wide spectrum; from a south west facing wall on a house in the highlands of Scotland to well shealtered gable nestled in a terrace in London and all in between.
Cork spray insulation is the best product Ive yet to find. Incredible properties and 100% natural. Can be used internally or externally and combined with cork boards for natural superinsulation. Breathable and waterproof. Works out around £60 per sqm.
Thanks for sharing 👌
Where do you buy and wiuld it work on a stone cottage internal walls ? It currently has lime plaster internally no insulation and is getting awful black mould and the cottage is freezing even with heating , humidity is really high..
I went the PIR backed plasterboard route. I appreciate the breathability/moisture argument but will likely just fit a MVHR system to help remove any excess internal humidity
The issue with that arrangement (in theory) is damp/moisture that makes its way in the wall build-up from the outside may sit cold side of the PIR, layer and the MVHR will have no affect on the source of damp/moisture.
However In practice this may not be an issue in your particular situation.
@@kevocos Can this happen with a cavity wall or is it mainly with single skin brick walls?
@@SimonDrysdale If the cavity is functioning as it should then external borne rain/moisture shouldn't be an issue.
I have a cold spot behind a washing machine that backs on to an outside wall in the kitchen. I was thinking about just using something like a PIR board glued to the wall. I like the idea of the Swip system but fara too overkill for about a 1.5MX 1.5M bit of wall. I am not sure if gluing PIR board might just make the problem worse or move it somewhere else.
Could you not effectively combine your methods by sticking PIR to the walls. Taping the joints. Add a vapour control layer. Then apply osb sheets over the PIr and mechanically fix through? So essentially making the whole wall one of the swip battens? Still some issues with sockets I conceded but they could be carved out and the same brackets used - plus greater uvalue for the space used?
Wow, Big Job. Would love to tackle something like this but know my DIY skills are a lot lower then my confidence to tackle such a job lol
That's the thing. Skills and confidence need to be nurtured at an equal pace. As one grows so does that other. That's how I started in this. 👊
How are yiu fixing the boards to the wall if youre sealing everything. Surly all the screw will put holes all in the barrier? Im looking to use this system but wondered how you fix the plasterboard to battoned walls and how do you fit things like radiators and kitchen united to this product? Are you allowed to screw through it because i cant see any other way of fixing anything ..?
Great video, you hit all the important points. One thing I don't get, surely the wool type insulation is far riskier than a PU insulation because at this thickness the dew point would be either within the wool or the internal face of the masonry, either way the wool is going to hold moisture. So why not use a PU insulation which has twice the R value?
Really good video.
One thing though. Dew point isn't the location where condensation forms.
Dew point is a measurement off the airs humidity.
It's basicly the temperature at which humidity reaches 100 percent.
A few point off 6 degrees means the surface temp needs to be 6 degrees and bellow to get condensation
Thanks. Correct, but at the dew point that's where the air dumps the moisture and that tends to be activated by cold surfaces that reduce the air's ability to hold moisture thereby raising the RH and causing condensation to form. So it's kind of the same thing.
Having just viewed a cottage that was constructed in 1803, this video was a perfect example of what I'd be looking at doing.
My plans, if we do buy, would be insulate, ventilate, make it breathable and I'm improve airtightness. Bash in solar and ASHP and it'd be lovely.
Hi Charlie, at 13:14 did you use a particular type of expanding foam for filling in behind the studss or will any do?
From memory SWIP say in the instructions it has to be a non solvent based foam I think but I basically used a mixture of adhesive foams and gap fillers. Worth checking though when/ if you get the system but a gap filling foam will be fine.
Great video Charlie, can you hang heavy radiators off the swip studs or is there another way to do this without cold bridging?
@13:59 you mentioned not insulating where the joists intersect with the internal wall can you elaborate on why? can this cause moisture retention issues around the joists perhaps?
It's actually the external wall. Yes the point was they're not tanelised and SWIP were concerned that any moisture travelling up through the ceiling could get into the joists and rot them if there was no air circulation. If in doubt give them a call if you're using this system.
All you need to do is to glue kingspan board together. It is much better insulation in terms of stability and efficiency. Rockwool and Knauf will sag after some time making words around, especially in the walls.
Nice. Interested to see know the gypsum plasterboard plays out over the years. Did something similar using Steico products, instead of plasterboard we used wood wool and a lime based render... been brilliant so far. More work and higher costs though.
Good work 👌
Hey Charlie, thinking of using this system in my 1887 end terrace - solid brick, lots of them external! Starting in the upstairs bedroom. The original floor joists are located on the external wall and I was wondering how you closed the system before your ceiling joists? As I would want to do the same but close it at my floor!
Super informative video, keep up the great work!
Thanks,
Joe
Hi. The manufacturer recommends that insulation is left out between the joists on the original timbers. Did you fix your vapour barrier between the joists and add insulation outside the vapour barrier on these joists?
Here in Canada, I have downgraded my use of plastic. On one job, I had to replace all the SM board that had been honeycombed by ants and mice. On my own home, I spray foamed the attic rafters. Then the wasps tunneled through 6 feet of it to emerge through a light socket. How do you fix that without ripping off the roof or interior drywall and cutting out all the foam?
The studs you use are mostly plastic. How about rockwool board up against the brick for a thermal break, then a regular stud wall built out far enough so you don't have to scribe everything? Fill the studs with rockwool. I don't like fiberglass batts as they hold water and mice love to tunnel in it.
5:17 you cant say with certainty because if there is no tray above the lintel then rain water from wet bricks will come down and stays there so it could be that as well !
It's not that because I have no cavities
So I have a underlay with dpm going down on a concrete slab. Engineered wood going on top. I got the sealing tape for the joins for the underlay but do I also tape to the wall? No really obvious damp issue from what I can see.
I hear woodfibre or cork is the best products to use.
When internally insulating solid walls, using the SWIP method, instead of using plasterboard and then plaster on top of the insulation and battens/studs, could I use timber matchboard (breathable?) painted with breathable chalk paint as a finish? And if not, why not? Any advice welcome.
@charlieDIYte There is a case of a SWIP system wall insulation that seems to be the associated with extensive dry rot after only several months of install doing the rounds on Linkedin at the moment. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My view is keep it simple, understand old buildings and use natural breathable materials. Membranes rely on perfect installation and not getting damaged over time. Manmade insulation and membranes do not allow transit of both water vapour and liquid water that may arise from interstitial condensation or penetration from the outside.
Awesome job! Q. Dis you say that the rockwool was worse to deal with? I am confused by this because the stuff you used is glass, which is usually worse. I would love to see a video comparing them if possible.
Hi Charlie. I’ve come across your Chanel, thanks for all the information. I’m not renovating but in the process of buying an old farm building that was converted in 2015. Never having lived in an old place like this before, I’m just nervous about the quality of the renovation bits that I can’t see. The wall insulation would be inside of course as the outside is the original brick. The survey hasn’t found anything….should I be worried about anything or look into anything more and how best to do this when I can’t see with my own eyes. Survey did mention patio had been built up a bit high to the damp proof course which is a slate course but nothing other than that. I’d welcome your thoughts if you have time in your busy day. Thank you.
Hi Charlie. Thanks for this video, it's amazing but I have a few questions. On an older Victorian house (single, solid wall construction) I'm told by some experts that the wall is designed to breathe both ways, this allows the solid wall to dry out using heat permeating from the inside out. If you create a heat barrier the external wall always remains cold. Whilst this might address vapour and heat values internally, wet and cold external walls will take longer to dry out. This will accelerate the weathering of the external walls (spalling and render degradation) - have you taken that into consideration and what advice can you offer before I embark on internal insulation? Many thanks, Ty
You're welcome. When you're insulating a period property there are always compromises - which is why EWI is always the best solution if you can. However whilst the experts are right on the theory, take my place which had cement Tyrolean render on the outside and the couple we bought from had polystyrene backed wallpaper everywhere inside. So it couldn't breathe but the walls were bone dry when we started stripping them down. My daughter's room was unheatable before we insulated it and the insulation transformed it into a cosy room so you have to decide what's important.
Great video. I have 2 questions
1) i might be wrong but it looked like you didn't continue the vapour barrier into the window reveal, why was that and isn't there a risk of getting condensation there because of that?
And 2) do you attach the plasterboard with drywall screws? Is the assumption that where the screws penetrate the vapour barrier the holes will self-seal?
Thanks in advance
Thanks. Yes there's no need for the barrier in the reveal as it's completely foamed up - there may even be a barrier in that insulated plasterboard that goes into the reveal. I'd need to check. Yes the plasterboard screws go straight into the osb on the front of the batten, so no vape is going to get through the screw hole and onto the foam behind.
This is how we’ve been insulating our basements in Canada for decades. Not sure why timber frames and vapor management have taken so long to take off in the uk but it’s absolutely the best system when installed correctly.
Our housing stock is years behind sadly - and the politicians are still trying to get everyone to install heat pumps in badly insulated properties 🤦
@@CharlieDIYte Yea, no point in trying to fill a leaky bucket. I'm about to start insulating an ancient barn in Devon actually, and am looking for the best system, which is how I've come back to your channel. I think timber frame, PIR, vapour barrier, is going to be my route of choice as trying to keep costs down. Offsetting the framing against the stone wall with expanding foam is probably the perfect fix for preventing that cold bridge, so thanks for the tip there Charlie
Further to your reply to my comment...
Even with a vapour membrane on the warm side of the new insulation the 9" solid wall will contain enough moisture for condensation to form in the wall & on the inside face under the insulation & this will occure more frequently because by placing insulation on the inside face you have substantially dropped the temp. of the wall & the no. of times the wall is below due point. The calculations to proove this are fairly straight forward. The same calcs. will also demonstrate the temperature gradient across the thickness of the wall and where due point & freezing point within the wall now occures.
Yes this method of retrospective insulation will reduce heat loss through the wall, but not only will the cost of it never be recovered in fuel savings in the lifetime of the building it will increase condensation & put the brickwork at incresed risk of frost damage.
Condensation must form on surfaces below due point & this system of building not only increases the risk of condensation, it provides no air supply sufficient to remove it. That requires a ventilated cavity.
.
Q. Do the manufactures of the products you use have a BBA approval for the way you use them?
I think best to take this up with SWIP directly.
Top man Charlie. As a matter of interest, my understanding of expanding foam was that it is not air-tight?
Thanks forbthe video, You mentioned that you used a lot of expanding / insulating for.. How does this fair when it comes to fire regulations. ?
Builder from Belgium here. We alsof use pro clima's intello plus. But use blown in cellulose. And normal SLS or CLS studs. I'm personly lookinh into hempcrete. Maybe u find it interesting to?
I am trying to work out what to do with a 1930s exposed building . It was originally standard cavity construction. Cavity filled with fibre blown insulation in 1980s , being in exposed area not a good idea .
However since then Cotswold stone , genuine not panels has been applied externally .
So now we have stone , lime mix cement behind , brick wall , filled cavity , internal brick wall now exposed .
Question now is how to insulate this wall to avoid what I anticipate as being the need for the wall to breathe .
Sorry last para doesn’t make sense , I anticipate the internal wall needs to breathe and how to insulate it whilst giving it the ability to breathe is my problem
Multi-foil works fantastically well also, & other far infrared heating systems, similar to your IR underfloor heating 👍👍👍 Are you going to use, a breathable foam, in that door gap? That's what they normally use these days, don't they??