Cavity wall insulation condensation

We are getting hundreds of calls from home owners complaining about a sudden increase in black mould in their rooms, wardrobes and carpets. Water starts to run down walls where it never did. Timber begins to rot. Roof timbers become saturated. Family members suffer from asthma where they never did before. Water runs down windows. Wallpaper starts to peel. Heaven forbid, Rising Damp starts to appear everywhere.

My question is always this: What did you do to change the house? The inevitable answer: 'Oh - we got a Government Grant to put in loft insulation' or 'We got a grant for cavity wall insulation'. As I have said before - BEWARE of anything or anyone that claims to offer grants, or free insulation - You don't Get Owt for Nowt - there is ALWAYS a catch!

So now we know what's causing all this damp. Insulation. The house is warmer. Parts of it are now colder as a result - especially the roof space. Warm air can hold more water - boil a kettle and see. You cant even see steam - hot air - until it condenses. So where is all that water going to? The answer is simple - into the fabric of the house - wallpaper, carpets, timber, windows, clothes. Things that are damp become a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria, which is what the 'damp smell' is that you complain about.

So what is the solution? That increased humidity has to be reduced. We need to be far more aware of humidity and condensation. We need to manage the air in our house - more ventilation, more de-humidifying processes - humidity controlled extractors, bigger air vents, more open windows, more fireplaces that are open and venting, and so on. You cannot have insulation without increased humidity, unless you control the things that produce water - like humans breathing, cooking, showering and so on.

If you need to reduce or control humidity, you need to look at using proper humidity controlled equipment which need not be expensive, but will take the guesswork out of the equation. Email us here for more information on Humidity Contol Equipment.