NEEPS

Maidenstone · Neepster Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 303

Just a reminder that NATURAL ENERGY, the renewable energy event for homes and small businesses here in the north-east of Scotland, is on Saturday at the Thainstone Centre just outside Inverurie (off the Thainstone roundabout on the Aberdeen side of Inverurie). It starts at 11am and goes on till 4pm. There are now over 20 exhibitors, including agencies who deal with grants and advice, so if you want to find out anything about small-scale renewable energy systems, insulation, energy reduction, architectural matters, etc., this is a great chance to see it all under one roof. The mart catering company will have a stall there so you don't even have to bring a packed lunch!!
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lachlanandmarcus · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:47 am Post subject:

oh I no am away, and would love to have gone to that....grrrr...bet it will be really good too!
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Maidenstone · Neepster Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 303

The Aberdeenshire Environmental Forum had a special meeting one night last year and invited people along to find out more about small-scale renewable energy systems. We couldn't get them all into the Council Chamber at Gordon House without using a shoe-horn - it was standing room only! So that's when we decided to hold this fair as there was obviously a lot of interest and desire to find out more about renewable energy. I'm hoping to find out how to insulate our old granite croft house with a 9" gap between the granite and the plasterboard, together with howling draughts!!! We probably can't do it without stripping out all the plasterboard and replacing it with p/b + insulation, or special insulating p/b. But anything to stop all the heat leaking out!!
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lachlanandmarcus · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:59 am Post subject:

first thought is you might be able to make small hole and with a reverse vacuum thingy blow in that special paper pellet insulation stuff? but they would be able to advise on all the options...
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Maidenstone · Neepster Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 303

No, afraid not. You HAVE to leave a big enough gap to rule out the possibility of causing a damp 'bridge' from the granite to the plasterboard. Granite walls aren't waterproof, it's probably the mortar but I'm not sure, and also there is no damp proof course , so anything stuffed in between the two would just enable moisture to creep over into the plasterboard causing horrendous damp problems. Probably the easiest way of doing it would be to put in good insulating plasterboard a room at a time, but being no expert I would think we would even have problems with this.
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lachlanandmarcus · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:49 am Post subject:

aah I see what you mean, shame that!
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JamesB · Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:56 pm Post subject:

to get a wall really airtight you'd need to strip to the stone wall, insulate, put in a airtight layer (membrane or wallboard type) which is well sealed, then services then plasterboard. difficult to get right with just a plasterboard layer since need to use airtight electrical sockets etc if no dedicated airtight layer.

however if even you dont do this, it is still worth getting relatively airtight ie making sure all gaps and holes and joins are sealed

the event on sat sounds interesting, i'll try and get along.

James
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JamesB
Mintlaw area

Julie · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:42 am Post subject:

With these stone walls such as we have in our steading, you need an air gap between the insulation and the stone of at least one inch, it mustn't touch the wall. If you don't, the insulation can wick the moisture in and cause problems.
Injecting a stud wall might be tricky depending on the layout of the stud framework. If it is hard up against the wall all over, you would have to do it in sections and drill many holes.
Solid, block insulation, such as rockwool would be a good solution. You cut it to fit into the spaces in the studding and you will be able to leave a gap. You can use a mesh to keep insulation off the walls too, thats what Gordon did.
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Maidenstone · Neepster Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 303

Thanks Julie - I'm hoping to have a word with Annie Kenyon, the architect, at the Natural Energy fair on Saturday, and it is good to have some ideas to ask her about. The rockwool sounds good - we must have stud framework that the existing plasterboard is on, so to fill that up before putting new plasterboard up sounds as if it could be a good solution.
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Julie · Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:13 pm Post subject:

If it is very old you might find it is the old lath and plaster kind, in which case, it may not have a lot of depth behind it to fill up with insulation. Whatever you do though, it is worth doing a good job and it will pay you back in the energy savings over the long term.
That architect will probably know about any new products on the market that may be more use to you.
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It is better to light a candle than to rail against the darkness
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET!