Search for cavity wall insulation

Sun 5 Feb 2023, 16:17

That's the biggest problem with the beads idea, the spillover unless care is taken .. and then if you have to do repairs/modifications requiring taking bricks out...

But technically its superior to the fibre for filling voids in walls, and more breathable too.

And yes the house we saw was in The Green.

A lot of minimising spilling would be dependent upon the finicky care taken by the builders etc. 

Sat 4 Feb 2023, 14:55 (last edited on Sat 4 Feb 2023, 14:57)

I saw a company filling a house’s cavity walls in The Green area last year. I was concerned about the large amount of tiny beads of plastic that had escaped into the road and were blowing further afield 

Sat 4 Feb 2023, 12:35

This was the company we came across who will extract old failed insulation and then refill with beads. We haven't used them but I saw their van outside a house in Charlbury so somebody has! Here's the link:

https://extractinsulation.com/cavity-wall-insulation-installers

Sat 4 Feb 2023, 08:21 (last edited on Mon 6 Feb 2023, 09:43)

Hi Peter,

You can contact us at Cosy Homes. Our office is at 2b The Old Bakery, Sheep Street. (Up the alley past the kitchen showroom). You are welcome to pop in during office hours, otherwise contact us by email: support@cosyhomesoxfordshire.org 

Our website explains our service: support@cosyhomesoxfordshire.org We work with a number of vetted cavity wall companies that can both extract and fill. We will be able to guide you through the pros and cons of the various materials, and organise thermal image or borescope surveys as required.

Fri 3 Feb 2023, 15:47

I've lost the advert video but my wife may have it. This firm was offering cavity wall insulation REMOVAL of the fluffy recycled paper or whatever fibrous material that is used, and its REPLACEMENT with thousands upon thousand of little tiny expanded (polystyrene?) plastic pellets which fill up every nook and cranny after being blown in through a handful of holes. 

The justification is that the blown fibre doesn't spread evenly, leaving clumps which adhere together allowing voids to form; and also slump in time allowing uninsulated voids to form. I see no reason why an uninsulated wall couldn't be originally filled with free-flowing beads from the start.

The video was pretty persuasive in making its case and we know from infrared imaging we have large areas missed or slumped/coagulated from a badly blown job 17 years ago. In addition building works caused more to drop out when installing lintels etc. I've been meaning to follow it up but not got around to it yet.

OK so its plastic but over decades the energy saved offsets the reduced insulation performance of the blown fibre. Probably. 

Fri 3 Feb 2023, 10:19 (last edited on Fri 3 Feb 2023, 10:22)

There can be signs of cavity wall insulation - drill holes, etc. - but the insulation itself has degraded, slumped, or simply disintegrated over time. This is common where the insulation was a cheap material in the first place, and poorly applied. If there are signs that insulation was installed but now failing, the old will likely need to be fully removed before a new filling applied. 

Thu 2 Feb 2023, 23:29 (last edited on Thu 2 Feb 2023, 23:34)

Peter. In1982 new  building regulations required external walls to be insulated so please check if you can - perhaps by feeling in the cavity at eaves level in the loft. Also check for signs of made good drilled hole pattern on the outside which could indicate a retrofit installation. Try CosyHomes in Sheep Street if they are still there. I couldn't find them in the adverts.

Thu 2 Feb 2023, 21:55

Ha!  I have a couple of places I can share, but I can’t recommend them yet as not tested. I’m DM you tomorrow if ok? 

Thu 2 Feb 2023, 16:41 (last edited on Thu 2 Feb 2023, 16:42)

Can anyone, please, suggest a competent contractor for injection of insulation into the cavity of the exterior walls of our house built in 1982?