Draughts in new house

bmaxi

When I had Sky installed I noticed a draught coming from the socket box. I unscrewed the face plate and there is an almighty gale blows in, this increases and decreases with the wind. To be fair to the builder he has increased the insulation in the attic and replaced pointing and sealants on the outside wall but all to no avail. Any ideas out there?

Lex Luthor

try some of that no more big gaps and pump some in the socket

sundula

Just a note, ( i know co-ax and satelite cable are not power carrying so to speak) i recently saw a warning on the ECSSA website from an electrician who called out to repair a faulty switch. When he screwed the switch of the flush box he found the entire box was full of expanding foam which had caused the switch to fail. They put a match to this foam and found it was flammable, they have a piece about it in their newsletter - http://www.ecssa.ie/newsletters/38_Winter%20Christmas%202006%20Newsletter%20.pdf

bmaxi

Lex Luthor wrote:

try some of that no more big gaps and pump some in the socket

Yes, but the TV socket is just where I discovered the draught, it is actually in all the socket outlets as well. I would prefer to find the source and close it off there because where wind can get in rain can too.

Aeneas

I had a similar problem. The cause was air movement in the cavity walls which also contributed to heat loss. It disappeared when I had the walls filled with polystyrene beads

garyh3

hi bmaxi

See my earlier post. The draft is probably coming from your attic and down the cavity. I have a new house and have the same issue, If the builder had used a breathable membrane on the roof and not felt then there would be no drafts. You would need to block the cavity in the attic but still allow air flow in the attic to avoid condensation.

Aeneas Quick question - Can you fill the cavity in a new house !!!!! would that cause any problems if the cavity is filled??

Garyh3

Aeneas

My house was renovated and extended about six years ago and the cavity insulation was the recommended thickness at the time. Older walls had thinner insulation. The Insulation Company pumped in Warmfill Silver Beads which filled the remaining part of the cavity and hopefully, because it was put in under pressure, will have pushed the existing insulation boards firm against the inner leaf, improving their insulation qualities. The cavities are now filled right to the top. The house is warmer and draughts from the cavity are eliminated. I went with beads because of fears of moisture penetration across mineral wool. But there are some who argue that this is still a risk with beads. There is a lot of discussion on this on the net.

bmaxi

Thanks for the replies lads , I've been away for a few days. Today I went into the attic and I just can't figure out how a draught could possibly get into the cavity. The insulation is right to the walls and packed down tight.

Lex Luthor

Aeneas wrote:

I had a similar problem. The cause was air movement in the cavity walls which also contributed to heat loss. It disappeared when I had the walls filled with polystyrene beads

who did you use?

I am looking into these companies at the moment (polypearl/warmfill/ecobead) with the possibility of getting a quote

Aeneas

I used a local firm in south Wexford. The product was Warmfill Silver Bead. And the cost for a 2000sq ft house was €1300. If it is of use to you I can let you have their name and number but I don't know if they work outside the immediate area.

garyh3

Hi bmaxi

Did you check the gable ends also. In the attic there should be gaps to allow air flow somewhere in the attic

Does the insulation go over the cavity in the attic. Mine goes to the roof but does not cover over the cavity.

the only other place would be the air vents in each room if they were not sealed.

Garyh3

bmaxi

garyh3 wrote:

Hi bmaxi

Did you check the gable ends also. In the attic there should be gaps to allow air flow somewhere in the attic

Does the insulation go over the cavity in the attic. Mine goes to the roof but does not cover over the cavity.

the only other place would be the air vents in each room if they were not sealed.

Garyh3

When I speak about the cavity I mean the space between the block and the plasterboard, is that what you mean? I can't visualize what you mean when you say your insulation goes to the roof Also my room vents are in the windows rather than the walls.