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Hard to Treat Cavity Walls

Written By Dan Volpicelli

Why insulate cavity walls?

As much as one third of heat escapes through the exterior walls of uninsulated properties, leading to lower energy efficiency and higher energy bills. By installing cavity wall insulation you can make a big difference in the efficiency of a property, keeping the heat in and bills down. Unfortunately traditional methods of cavity wall insulation have limitations where they can be installed which many properties across the UK don’t reach, and are deemed as having cavity wall which are hard to treat.

According to the centre for sustainable energy as many as 5.8 million properties in the UK can be classified as having hard to treat cavity walls. Action is needed now to protect these houses from the cold but also from flooding and wind driven rain in certain locations across the country.

what makes a cavity wall hard to treat?

There is several different characters which can be deemed as hard to treat such as:

  • If the cavity is smaller than 50mm.
  • If the cavity is of variable size such as a stone cavity.
  • If the property is simply too high. (Multiple stories or high-rise properties).
  • Properties which are prone to flooding.
  • Properties in areas vulnerable to wind driven rain.

 

what is the answer?

The answer is simple Technitherm®, our injected polyurethane foam, perfect for use in homes with hard to treat cavities

Technitherm® is a closed cell low absorbent foam, when injected into the cavity it expands to fill the cavity adhering to both the inner and outer wall forming an air tight layer of insulation.

During flooding traditional forms of cavity wall insulation absorb high amounts of water and takes a long time to dry out, often becoming damaged and offering insufficient insulation as a result. Technitherm® is low absorbent so it doesn’t soak up the water like traditional insulation meaning it doesn’t cause damage to the property. This also means that Technitherm® doesn’t become damaged itself if floods were to happen, making it ideal for properties hard to treat cavities in areas prone to flooding or where they are vulnerable to wind driven rain.

The size of a cavity can often deem it hard to treat. If it’s too small traditional insulation such can’t often sufficient levels of insulation, if the cavity has variable widths throughout cavity it is also unsuitable for traditional insulation. Technitherm® because it expands inside the cavity and because of the way it is installed it fills the cavity regardless if the width varies throughout, meaning it is perfect for these ‘hard to treat cavities’.

Buildings that are too tall for traditional cavity wall insulation are also no problem for Technitherm®, because the foam can be installed at all levels expanding to fill the cavity and because it adheres itself to both the inner and outer wall it means it won’t slip leaving parts of the cavity exposed again offering a perfect way to insulate these hard to treat cavities.

Cavity wall insulation

 

want more information?

Our technical team are on hand to discuss your property or project and how our cavity wall insulation product, Technitherm® can help you achieve the results you want using our approved installer network.