Roger440

Ive done all that. Pretty much most times the frame is out of square, sagging doors aside. No amount of adjustment, even with new seals gets it air tight. Only setting the frame true and square will resolve. Which to me seems to be where it all falls over. If the guy fitting it doesnt get it bob on, its doomed to failure. Whilst it would be easy to critisize the fitment, what practical method an you use to get it absolutrly square in all planes halfway up the side of a house. My back door, its no more than 2mm out. But thats enough, it wont seal. Hence the questions really. What windows are people using, and are the actually air tight when tested as part of the house air tightnress test? How to tell good windows from bad, and how to know that the good ones are installed properly?

My house is mostly 170 years old, so zero possibility of passivhaus standards. Its going to use energy, even with sensible pragmatic works applied. Having ample space, i could generate enough PV or solar thermal in summer to run it in winter. Thats why i looked at milk tankers, buried if need be. But its simply economic madness. So yes, Yes, buying shares or similar seems to be a much better solution than actually solving the problem! Even at a £1 per Kwh, it still doesnt even start to stack up.

Same problem. Sun doesnt shine much in the winter. You cant sensibly store months of electricity to run said heat pump.

I guess so?

Likewise. But if using PV, it needs to be more like 4 months surely? Which is where my crazy musings fall over. Theres no practical way to store enough energy for heating through a winter from PV.

My first house were anglian. Because i bought them. All the others, no idea as i didnt put them in. The back door in question is onlky 4 years old, but i know no more than that. Ive not actually counted them all and worked out how many air tight ones there have been, but its definitely sub 20% based on a sample of 4 houses. Im always pleased to find things are adjustable, then become frustrated because despit that, its impossible to get a good seal because nothing is square. Never mind the fact that with the exception of the Anglian patio doors, ALL the doors sag out of square as they are all cearly to heavy to support their own weight! Ive not even got to trickle vents. Another whole pointess load of nonsense! If im going to fork out of windows i want to be very confident that i dont end up with more of the same. So hard to know from a bunch of pics on a website.

After another frustrating few hours trying to get rid of draughts, i pondered the reality of the situtation with modern windows and doors. Looking back, on this house and previous ones, none of the modern double glazed doors or windows actually seem to seal. The seals all seem to be much the same and have maybe 1-2mm of "give" as they are closed. Of course, in a perfect world, thats fine, but the reality is, the frames are never installed to that level of accuracy, and so you end up with gaps between frame and seal. This, despite spending considerable time adjusting the hinges, latches etc, no doubt to a far greater level than any installer would. As evidenced by the "as found" set up. Yesterdays efforts on the back door improved things, but the top of the frame is not straight. So the door touches the seal at the sides, but not in the centre of the top. The frame itself is well and truly secure, so short of ripping the whole frame and starting again, its as good as it gets. Which is rubbish! Are there manufacturers that make windows with propery engineered sealing that can cope with minor inaccuracy? Like automotive manage to do. How are you guys getting on with air tightness tests? Based on my sample of various units across 4 houses quoted performance and actual appear to be worlds apart. I need to replace all the windows at the front of the house, (1979 UPVC, which ironically are better than anything else ive found to date for air tightness, though not thermally) and with something that actually is good.

What Steamy said. Whats the aim. I looked at using a milk tanker and storing and heating water. But id need 10 of them to make it remotely worthwhile! This sounds interesting

Agreed.

But we are not paying what it costs. We are paying what succesive governments have decided its going to cost as a result of their policies or lack therof. Some organisations and a handful of people are profiting hugely at our expense. Right now, this week, in the mid US, they are paying $0.009 per kwh. Thats 7.5p! So forgive if i blame our governments entirely for where we find ourselves. I dont see any good for society coming from energy costs being cripplingly high. A big drop in living standards can surely be the only outcome?

Welcome. Pictures, we need pictures!

Sorry, not sure what you are asking/suggesting?

You can get the SD numbers for lime stuff.

Sounds like an industrial sized pack of air tightness tape is called for! You have a lot of work ahead of you. Based on what you have said, i think you need a whole house strategy there. That way past tinkering.

Get yourself on the traditional and listed building advice facebook group. You will find the people you need on there.

That incorrect. If the internal wall is effectively the same construction and has no DPC, then any issues with the outerwalls may well be present, indeed, likely to be on the internal walls. My internal wall was worse than the external as both sides were plastered with gypsum so nowhere for the moisture to go. At least the outsede walls had one exposed face.

Option 3) use a system/build up that is breathable from the base to the surface. That includes the paint. Your option 1 is pointless for the reasons i outlined earlier. Yes, you can check afterwards and see whats happening. Then rework accordingly. Why not do it properly first time? The key decision is, does it need to be breathable in the first place.? Thats going to depend on wall construction, ground conditions and a bunch of other variable unique to your house. If it does, option 3, if it doesnt option 2.

Gypsum plaster is vapour permeable. Almost everything is. The question is by how much I can assure you, compared to the rest of yourbuild up, not even close. Im my house it acted as an amazing barrier to vapour. the wall behind was sopping wet. If you put gypsum plaster on it, it will be even worse. As i said, if you are using plasterboard, no point spending big on woolboard and lime.

There will never be a proper inspection regime. 1, Not enough people who understand. 2, Bugger all would actually get built. The regs will change, and new more inventive solutions found to sign off. Building control is totally unfit for purpose and is just "gamed". I may have mentioned it before (!) but Ive a whole suite of certificates. Not one job is fully compliant to the regs in force at the time. Some not all.

If you want to do it right, seal it up, insulate as much as you can and get a dessicant based hehumidifier.

Why are you using lime and wool board? To ensure breathability of the solid wall i presume? If so, wacking a sheet of plasterboard on is going to undo you good work. Either, ensure the whole buildup is properly breathable, or dont bother, and use normal plaster and PIR, which would be significantly cheaper.

Or you could do this, especially as you are doing an old house, one presumes without DPC? https://www.lime.org.uk/products/sylfaenr-foundation-system.html This is what i did. Total build up depth, 225mm, so minmal excavation. Which is good as it had minimal foundations. Admitedly, insulation level not comparable to PIR, but i was more concerned with solving damp issues in the walls. You proposed route may make it worse. On my previous garage, i did as suggested above, Stone (MOT1) sand blinding, then 4 inch insulation (XPS), then concrete, 6 inch with thicker sides. So a raft That was plenty enough to drive cars over. Like you, i still dont understand why people lay a slab, then insulation, then a slab. Makes absolutely no sense at all. The XPS manufacturer wanted +/- 5mm over the length of the board (2400mm) which is tight, but doable with care and a laser..

Been discussed on 2 seperate threads in the last couple of weeks.

I believe it. Not that surprising TBH. One of the things with this forum is that its so far removed from real life for many. People on here are, by the very fact they are here, interested in these things. Want to understand, ask questions and educate themselves. The average man on the street just isnt interested and doesnt understand even a lot of the most basic stuff about buildings.

Having had the dubious privilege of being a landlord, id say 90% of people wouldnt know if there house was damp or high humidity from feel. Only answer is a humidity meter. Nothing else will ever work. Even that woint woirk for a good number. Or as a landlord, fit a PIV, and hide the switch.