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Thorfun

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Everything posted by Thorfun

  1. Thorfun
    ok, so then 100mm of glass mineral wool will most likely more than double the previous insulation levels. you can get 0.035W/m.K or 0.032W/m.K glass wool in batts format at a relevant thickness (Isover do a 50mm or 90mm 0.032W/m.K batt https://insulation-uk.com/products/isover-timber-frame-batt-32). PIR has a thermal conductivity of 0.022W/m.K so 100mm of that will give you a much warmer house.
  2. Thorfun
    and what was the 50mm insulation that was there before? PIR or something else? if it was PIR then 100mm of mineral wool won't give you much of an increase in insulation value. you can use online U-value calculators like this one to help calculate it. https://www.changeplan.co.uk/u_value_calculator.php
  3. Thorfun
    how many miles a day do you do? I have a Tesla Model 3 and have been charging it from a 3-pin 13A socket for the 2 years I've had it waiting for our new house to be built so I can install a charger. I'm not a high mileage driver (especially over the last 2 years of lockdown!) and so 3-pin has been fine for me. I could've got a charger installed in the existing house and then move it to the new house once done but I figured that'd be a waste of money so am waiting patiently.
  4. Thorfun
    it all depends on what U-value you want to achieve. if you can decide on that then you can choose a material that, at 100mm, will achieve that level.
  5. Thorfun
    get the fabric right from the off and put basic kitchen/bathrooms etc in to start with and then upgrade them to more 'top-end' if you want at a later date when you have more disposable income. you can easily change wall coverings/kitchens/bathrooms etc but it's not easy to add more insulation!
  6. Thorfun
    @DragsterDriver I have started down the double-sided tape route and it is working well so far! but I haven't tried to yank it off the wall yet (and I'm not going to!) but it is staying put for now and I'm sure it'll be ok until I can get the battens up to hold it all in place securely.
  7. Thorfun
    yep. ours is on a mix of EPS300 and EPS100 depending on where the SE said to put it. just like @Bitpipe our basement slab is also on EPS300 with the walls built on that and coursing blocks on top that the soleplate is fixed to. it's still standing but isn't finished yet and has only been up about 6 months so can't really give you a long term analysis. for our above ground structures we had to dig 2m down to the bedrock and trench fill and then lay the EPS on that. obviously, all done to SE specifications. I can highly recommend TSD if you want to investigate an insulated slab like the MBC design. but paying for more structural engineering might be a bitter pill to swallow
  8. Thorfun
    although we didn't use MBC we did use TSD as our structural engineers and they designed our slabs the same way. the timber frame was fixed to the concrete slab or the coursing blocks if above the basement. I think they fixed the sole plate at 600mm centers iirc
  9. Thorfun
    ahhh....that makes perfect sense and sounds like a plan! thank you. 🙂
  10. Thorfun
    yeah. I know this is the right thing to do and it shouldn't take too long but, at the moment, the thought of cutting and drilling a pilot hold just fills me with lethargy! out of interest, I thought pilot holes should be narrower than the screw size? so for a no. 6 screw the drill bit should be smaller than 6mm for the pilot hole. I presume this is not the case?
  11. Thorfun
    Cheers. Was thinking of splashing out on decent screws that don’t require pilot holes to save time. something like these https://timco.co.uk/60150VY-velocity-premium-multi-use-screws-pz-double-countersunk-yellow
  12. Thorfun
    didn't want to start a whole new thread for a quick question so thought I'd just tag it on to this one. I have 80mm PIR and 25mm battens. what length screws should I be using to go into the TF studs? I've been thinking 150mm which would give 45mm into the studs. is this enough?
  13. Thorfun
    I spoke to a Rockwool rep today and he recommended 50mm batts in my 89mm internal timber studs. Said it shouldn’t be fully filled as you risk compressing the insulation. but he’s a salesman and maybe 25mm will do as @nod says.
  14. Thorfun
    we also have steel beams and slabs at different levels to the block and beam. I will investigate it as an option.
  15. Thorfun
    ahh...right got it. so TLA is poured then you staple the UFH pipes to that before it goes off and then finished off with a liquid screed. how did the TLA compare price wise to using EPS? I get the feeling it'll be more expensive but quicker (as is the norm with these things)
  16. Thorfun
    what was under the polythene though? it had to be soft to take a UFH staple, right?
  17. Thorfun
    how would you attach the UFH pipes if using TLA on top of a slab or block and beam? using click tracks? or the egg-crate type thing? then put the TLA over the top of that? we have block and beam and I was going to lay EPS but maybe I should look in to TLA a bit more.
  18. Thorfun
    cheers. did a quick google and the lamda value doesn't seem great. https://coreprosystems.co.uk/building-insulation/thermal-lightweight-aggregate-tla/ this place suggests 140mm thick to get 0.25W/m2K U-value and this place https://www.energystoreltd.com/professional shows their best thermal conductivity is 0.043W/m.K which is worse than EPS. so, it seems good if you've got a lot of room but if you're tight on room then PIR and liquid screed will give better results. would be an interesting investigation to calculate the cost difference between those 2 methods. maybe the OP's contractor is suggesting it because it will save him time but may not necessarily be cheaper for the customer.
  19. Thorfun
    this is a very good point! 🙂
  20. Thorfun
    sorry....what is TLA?
  21. Thorfun
    I'd say it's worth having a little bit of insulation on top of the slab simply to stop all the heat from the ufh going down and just heating the ceiling of the ground floor. even if that's 25mm PIR. I guess it all depends on FFL on the first floor and ceiling heights. do you have the space to put insulation down or not?
  22. Thorfun
    find the timber you want to use and then ask the SE if it's ok to use it. never any harm to double check with the SE. for us a quick email and response gave us peace of mind.
  23. Thorfun
    visited my local BM trade fair this morning and was chatting to the Rockwool rep and when I told him I went glass wool as Rockwool didn't do a 0.032W/m.K batt (0.035W/m.K is the best they currently offer) he said that it was in development and should be available in about 6 months. obviously, salesmen can't always be trusted but at least they're working on the product to give an alternative for those of us that want that little better U-value. I did tell him it was too late for us though but he gave me a free beanie hat so I went away happy. 🙂
  24. Thorfun
    so the PIR will be inside the VCL? yes, that's possible but me being a paranoid old git I'm concerned about off-gassing from the PIR in to the house. so I want to keep it all on the other side of the VCL so any off-gassing doesn't come in to the house. obviously, this might not be a thing so don't let me stop you!
  25. Thorfun
    +1 for a nail gun. I hired this https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/nail-gun-JTH03300 from Jewsons. did the job perfectly and no injuries were sustained. was fully PPEd up with ear defenders, goggles, gloves etc. just be careful and you'll be fine and it'll do the job in a fraction of the time.
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