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Side annex room very cold.
Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 5:11 pm
by mod1916
the house is a 2 storey superwarm timber frame house with a side annex room which is very cold. The room is used as a childs play room so even with the heating on it does not retain heat.
Its own seperate attic is fully insulated, i only persume that the exterior cavity wall is also isulated.
What in your opinion is causing this room to not retain heat and how can i solve it ?
Thanks for any advise.
Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:52 pm
by stoneyboy
mod1916,
sounds like the exterior walls are not insulated, get hold of a contactless thermometer and go round the room to determine where it is coldest.
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Cold room.
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:43 pm
by mod1916
[quote="stoneyboy"]mod1916,
sounds like the exterior walls are not insulated, get hold of a contactless thermometer and go round the room to determine where it is coldest.
end[/quote]
Many thks for your help. I'll do just that.
Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 5:49 pm
by Perry525
You can get an infrared temperature guage from Maplin.
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:16 pm
by mod1916
[quote="Perry525"]You can get an infrared temperature guage from Maplin.[/quote]
thks perry.
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 2:22 pm
by mod1916
[quote="Perry525"]You can get an infrared temperature guage from Maplin.[/quote]
walls are definately insulated. cold air/draught in the room ,checked windows and attic trap door also around skirting and again there is no obvious source.
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:41 pm
by Perry525
Unfortunately, the existence of insulation doesn't always mean that the person fitting it, did it properly.
The key thing with insulation is, that it must be fitted correctly!
This means that it has to be an airtight fit.
Many walls are insulated with fibre glass, that sags over time leaving a space at the top - this is where the heat disappears.
Many walls have spaces inside them, where the wind can blow about - turning the walls into refrigerators.
The best insulation for walls and ceilings is one of the polystyrene type products, that is fitted carefully, or preferably sprayed in to get the required airtight fit.
Then the whole wall needs to be covered in another layer of at least one inch thick polystyrene covering the studding as this then becomes the heat bridge to the outside, then either wet plaster or cover with plasterboard and skim coat.
Have you checked the window frames? Badly fitted frames will cause a noticable heat loss, a small hole here and there will loose masses of heat on a windy day.
Did you buy an infrared temperature gauge?
If so, what temperatures did you get off the walls?
Keep in mind that a room in typically warmer near the ceiling and the height of the reading will vary the result.
Compare the readings with similar readings in the other rooms of the home.
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:50 pm
by stoneyboy
mod1916,
Assuming that the side annex is also timber frame there is very little heat mass in this type of construction to retain heat. From your original message I understand you are saying the room is cold with the heating on. I take it that you checked the surface temperatures once the heating had been on for some time. What sort of readings did you get?
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