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Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Eventually I want to knock through the lounge diner. That'll mean putting a steel in, removing both ceilings, battening to level. Removing the batten / hardboard in the lounge and making the walls of each room flush with each other. The dining room floor is suspended timber over dirt. The lounge floor is plain weird: 5/8" chipboard, 4*2 joists on brick pillars with a concrete slab underneath. The lounge floor is higher than the dining room at the mo.
I wonder if I could block these air bricks up?
I wonder if I could block these air bricks up?
AVI_8
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I wouldn’t, they’re there to keep the area under the floor dry and ventilated, blocking them up would potentially lead to dampness
brightspark
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my sitting room floor was suspended timber over a damp mud base. all the cavity was blocked no air bricks and never had a problem apart from rising damp . i cleaned the cavitys out put air bricks in and damp proofed the room . 6 month later took a board up and all the beams and under the boards were sweating and soaking wet 
it made it worse . ended up taking the lot out. filled with dolomite compacted blinded with sand layed visqueen down then 4 inch of kingspan and 4 inch of concrete . job well done and no problems now
it made it worse . ended up taking the lot out. filled with dolomite compacted blinded with sand layed visqueen down then 4 inch of kingspan and 4 inch of concrete . job well done and no problems now
gaz1
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yes i noticed that stuff would be off with me knowing that you would have to be careful with fireIt's 1" roof battens with 1/4" hardboard on instead of say plasterboard. Then the all important woodchip!
There's only two double sockets in the lounge with 35mm back boxes. As the batten plus woodchip is circa 31mm, where the two sockets are, the wall bulges.
I didn't do it btw!
though id probably retrofit it with composite plasterboard nowadays
Celotex PL4050 50mm Insulated Plasterboard 62.5mm Overall Thickness
50mm Celotex Insulated Plasterboard PL4050 62.5mm Overall Thickness
I felt a draught in the living room of the previous house . . . tracked it down to the 1/4" gap between the bottom of the bay window and the wall under it . . .
This house had damp issues in one room - the extended bit - when we moved in. Other half used to say it was just cold . . . so I took her a shirt from the built in wardrobe and asked her to wring out the cold (water) out of it . . .
Pulled the floor up - just earth under (rest of house was concrete under) - covered in visqueen, a tonne of concrete wheeled through the living room in a borrowed garden barrow - once the concrete had cured, no more damp
This house had damp issues in one room - the extended bit - when we moved in. Other half used to say it was just cold . . . so I took her a shirt from the built in wardrobe and asked her to wring out the cold (water) out of it . . .
Pulled the floor up - just earth under (rest of house was concrete under) - covered in visqueen, a tonne of concrete wheeled through the living room in a borrowed garden barrow - once the concrete had cured, no more damp
Won't you need some leaks to supply the Rayburn with air?
With the stove going full pelt, you can feel draughts under the doors to supply enough air - you can tell where they are, its where the cats aren't
JMS1972
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That picture suggests the downspout water isn't being moved away from the house?
Broken or missing pipes?
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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That black drainpipe? I believe it goes to a soakaway next to the garage. I've never excavated or found it tbh. There is a pipe runs across that pokes through the ground but whether it's blocked etc I haven't a clue.
In a normal World I would say you are mad to use electric heating instead of oil.
But with the current prices on Kero you might be cheaper burning fivers!
If you have plenty of oil in your tank just use it. Prices will be normal by next Winter. If you need to buy more just carry on using leccy!
But with the current prices on Kero you might be cheaper burning fivers!
If you have plenty of oil in your tank just use it. Prices will be normal by next Winter. If you need to buy more just carry on using leccy!
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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- Sevenoaks, UK
Yikes I have a 5 bed house with 21 radiators and that would last me a year.
My central heating is off as well. Aga heating one end of the house and my woodburner running flat out the other end.
Just hope I am well enough Sunday to cut up another load.
Gareth J
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You could look into a thing called, if memory serves, "passive stack ventilation" it's basically what you have. But in more recent times, the chimneys are combined with valve that opens/closes based on humidity. So, once the house is adequately (in terms of humidity at least) ventilated, the vents close up and draughts reduce. Might be a relatively easy to retro fit the valves to yours.I have 4 of these in my house, passive ventilation shafts, each one leading to its own chimney pot. I feel like I’m heating the the outside world, they might be to let out the fresh air coming in through the sash windows
View attachment 339918
Gareth J
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That's interesting and counter intuitive. Why do you think the beams sweated more with more ventilation? Warm, moist house air condensing on the cooler beams? Seems like the wrong direction of travel for warm air. What do you mean when you say you damproofed the room?my sitting room floor was suspended timber over a damp mud base. all the cavity was blocked no air bricks and never had a problem apart from rising damp . i cleaned the cavitys out put air bricks in and damp proofed the room . 6 month later took a board up and all the beams and under the boards were sweating and soaking wet
Ultimately, sounds like the solid floor was the way to go.
I'd like to replace a suspended floor with insulation, screed and maybe even UFH but it's ancient and built into the hill. So the wetness from the walls that are in places 3' underground needs to go somewhere.
Edward Teach
pre-moderated
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Modern plastic windows, Ummmmm
I blame the fitters,
Yes,
All of them,
Absolutely shocking workmanship throughout,
I have never seen a well fitted plastic double glazed window,
Ever !
Only the ones I have fitted myself
I blame the fitters,
Yes,
All of them,
Absolutely shocking workmanship throughout,
I have never seen a well fitted plastic double glazed window,
Ever !
Only the ones I have fitted myself
gaz1
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- westyorkshire
wood usage vs energy
if you take a look at this video note the logs on the floor
kinderling straight up the chimney
the user burns up the chimney 14-25 mins before downdraft kicks in video downdraft kicks in at 15 mins
compare that with 4hrs with 2 logs 12" via rocket stove
kinderling first then logs loaded into system
if you take a look at this video note the logs on the floor
kinderling straight up the chimney
the user burns up the chimney 14-25 mins before downdraft kicks in video downdraft kicks in at 15 mins
compare that with 4hrs with 2 logs 12" via rocket stove
kinderling first then logs loaded into system
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
- Messages
- 12,659
- Location
- Sevenoaks, UK
See that last photo above of mine, the CH and HW pipes run in the uninsulated triangle of roof in front of the dormer - both sides. Run for ease. Just heating fresh air even though I've made a stab at insulating them with the thick, Bylaw 49 stuff.
The HW then cylinder sits in the uninsulated hip above.
Downstairs the 3"4" nominal bore, single pipe central heating runs in part under the suspended ground floor. Parts I've been able to get to I've insulated. Some sections I've never seen.
Really I could do with bringing the HW cylinder into the centre of the house at ground floor to keep any heat within the theoretical thermal envelope.
Modern plastic windows, Ummmmm
I blame the fitters,
Yes,
All of them,
Absolutely shocking workmanship throughout,
I have never seen a well fitted plastic double glazed window,
Ever !
Only the ones I have fitted myself
+1. Had nearly a 1" gap at the top when I stripped the trim off the bathroom window.
Gap at the bottom.
