Long time issue, first time query!
Our house in The Links loses heat very quickly once the heating goes off, and that is during the current not excessively cold days. Wondering if others in The Links have similar issues and whether they have any suggestions? The heat loss seems worst in sitting room and we have blocked chimney. Does anyone know what the energy rating of these houses are? And more importantly, has anyone addressed the heat loss issues and if so, any recommendations? Thanks.
Heat loss advice in The Links
A few things spring to mind.
The windows have soft hinges which cause the opening unit to drop and not close properly into the frame. This obviously results in drafts, but by pressing on the outside of the window, you can pop it back into place.
Secondly, there is airspace space between the plasterboard and the brick in all of the rooms, and this allows air from the air vent to fall down behind the plasterboard and emerge as a draft from under the skirting board. I sealed around the inside of my air vents and plasterboard using expanding foam, and clear silicon sealer around the skirtings.
Also, look outside under the window sills for the sitting room and front bedroom windows. On some houses, the builder did not sit these down on enough mortar which allows gaps where cold air can get in and heat get out. If not properly sealed, they can be pointed up using sand and cement.
Oh, and The original radiators and boilers are all undersized for these houses.
And out of curiosity, is your attic converted?
The windows have soft hinges which cause the opening unit to drop and not close properly into the frame. This obviously results in drafts, but by pressing on the outside of the window, you can pop it back into place.
Secondly, there is airspace space between the plasterboard and the brick in all of the rooms, and this allows air from the air vent to fall down behind the plasterboard and emerge as a draft from under the skirting board. I sealed around the inside of my air vents and plasterboard using expanding foam, and clear silicon sealer around the skirtings.
Also, look outside under the window sills for the sitting room and front bedroom windows. On some houses, the builder did not sit these down on enough mortar which allows gaps where cold air can get in and heat get out. If not properly sealed, they can be pointed up using sand and cement.
Oh, and The original radiators and boilers are all undersized for these houses.
And out of curiosity, is your attic converted?
Thanks for the input Derek.
We have had the windows checked by 2 different people who checked for gabs and sagging, but they both said windows were ok - that was one of our initial suspicions. We also replaced hall door.
I think your points on the air between walls and skirting, would definitely be a contender. It seems to be very cold internally, around where the meters are housed. One of our neighbours advised that these may be a source of air movement which would tie in with your point. Did you also notice air between internal walls and ceilings?
No, we haven't converted attic.
We have had the windows checked by 2 different people who checked for gabs and sagging, but they both said windows were ok - that was one of our initial suspicions. We also replaced hall door.
I think your points on the air between walls and skirting, would definitely be a contender. It seems to be very cold internally, around where the meters are housed. One of our neighbours advised that these may be a source of air movement which would tie in with your point. Did you also notice air between internal walls and ceilings?
No, we haven't converted attic.
Actually a few further things to check!
The narrow window adjacent to the hall door sits on a granite plinth, and like the other front windows, there may be an air space / open joint between the top of the plinth and the base of the window.
The main waste pipe for the ensuite runs down through the wall beside the hall door. If you are getting a strong draught - particularly from around the fuse box - or just general cold in the hall then it might be a cold air coming down from the attic inside the passage where that waste pipe is running. That pipe runs up into the attic adjacent to the water tank where it vents out. You can block around the top of the duct in the attic with additional insulation or even an old blanket to stop the cold air getting into it. Don't block the pipe itself, it needs to vent out through the roof.
The other point where cold can get in is around the vent plate on the gable wall where the downstairs toilet fan vents out. There should be a flexi pipe between the top of the fan that runs across to the back of the vent plate on the gable. This pipe can become detached at either end, resulting in internal drafts. To test this, temporarily block the vent plate and see if it's stops the draught.
Also open your gas and electricity meter cabinets And check to see if there are any openings in these where cold air can get into the blockwork behind.
HTH !
The narrow window adjacent to the hall door sits on a granite plinth, and like the other front windows, there may be an air space / open joint between the top of the plinth and the base of the window.
The main waste pipe for the ensuite runs down through the wall beside the hall door. If you are getting a strong draught - particularly from around the fuse box - or just general cold in the hall then it might be a cold air coming down from the attic inside the passage where that waste pipe is running. That pipe runs up into the attic adjacent to the water tank where it vents out. You can block around the top of the duct in the attic with additional insulation or even an old blanket to stop the cold air getting into it. Don't block the pipe itself, it needs to vent out through the roof.
The other point where cold can get in is around the vent plate on the gable wall where the downstairs toilet fan vents out. There should be a flexi pipe between the top of the fan that runs across to the back of the vent plate on the gable. This pipe can become detached at either end, resulting in internal drafts. To test this, temporarily block the vent plate and see if it's stops the draught.
Also open your gas and electricity meter cabinets And check to see if there are any openings in these where cold air can get into the blockwork behind.
HTH !
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Vlad the Impaler
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Replace your windows (originals are crap for heat loss) . Hinges were crap as well.
Get a sealed porch installed if you haven't already.
Get a sealed porch installed if you haven't already.
Hey I don't know how helpful this is but moved into the links a few years ago, we got the window master guy from Portrane to do a job on our windows and it made a huge difference, we had thought they needed replacing altogether but he realigned and saved us a fortune! We also have a storm porch and attic conversion and our rating at time of purchase was c2 or 3 so I imagine those without the porch/attic would be far less. Hope that's helpful