cold upstairs

[fraser1]

Just wondered if anyone can advise on the following:
The upstairs bathroom and third bedroom do not heat up as much as the rest of the house or for that matter the other two bedrooms upstairs.
Both rooms have two side external walls which always feel cold to touch (semi detached). I am fairly sure that the problem either relates to this or that fact that there is not any felt or insulation under the roof tiles or a combination of both. Also I guess that the dirt dropping off the roof tiles makes the insulation between the rafters not as effective as it should be.
Is there anyway of testing to find out where the problem is ?

 

[noseall]

loft insulation?

 

[fraser1]

Yes there is loft insulation but as I mentioned no felt under the roof tiles

 

[^woody^]

I'll ask the obvious question ..... are the rooms heated and if so is the emitter (radiator, fan, warm air register etc) correctly sized for the room?

And if a radiator, is it (the system) balanced?

 

[JohnD]

How thick is the loft insulation; does it cover the entire ceiling or are there gaps? Roofing felt will make no discernable difference if the ceiling is well insulated.

What is the window like? Double glazed? Draughty?

What size is the radiator, and, is it hot?

 

[fraser1]

thanks for the reply.........the loft insulation seems fairly thick but very dirty and dusty. It covers the entire loft space but there are gaps where the bathroom and landing spot lights are. The windows are double glazed (although fairly old) I have also put up secondary galzing in the form of that clingfilm stuff....
The rad in the bedroom is about the right size for the room (which is only small) but is against the internal wall instead of under the window. The bathroom has a heated hand towel rail all get pretty hot. Also there is no rad on the landing.

 

[JohnD]

How thick is the loft insulation?

...fairly thick

What size is the radiator?

...about the right size.

 

[fraser1]

If you need exact measurements I can't provide that right now as I am at work and not at home.

Going on memory I reckon the loft insulation is around 250mm but as i said its dusty and possibly worn in parts. Additionally in parts it has been covered over with spare carpet off cuts.

The rad at an estimate is 36inches long.

 

[JohnD]

If the loft insulation is 250mm (ten inches) thick then that is plenty and will take away the biggest potential heat loss. It does not matter if it is dirty.

If the window is double-glazed and plastic film as well that will reduce another, and also window draughts.

Assuming you remember to keep the door closed, we are now thinking about heat loss through ventilation or gaps, then the walls. Are there gaps round the light fittings for hot air to rise through? How is the room ventilated? What means do you use to prevent condensation in the bathroom?

Is the radiator too hot to keep your hand on, top and bottom? Is the radiator "on" most of the time, or is the room stat in a room with more heating?

A 36" single rad is small but might be OK for a very small room with good ceiling and wall insulation. Are the walls solid or cavities, and are they insulated?

Next we will need the room dimensions (LxWxH) and the actual rad/rail dimensions.

 

[bernardgreen]

Is the radiator "on" most of the time, or is the room stat in a room with more heating?

This could be the problem. If the stat is in a well insulated room that heats up quickly then the heating shuts down before the other rooms have been heated.

Oversized rads in the living room where the stat is so often placed often cause this coldness in other rooms. Throttling down the living room rads can increase the time the boiler is heating giving more heat to the other rooms.

 

[fraser1]

Does the dust / dirt not perish the insulation ?

I have felt around the light fittings and they seem okay.

I have put the radiators on all day and this has made a slight improvement but as you walk up the stairs you can still feel the temp lowering.

All the external walls are cavities and always feel cold to touch - I am thinking about having them insulating but have heard mixed reports i.e the house needs to breathe. Obviously I don't want to go down this route if the problem lies elsewhere.

The bathroom has a window for vent. Both windows are large for the size the size of the rooms.

The rads all feel hot to touch.

The stat is on the wall outside the kitchen in the hall. We try to keep the kichen door shut when the oven is on etc. I have also checked that the rads upstairs are still kicking out heat when the downstairs ones are too.

The landing does not have a rad but I don't think this is the problem.

 

[JohnD]

Cavity wall insulation makes a big difference and is not very expensive. You can usually get good deals and reliable service from your gas and electricity suppliers. They will not run off with your money or do a poor job.

If your loft insulation is really ten inches deep (check it) then this is the modern recommendation and is very good. An uninsulated bedroom ceiling can easily lose 3kW of heat on a frosty night.

If the bathroom suffers from condensation then the wall may be damp and will lose more heat. Look at the Wiki for condensation advice.

Let us know all the actual dimensions when you get home, and check the rads for cold spots.

 

[masona]

The rads all feel hot to touch.

I think the first thing to do is to measure all the radiators sizes, single or double and the boiler size etc and post it onto here via the plumbing forum to see if the rads size are correct or the room stat maybe in the wrong place, if that's okay then maybe we can help you more. I don't know if there's a room calulation chart online to help you(?)

 

[markie]

Your house could be haunted

 

[crazycanuck]

are you in the habit of keeping the doors closed? if so you may need a cold air return, warm air can't come in if cold air has no place to go.
you might a vent through the bottom of the wall or door.
good luck