Hi all,
I realise this may have been asked before, I have read a few thread, but couldn't find anything to answer my questions.
We recently bought a house (built ~ 1850) Faces East/West, mid terrace. Went in the attic last Wednesday and the inside of the felt on the west side only was dripping wet. There had been no rain for at least 48 hours, probably longer.
Our Attic has been boarded over, except for a 6" gap on the East side and a 14" on the west. Survey suggested 100mm of insulation, although I am dubious to think that covers the whole attic. There is a small Velux window on the East Side
Now on the west side there was insulation stuffed right into the Eaves - thick heavy yellow stuff, rammed in very tight. This was not present on the East side, where the 4" gap was completely clear. I was speaking to a builder friend who suggested that the likely cause was that the insulation was rammed in so tight no air could move through the vents. This would explain why it was present on the west side and not the east. We pulled back the insulation and found no vents at all, and closer inspection reveals soffit vents would be impossible to fit in our house. We have left about a foot of space between the end of the insulation and the eaves to see if this helps any way.
What we did uncover was a hole in one of the tiles, no more than an inch square, and a tear in the felt which is about 15cm sqaure Someone else has suggested that it could be that Ice formed through the hole (it was -5 this day and the coldest day since we had moved in.) and 'crawled' up the tiles, and as it thawed dripped onto the felt.
My questions then.
1. As there are no soffit vents, am I really ok to ram insulation in thick into the Eaves? The room below was noticeably cooler this morning. I guess that 12" is too large a gap. If it is ok, can i put in some insulation I bought from B & Q for £3 a big roll, or should I get some better stuff?
2. Is it really likely that the gap in the tile would have allowed ice to crawl all over the roof (an area about 4m x 4m)?
3. What sort of venting system should I look to put in place? As I said, soffit vents would be impossible and as we are mid terrace that rules out gable vents. A few of the neighbours have 4 'raised tile vents' are these effective?
Thnaks in advance for any advice. I have read many threads on this forum over the years, and my questions have always been answered without needing to ask.
I realise this may have been asked before, I have read a few thread, but couldn't find anything to answer my questions.
We recently bought a house (built ~ 1850) Faces East/West, mid terrace. Went in the attic last Wednesday and the inside of the felt on the west side only was dripping wet. There had been no rain for at least 48 hours, probably longer.
Our Attic has been boarded over, except for a 6" gap on the East side and a 14" on the west. Survey suggested 100mm of insulation, although I am dubious to think that covers the whole attic. There is a small Velux window on the East Side
Now on the west side there was insulation stuffed right into the Eaves - thick heavy yellow stuff, rammed in very tight. This was not present on the East side, where the 4" gap was completely clear. I was speaking to a builder friend who suggested that the likely cause was that the insulation was rammed in so tight no air could move through the vents. This would explain why it was present on the west side and not the east. We pulled back the insulation and found no vents at all, and closer inspection reveals soffit vents would be impossible to fit in our house. We have left about a foot of space between the end of the insulation and the eaves to see if this helps any way.
What we did uncover was a hole in one of the tiles, no more than an inch square, and a tear in the felt which is about 15cm sqaure Someone else has suggested that it could be that Ice formed through the hole (it was -5 this day and the coldest day since we had moved in.) and 'crawled' up the tiles, and as it thawed dripped onto the felt.
My questions then.
1. As there are no soffit vents, am I really ok to ram insulation in thick into the Eaves? The room below was noticeably cooler this morning. I guess that 12" is too large a gap. If it is ok, can i put in some insulation I bought from B & Q for £3 a big roll, or should I get some better stuff?
2. Is it really likely that the gap in the tile would have allowed ice to crawl all over the roof (an area about 4m x 4m)?
3. What sort of venting system should I look to put in place? As I said, soffit vents would be impossible and as we are mid terrace that rules out gable vents. A few of the neighbours have 4 'raised tile vents' are these effective?
Thnaks in advance for any advice. I have read many threads on this forum over the years, and my questions have always been answered without needing to ask.
