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So I've started the refurb of the downstairs loo. It's an old outdoor loo in a leanto that is now part of the house. I believethe ceiling isn't insulated possibly just a bit of skimmed plywood. I don't want to take this down due to mess and possible asbestos.
Ive been looking at kingspan k118 but just seen something called superquilt at screwfix which looks easier to work with and I don't have to pay a fortune for delivery. It is only a small space 0.8m by 0.7 but quite tall so losing some ceiling height is ok
I also want to fit a light and fan so overboarding will give me some space to run the cable.
Anyone have experience with this product. Sounds pretty simple to use. Staples and some 25mm wood to battling. Any potential issues with a lighting circuit in close proximity?
And dumb question when it talks about thermal resistance of 2.5w per m2 and 1.5w per m2 is it talking about watts saved and therefore the bigger number is the better insulation?
For doing a ceiling I would use a foam board insulation rather than a quilt.
Cut a couple of pieces to fit the space - easier that trying to squeeze a single piece - and then some wooden batons to hold it in place and fix the false ceiling to.
This is something B&Q do but I am sure there is lots of other stuff available.
Do you need it delivering?
Sling it in the back of the car or B&Q do hourly van hire to get big stuff home. If you are hiring a van then you can also use it to get all the waste down the tip easily if you get the timings right.
dumb question when it talks about thermal resistance of 2.5w per m2 and 1.5w per m2 is it talking about watts saved and therefore the bigger number is the better insulation
It's not a dumb question - I think the Screwfix page is wrong. It says Thermal Resistance,but then gives the units as W/m²K, which are the units for Thermal Conductance. Thermal Resistance should be in Km²/W, the reciprocal, so yes, bigger is better, it's giving you more temperature difference.
Is it a real possibility that asbestos is up there? I think i would want that out or leave completely undisturbed with a well sealed false ceiling with insulation.
I've no idea what their numbers correspond to. most people quote "R" or "u" values.
With these multi-layer insulators it's very much a case of the more layers the better.
I've used a lot of 27 layer stuff which is rated R3.15 which is about the same as 75mm of polyurethane, 100mm of polystyrene or 120mm of glass wool or rock wool. I'd guess 19 layers would be about R2 so about the same as 50mm of Celotex or Kingspan. At worst it'll cut the losses through an R0.7 cavity wall by 70%
The advantage of the stuff is the ease with which you can deal with corners, odd shapes, butting into window frames. The downside is making up the wooden/steel frame to fix it to which is time consuming compared with glueing a lot of Celotex in place.
In terms of performance I'm really pleased with it, theres no measurable temperature difference compared with the Celotex and recycled polyester I've used and it's much better than glass/rockwool apart from the noise insulation aspect where rockwool panels are much better.
Electricy, I used the proper plastic boxes and socket boxes so no worries.
The multifoil products require an air gap both sides. This can mean that the actual thickness required is similar to other rigid products. We are moving towards using natural products such as wood fibre and sheeps wool as much ch as we can. They are not as effective insulators but offset with a healthier building. All builders comment on how great sheeps wool is to work with.
You're right about the air gap, Gavin, with the air gap I only gained a cm or so compared with the best rigid insulation I could find (Recticel).
As for healthier natural products, the recycled polyester is made from the same recycled bottles as the sweaters, clothes and fabrics that fill your house and that your skin is in contact with. I inusulated under the floor with it because it's nice to work with and springy so cutting doesn't have to be accurate. The sanitary space is ventilated. So it isn't perfect, but when you look at for example wood fibre panels which are treated with fire retardent, biological growth resistant agent and binding agents, are they much better? Wool wasn't available so I haven't looked into that, convince me!
Thanks for the comments, I have a good 150mm to play with possibly more.
Gluing pir board appeals for ease. I'd read you want to avoid breaking the foil layer so try fit in one pass. I don't want to drill the ceiling so had planned to screw batons to the walls I need a baton for a light fitting in the centre.
I had read that some foam can degrade pvc cabling hence the concern and the preference for a small v void to run the cable. If it is all glued flush I would have to chase the insulation
This is a small project to start with. The other down stairs bathroom is definitely a ply lined asbestos roof, but as its sloping I have much less headroom to play with
Not sure how big your car is wca but I can't fit a 2.4m board in mine. I suppose I could cut it in the carpark
Van hire / tip run isn't a bad idea. I have a whole shed full of carp. Was going to get a skip when it was full. You have to pay for hard-core disposal now though a few quid a rubble sack...
I helped a friend insulate a very big loft extension with it . He’s a bit of a developer and reckons he’s using it in the future* instead of boards as it creates less cold air gaps.
We blunted a couple of pairs of big scissors trimming it!
* next project is hopefully a farmhouse & barn in the French alps. 🙂