By George, I think she's got it!

[MR GUS]

Insulation that is!

The wife has always "entertained" my foibles with regards to "green stuff"  but today having cut placed & sealed part of our log store area (side of the stove) I think she understands why I'm wanting to add a few slabs of celotex to "slightly reduce room size & improve overall heat throw, travel & retention.

Ivan's heat image photo's have always played on my mind as to what losses  one aspect of our WBS was suffering in terms of "pi$$ing" heat out, ...a small area but right by the stove, she wandered into the "zone" after I slammed  120 /160 mm of celotex in that area & noted the additional warmth ..good stuff to work on.
So theoretically we've reduced one hotspot significantly & I'm going to lunge at the opportunity to place a 70mm pir board up against  the remainder of the wall (not as the current lot is actually within the stove nook / recess).
probably a £70 outlay that if it performs quantitatively like our electric heater useage reduction, when slab was placed in a similar manner that I could push for a full room next year, (estimated cost £300).
My bone of contention is what to do with our awkward box window, a mass of glass... which is obviously the main offender when it comes to gushing heat.

Remove unused "useless" double radiator & add 50-70mm celotex all round so it's doing *something*
..or what?

I'd prefer to tackle the small wall & get to grips with framing out so it's proper & rigid, also would necessitate repositioning of a twin wall socket.

Advice sought as to what wood I need to start with, can't afford to make mistakes

[biff]

hey ho gus,
           insulate,,insulate as much as you possibly can.if that old rad is defunct and not in use,rip it out and celotex the wall like you say.however it has been mentioned on here that the celotex gives off toxic fumes in a fire so cladding with plasterboard is important.you can buy the celotex with the plasterboard already stuck on it and that might be the handiest. as regards the window,would it be possible to just block it off after dark with celotex,cut to size and inserted into the opening,?
   as the winter set in,we will be taking out extra insulating pieces out of storage, we hang 2L2 over a lot of our north facing windows.it certainly makes a big difference,even though all our windows are d/g and properly sealed.the 2L2 is very handy and easy to work with.it can be rolled up and put away in the spring.there is a new version,one with fibre instead of plastic bubbles and i might just fork out the euros for a roll of that in the near future.
                            biff

[mpooley]

Biff
What is this 2L2 stuff i had a look around but not sure how to use it. Could it be used as internal wall insulation without an air gap for instance?

mike

[biff]

it is a flexible roll of small plastic bubbles sheeted on either side with foil,it is supposed to be equal to 150mm of glass fibre,yet it is only 5mm thick, the roll is 1200wide by 50mtrs long.normally around 180euros to buy,it is an exellent thermal barrier but you still need to leave a 25mm gap between it and the finished surface.
  i had a roll left over after i built my house.it sat for a couple of years.then we had a really cold spell,so i pulled it out of storage and cut inserts to shove into the window spaces during the nightime,it made a massive difference to the room temp.we have d/g yet there seemed to be quite a heat loss.the 2L2 is stored away each spring.the newer version uses a fibre instead of airbubbles and is supposed to be a lot better.
                                                                           biff

[mpooley]

it is a flexible roll of small plastic bubbles sheeted on either side with foil,it is supposed to be equal to 150mm of glass fibre,yet it is only 5mm thick, the roll is 1200wide by 50mtrs long.normally around 180euros to buy,it is an exellent thermal barrier but you still need to leave a 25mm gap between it and the finished surface.
  i had a roll left over after i built my house.it sat for a couple of years.then we had a really cold spell,so i pulled it out of storage and cut inserts to shove into the window spaces during the nightime,it made a massive difference to the room temp.we have d/g yet there seemed to be quite a heat loss.the 2L2 is stored away each spring.the newer version uses a fibre instead of airbubbles and is supposed to be a lot better.
                                                                           biff

Thanks Biff
just to be clear does it need the air gap on both sides?

Mike

[mpooley]

Oh and where can i get it at that price?

seen similar on ebay but lots more money

mike

[djh]

the celotex gives off toxic fumes in a fire so cladding with plasterboard is important.you can buy the celotex with the plasterboard already stuck on it and that might be the handiest.

That's the main advantage of phenolic (e.g. Kooltherm) as opposed to PIR/PUR. Lot more fire resistant and doesn't give off toxic fumes in a fire. Its also a little bit better insulation value. It can also be bought with plasterboard attached.

[biff]

i bought 6 rolls in 2002@180 a roll,even then there was a big difference in prices,,50 euros plus a roll difference,it pays to shop around.of course it went up during the tiger years but im positive it is back down again along with a lot of other things.
   i have used it directly onto 150mm of fiberglass,then secured it with a 50mm x 25mm batton on each rafter,the rafters were 50mm x 200mm so when the 2L2 was secured a foil backed 12mm sheet was screwed home through the battons.it was considered a bit of an overkill at the time but not now. you only have to drop it in behind a curtain over a patio door to feel the difference it makes.it works really well.
     on the question of a gap both sides, im not so sure,i considered the fibreglass to be a non conductor of heat so that why i banged it on there,however i would not put it directly on to a cold surface or a damp wall,the foil will perish,
                                                                                             biff