Insulating your home is a great idea which comes with numerous benefits including better living conditions and lower energy bills. When installed correctly insulation can prevent mould problems in the home.
However, insulating a property can be a significant change to the way that air and moisture moves around a building, creating a potential risk for mould growth. This is why it is always so important to use a professional installer.
When it comes to damp and mould there are some key things to consider before you have insulation installed. Mould growth has been linked to respiratory problems, allergies and asthma (Source: NHS Scotland) so working with your accredited installer to get this right is crucial.
Here is a rundown of the things you and your installer should be looking out for.
External Wall Insulation
External Wall Insulation (EWI) is a great way to improve the energy efficiency of your home by reducing the rate of heat loss through your walls. The great thing about EWI is that it wraps around the entire exterior of your home, keeping the warmth in. Because the house will be fully wrapped it is important that your walls are dry before the external wall insulation is fitted. What you don’t want is damp or mould present already as the insulation can trap the moisture in the walls forcing it to work it’s way out internally to cause decorative damage.
If you live with mould in your house then the EWI can solve the issue for you since it warms up the walls and prevents condensation from happening. Like all living things mould needs water to live so without the supply of moisture from the condensation, the mould simply cannot grow anymore.
On the flip side, remember that by wrapping your home you could be reducing the natural ventilation, which can lead to an increase in stale air and then mould growth. Make sure you talk to your installer about this as there are many options to combat this from adding trickle vents to your windows to installing condensation stopping PIV systems in the loft.
Loft Insulation
Fitting a toasty warm hat at the top of your house makes complete sense and will have a big impact on your energy bills. Loft insulation in itself doesn’t cause any problems with damp or mould, however, as with other types of insulation it is important to consider how ventilation will be maintained.
Mould loves to grow in environments where ventilation is poor, as you might expect, filling a loft space with 300mm of cosy insulation can lower the airflow. Your professional installer will be able to help advise on this and there are some very simple fixes.
If your loft ventilation is mostly in the soffits then it can be a really good idea to install some lap vents which hold open the roofing felt bringing fresh air in from outside. Lap vents are really cheap and a very simple DIY task.
If you have old insulation in your loft which you have found mould growing on then make sure you get fresh insulation installed. Mould loves to grow on some types of mineral fibre wool insulation so removal, and treatment of the loft space to kill all of the mould may be a good idea.
Cavity Wall Insulation
For the right property, Cavity Wall Insulation (CWI) can be a huge improvement, offering greatly reduced heating bills and a much cosier living space. Sadly, some unethical installers have fitted CWI in unsuitable properties leading damp and mould problems inside the house.
When the house has structurally sound brick walls then the CWI stays dry and works well. If you have a property with some mould or dampness then it is worth investing in a professional Damp and Mould Survey before having the insulation installed. There are some types of mould and damp which are caused by the cold uninsulated walls so in this case the CWI will be perfect and solve the issue.
Key Points
- Insulation can solve many common mould problems which are caused by cold
- Structural damp problems or water ingress must be fixed before installing insulation
- Your installer should consider damp and mould before fitting
- If you have any concerns then an independent damp and mould survey can help
- Throw out mouldy old loft insulation and replace with fresh
Written by Tom Dear of Ministry of Mould Ltd. https://ministryofmould.co.uk
