DraughtBusters

Energy saving advice and help

Looking at dot and dabbed walls

Below there are some photos of the problems that you will most likely have if you live in a typical dry lined masonry house in the UK.  There is a link to an article and some information and pictures of rectification works. If you feel that you need help please contact us but only after reading the articles and perusing the pictures with their information contained under this section of our website.

Here is the article:-  Case study on how to rectify air leakage behind dry linings 

The first picture below is a thermal image of a wall that has been dry-lined using the notorious dot and dab method.  The blue coloured patches indicate that they are cold and dark blue very cold. There are a plethora of problems that the image highlights, it makes a good quiz – how many problems can you identify in this one thermal image?

And the second picture below shows a hole that you can now see was behind the skirting board, it is directly joined to the underfloor void and this is virtually the same as to outside world!  Some of the images  further down show the rectification processes around the house.

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Thermal image of a dot and dabbed lounge wall, note that the dots are showing up as colder than the wall due to conduction through the adhesive, It is clear that ribands of adhesive were not used cold air is infiltrating at the top of the walls and over the edges of the ceiling. Mumerous other problems exist at the corner of the room.
Thermal image of a dot and dabbed lounge wall, note that the dots are showing up as colder than the wall due to conduction through the adhesive, It is clear that ribands of adhesive were not used cold air is infiltrating at the top of the walls and over the edges of the ceiling. Numerous other problems exist at the corner of the room.

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The hole that you can now see was behind the skirting board is directly joined to the underfloor void which is about the same as to outside!
The hole that you can now see was behind the skirting board is directly joined to the underfloor void which is about the same as to outside!

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Having removed the skirting boards foam in the gap ensuring the foam fully seals left to right and seals any gaps down the edges of the floor that lead into the sub-floor void, and that it seals the bottom of the plasterboard linings to the blockwork along the full length too.
Having removed the skirting boards foam in the gap ensuring the foam fully seals left to right and seals any gaps down the edges of the floor that lead into the sub-floor void, and that it seals the bottom of the plasterboard linings to the blockwork along the full length too.

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Carefully cut off surplus foam with a fine toothed saw in readiness for the skirting boards to be refitted.
Carefully cut off surplus foam with a fine toothed saw in readiness for the skirting boards to be refitted.

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Section through the RSJ above the lounge which was installed when the lounge was extended. So many air leakage paths were built into this area that it would be difficult to add any more.
Section through the RSJ above the lounge which was installed when the lounge was extended. So many air leakage paths were built into this area that it would be difficult to add any more.

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This is the RSJ shown in the section that was built in as part of a lounge extension, there were air paths through it, under it, over it round it and past it all joining the new roof void to the inside of the house. The foam is the first stage of retrospective air sealing works.
This is the RSJ shown in the section that was built in as part of a lounge extension, there were air paths through it, under it, over it round it and past it all joining the new roof void to the inside of the house. The foam is the first stage of retrospective air sealing works.

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A particularly easy to see case of wind washing, massive air leakage behind plasterboard linings
A particularly easy to see case of wind washing, massive air leakage behind plasterboard linings

 

The next place to look for air infiltration is between the ceiling and first floor see First Floor Void.

This is a hard to treat area and we intend to develop a new process whereby this can be done quickly, cheaply and effectively.