I have just read the BBA/ NHBC foundation's   Full Fill Cavity Wall Insulation in Areas of Very Severe Exposure to Wind-driven Rain  2016 When BBA issue a certificate for cavity wall insulation it must have passed their standard test which essentially involves building a section of brand new cavity wall in a lab with standard wall ties and either constructing it with built in insulation batts or applying a blown in product after it has been constructed. The test rig has no features that are representative of a real house. Most people would say It's reasonable to assume that most houses will have doors, window and utilities passing through the cavity. But the document indicates that BBA test have not included these for the past 40 years. Most certificates have been issued with the condition that the cavity must be >=50mm and for that the product was deemed effective are limiting water penetration to the inner skin. There are some restrictions on fair faced masonry and ...

Following on from the previous blog where I looked into the 4 in 1000 rate of 'claims' against a CIGA guarantee. There are however are far more  interesting statistics to report on that would be genuinely useful but  not in the public domain. CIGA do provide some limited information about extractions in the remediation report. From CIGA's 2018 Annual Report: "2017/18 Financial Year the approved costs for remedial work totalled £929,537.00 involving work at 964 homes which were completed at an average cost of £964.25 Cavity clearance was the main intervention, accounting for 63% of the works. " That means that 607 cavities clearances were funded by CIGA in 2017-2018. If CIGA closed 5,558 cases in the same time period then that’s 17% of closed ‘concerns' resulting in remediation and  11% of concerns resulting  cavity clearance in that reporting period.  It begs the question of what happens to the 83% of claims that CIGA bats away as t...

There was a recent item on BBC4's You and Yours on the rise of cavity claim companies. CIGA's CEO Nigel Donohue was interviewed. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000110y I agree with the thrust of the item. The rise in bogus claims by claims management companies is deeply unhelpful and muddies the waters for those with genuine complaints.   If the industry is swamped by bogus claims then it becomes even more difficult to prioritise the vulnerable who have had their homes destroyed by poorly installed or inappropriate retrofit. However, in many ways the industry gets what it deserves as its redress system is so poor that it's not surprising that claims companies have latched on to it like a big fat leech. The irony is that Nigel says that now that PPI is drying up; The claims companies look towards CWI as an income stream as and CIGA is a victim. PPI redress was one of the best known examples of oversight finally being applied to a corrupt industry with a culture o...

I found the notion of lintels in cavity trays difficult to visualise. The reason I'm looking into lintels is that there is a damp patch that runs along the lintel over the front door. Brick houses built today will have cavity trays and weep holes inserted into the design. You will spot weep holes these as either gaps in the mortar or where the mortar is replaced with a perforated plastic insert as below. CIGA state that no water should enter the cavity is properly maintained building. If that is so then why does building control mandate a cavity tray. Typical modern cavity tray with weep holes sitting on a steel lintel. The purpose of a cavity tray is to ensure moisture that gets in the cavity when driven through the mortar joints or other means is directed back to the outside wall and out of the building. If you didn't have a cavity tray or some sort of damp proof course then moisture would collect on the flat lintel and then flow off the sides of the lintel or soa...

White wool overflowing under flat roof I managed to get my endoscope under the flat roof and found overspill of insulation which is visible in the distance int he photo. This indicates that the cavity isn't closed at the top which is a requirement of cavity wall insulation though not much is mentioned in CIGA's guides about how you would inspect the top of a flat roof. It makes me worried that the other flat roofs segments of the house are filled with this crap as well. I have already established that the installers were incompetent and didn't check the wall on the gable end of the pitched roof as it overflowed into the attic but this was much harder to spot. Overflowing CWI into a flat roof space can cause problems. Apart from forming patchy insulation which can lead to cold areas, in this case it fills the whole height of roof space between the joist and blocks of ventilation. impedes ventilation and stops areas of timbers from shedding moisture adequately w...

According to Ofgem on the topic of 'Oversight'. Under the ECO (Energy company obligation scheme the installer must be registered with a certification body. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/complaints-about-standard-cavity-wall-insulation-installation You can try contacting the National Insulation Association which has procedures for complaints against registered members.  You can also search on the  Green Deal Oversight & Registration Body website where you may be able to find details of your installers’ certification body.    The National Insulation Association have a rudimentary, often poorly written  website  which doesn't tell us who the  board members are but does give us useful unbiased information such as : or the delightful : I reported the former statement to the BBA. Update 27/11. BBA replied that it is stated in individual certificates under "Durability" which when I checked on some certificates ...

With my trusty endoscope I am able to look in much more details at the issues with the bodged insulation. It's pretty clear that the wall that is suffering the most from damp is is poorly filled with variable density fill and some large voids and bridging mortar. However, not all cavity obstructions are brick/mortar. I have a certificate which proves that the electrics were rewired 4 years prior to the cavity insulation and the electrician decided to use our narrow cavity as a conduit as seen in the photo below. The cavity is so narrow that the insulation filling has been stopped by the wires, leaving a large void running up the wall. Some parts of the wires are completely encased in insulation. As far as the CWI is concerned this is a pre-existing obstruction and bridging of the cavity which should have been picked up on a pre assessment. The size of the void makes this insulation in-compliant to the BBA certificate. A pre existing damp problem caused by the electrics o...

Radio 4 Today programme on 9/11/18 carried an item on botched insulation and lack of industry. Absolutely vital bit of reporting which emphasises the importance of investigative  journalism when justice is left to an industry. Item can be listened to here It ended with a vapid statement from CIGA.  "CIGA maintain that it is independent and these members bring vital experience and knowledge to its board."   I think it's important to highlight why the public should be concerned about CIGA's independence particularly when the government, ofgem, local building control, BBA defer all complaints to the 'guarantee provider'. Here is a table of directors and/or council members: Name Role Other interest Potential Conflict of interests DONOHUE, Nigel Secretary CEO Director THE SOLID WALL INSULATION GUARANTEE AGENCY Secretary Director CIGA LIMITED (dormant company) BELTON, Danielle Louise Director Director SAVING ENERGY LIMITED Installer Re...