Sempata thermal insulation

[jocelyn plummer]

Out of curiosity, has anybody used this?-- I'm not thinking of using it, but have just seen a house built 1871 where it has been extensively introduced. I just wondered what happens to moisture from outside to in if the external brick work and pointing were not to be in the best of condition. I do realise that it is insulation, forming a warm surface helping to reduce heat loss and rreduce the build up of condensation. But-----

Also all the exterior walls have been painted with a product said to resist staining and dirt, again, one assumes that the brickwork and pointing should be in good condition. Coupled with the dreaded placcy windows, 3 floor levels on the ground floor, various tanking measures in the cellar and very little sun into the house, one wonders what's really going on.

 

[andrew gayton]

'sempatap' - I would expand but i don't want to end up in court.

 

[Penners]

I've been expanding for years and nobody's taken legal action yet.

 

[andrew gayton]

a roll of the drum and a crash of the cymbal.

 

[Penners]

This is purely an amateur opinion, based on nothing but my gut instinct.

If a wall is prone to damp, then it will probably be cold, too. This will tend to create condensation when warm, damp air inside the house hits it. I can understand the logic of the argument that separating the damp air from the wall by means of a layer of insulation will reduce the precipitation of condensation. No argument so far.

But if the wall is damp, would I also want to stick an impermeable material on its surface, thereby trapping the damp inside it? I think the question answers itself.

Furthermore, if I had halved the ability of the wall to give off its moisture, as described above, I'd want to be extremely sure that any product I coated it with externally was highly damp-permeable. I wonder whether a paint that "resists dirt and stains" is.

Coating a damp wall with an impermeable material on both sides is, in my view, like trying to dry a wet dog by placing it inside a plastic bag.

 

[andrew gayton]

http://www.mgcltd.co.uk/sempatap-thermal

 

[LadyArowana]

Coating a damp wall with an impermeable material on both sides is, in my view, like trying to dry a wet dog by placing it inside a plastic bag.

You could put a towel in too and then the dog would be dry and dead as opposed to wet and dead....... It's a liitle warm for a coat, but I will get mine anyway.

 

[Pford75]

From Andrew's link

How long will it last?
As long, if not longer than plasterboard. The Energy Saving Trust give SEMPATAP THERMAL a life expectancy of thirty years.

Are they saying that plasterboard only has a life expectancy of 30 years?!? By this reckoning, there must be 000's of houses built in the 80's falling apart as the plasterboard reaches the end of it's lifespan.

On a more serious note - Is this any worse than putting wallpaper and/or non-breathable emulsion on the walls?

 

[andrew gayton]

http://www.mgcltd.co.uk/

Read!

 

[Lime]

It does not make clear what is the main material giving insulation.
Neither does it tell you anything about the adhesive.
I'd be concerned (apart from previous comments re. plastic bag) about removing the stuff and having any plaster left.

 

[worms]

If my reading of the thermal image pictures is correct, then not only has fitting this product improved the thermal insulation of the walls of the house, it has also had a dramatic effect on the heat given off by the hedge, the neighbour's gable wall and the house windows!

 

[Zebra]

Coating a damp wall with an impermeable material on both sides is, in my view, like trying to dry a wet dog by placing it inside a plastic bag.

:lol: I love that! I'm so going to use that!

 

[Lime]

I think the only place where this material would be useful is on bedroom ceilings where it is not possible to add insulation between the plaster and the roof tiles.

 

[andrew gayton]

http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=3295

no mention anywhere on the www about interstitial condensation :roll:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Well, that puts it all into the watershed! I feel for the owner who has been well rolled over,and am glad that my antenae are still in working order!

 

[tobydog]

This all reminds me too much of my 70's bedroom which was over the garage, cold, damp and moldy. I was subsequently cocooned in polystyrene on the walls covered by lurid vinyl wallpaper, and polystyrene tiles on the ceiling. As a kid it was the next best thing at the time to bubble wrap but looking back I'm not convinced. All it did was hide the damp and mold to the extent that it all came off the walls in the end, especially around the windows. Add to that the expanding foam insulation that was pumped into the cavity wall later and lord knows what fumes we were breathing.