How thick and what type/design cellar wall insulation
Discussion
Recently bought a de-humidifier and am basically satisfied with its performance.
From an online calculator I see that if I can raise the temperature of the cellar by 4-5C (temperature ranges between 14C in winter and 18C in winter) I can also significantly reduce the relative humidity. Obvious I don't want a de-humidifier running all year round.
It is a dry cellar with very little air leakage.
What type and thickness of insulation/foil back plasterboard would give me a 4 or 5 C increase in temperature or have I totally misunderstood how this all works?
From an online calculator I see that if I can raise the temperature of the cellar by 4-5C (temperature ranges between 14C in winter and 18C in winter) I can also significantly reduce the relative humidity. Obvious I don't want a de-humidifier running all year round.
It is a dry cellar with very little air leakage.
What type and thickness of insulation/foil back plasterboard would give me a 4 or 5 C increase in temperature or have I totally misunderstood how this all works?
Got any pics of it? What is the ceiling of it made of? What are the walls - just solid concrete/brick?
My first go would be creating a stud wall, packing insulation between studs then insulated plasterboard over the top.
Then the floor, either create a floating floor and pack insulation between the joists, or lay insulation sheets adhered down and screed over the top - height depending.
That being said, it would be cheaper to buy a small oil filled, thermostat controlled, electric radiator or equiv and leave that on a timer down there. The above insulating will have a helluva 'pay back' period compared to just low level heat input.
My first go would be creating a stud wall, packing insulation between studs then insulated plasterboard over the top.
Then the floor, either create a floating floor and pack insulation between the joists, or lay insulation sheets adhered down and screed over the top - height depending.
That being said, it would be cheaper to buy a small oil filled, thermostat controlled, electric radiator or equiv and leave that on a timer down there. The above insulating will have a helluva 'pay back' period compared to just low level heat input.
Although you would reduce the RH by raising the temperature the amount of airborne moisture would remain the same, arguably it may increase as the increase in temperature may allow more evaporation from the structure.
If the temperature then falls you will have more condensation.
However I think your biggest issue is that if you insulate then you will impede the evaporation from the walls and the structure will be more damp.
You can get around this by using a cavity drain tanking system but it would be an expensive way to avoid using the dehumidifier.
My view would be if you've found an equilibrium that suits your needs then you've done well, and a few quid running a dehumidifier is probably the cheapest way of maintaining it.
If the temperature then falls you will have more condensation.
However I think your biggest issue is that if you insulate then you will impede the evaporation from the walls and the structure will be more damp.
You can get around this by using a cavity drain tanking system but it would be an expensive way to avoid using the dehumidifier.
My view would be if you've found an equilibrium that suits your needs then you've done well, and a few quid running a dehumidifier is probably the cheapest way of maintaining it.
C Lee Farquar said:
You can get around this by using a cavity drain tanking system but it would be an expensive way to avoid using the dehumidifier.
Family member has this system in place. It is big, expensive, ungainly, impacts on room size and needs a drain point to let the water trickle to. It's an extreme solution, especially if your cellar is pretty dry as is!Thanks for the interesting replies.
The structure is solid waterproof concrete about 320mm wall thickness, (don't know about the floor thickness) with 3 small double glazed windows with good rubber seals. One thing that removes heat from the building structure is that the water table is pretty high, 1.5 meters (cellar room height is 2.2 metres) but there is no water ingress.
The floor and ceiling are concrete and on the floor is a plastic vapour sheet with 10mm insulation with a metal foil on top and over that 10mm click laminate so at least the floor feels warm.
That's why I wondered if something similar on the walls would help stop the heat leaking away.
The structure is solid waterproof concrete about 320mm wall thickness, (don't know about the floor thickness) with 3 small double glazed windows with good rubber seals. One thing that removes heat from the building structure is that the water table is pretty high, 1.5 meters (cellar room height is 2.2 metres) but there is no water ingress.
The floor and ceiling are concrete and on the floor is a plastic vapour sheet with 10mm insulation with a metal foil on top and over that 10mm click laminate so at least the floor feels warm.
That's why I wondered if something similar on the walls would help stop the heat leaking away.
paul.deitch said:
Thanks for the interesting replies.
The structure is solid waterproof concrete about 320mm wall thickness, (don't know about the floor thickness) with 3 small double glazed windows with good rubber seals. One thing that removes heat from the building structure is that the water table is pretty high, 1.5 meters (cellar room height is 2.2 metres) but there is no water ingress.
The floor and ceiling are concrete and on the floor is a plastic vapour sheet with 10mm insulation with a metal foil on top and over that 10mm click laminate so at least the floor feels warm.
That's why I wondered if something similar on the walls would help stop the heat leaking away.
If the walls are all properly tanked/water proof, you could get someone in to Dot & Dab the cellar with Insulated Plasterboard. That would give you a noticeable difference quite quickly, and give it a more 'room-like' feel to it.The structure is solid waterproof concrete about 320mm wall thickness, (don't know about the floor thickness) with 3 small double glazed windows with good rubber seals. One thing that removes heat from the building structure is that the water table is pretty high, 1.5 meters (cellar room height is 2.2 metres) but there is no water ingress.
The floor and ceiling are concrete and on the floor is a plastic vapour sheet with 10mm insulation with a metal foil on top and over that 10mm click laminate so at least the floor feels warm.
That's why I wondered if something similar on the walls would help stop the heat leaking away.
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