Open loft hatch?

Discussion in 'Eco Talk' started by Bruce McT, Nov 21, 2021.

  1. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    We have bough a house and I don’t think the insulation is great. I don’t have the cash to sort it this side of winter.

    If I keep the kids bedroom doors shut am I better to open the loft hatch and sacrifice the air from the landing and hall downstairs?
    My theory being that if the temp diff between the kids room and the loft above is less then their room may not lose quite as much heat.
     
  2. Jiml86

    Jiml86 Screwfix Select

    You will lose heat into your attic space then?
     
  3. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    Yes. From the landing and hall.
    The idea being that less heat then (perhaps) transfers upstairs through the ceiling from the kids bedrooms due to less of a temp difference.
    I don’t care about the air temp of the landing and hall.
    this is only about the kids rooms.
     
  4. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    How long have you had the house? Consider contacting the council to see if you can get a grant for loft insulation and possibly a new boiler.
     
  5. Kas228

    Kas228 Screwfix Select

    Not really sure what your trying to achieve. It will cost more in heating costs if you leave loft hatch open as warm air will enter loft and soon be lost through roof eaves etc. and your boiler will be constantly “on” trying to replace that air. Ultimately you need to insulate but in the meantime just go with what you have as I can’t see leaving the loft hatch open being more efficient than if it were closed.
     
  6. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    Just over a year. I’d hoped to have had the insulation done before this winter but we have done other things to the house that ended up costing more than planned.

    I’d say a new boiler (it’s oil) is on the cards but we have been told that we would need to get a few pipes moved to meet newer regulations and that will add to the cost.
     
  7. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    The boiler is on timer. So it’s only on when I let it.

    I want to get the best for the kids rooms out of the time I have it.

    I’m really just trying to think of the best (no cos) way of stopping heat escaping their rooms until I can get insulation looked at.
     
  8. Jiml86

    Jiml86 Screwfix Select

    You can't target where the heat will be drawn from like that. Heat will still escape from the bedrooms I'm afraid
     
  9. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    cheers. Worth a post anyway.
    Oil has more than doubled since I moved in so like everyone else the running costs are going up which means less money aside for long term fixes.
     
  10. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select


    Where in the country are you?
     
  11. Kas228

    Kas228 Screwfix Select

    Not sure how expensive insulation is these days but can’t imagine it would be that much even if you just put a few extra layers above the kids bedrooms for now. Do you have any sort of thermostat that controls the house temperature or even TRVs on the radiators?
     
  12. If you are worried about the kids bedrooms, just buy enough insulation to cover them. It's twenty quid a roll from B and Q at the moment. I suspect you only need two or three.

    You can the finish the job when funds allow.
     
  13. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    there is just a thermo on the boiler. It’s minimum is 60deg.
    The rads are just the 1-5 which I believe is more about flow than temp.
    The heating and water are linked. Can’t have one on with out the other.
     
  14. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    sadly the roof won’t allow that. Their rooms slope below the line of the loft .
    There should be a crawl space up the side of their rooms (one is boarded, one is plastered over) so even if I fix the loft insulation there will be still be nothing on their sloping roof part (I strongly suspect).

    It’s going to require cutting and an investigation. Then a repair.
     
  15. Kas228

    Kas228 Screwfix Select

    Would you be better off for now buying some individual oil filled radiators (or similar) that run of the electric, at least you will get heat direct to where its needed.
    In the future it sounds like parts of your system you have need an upgrade as you really need some sort of thermostatic control over boiler/radiators/room temperature etc.
     
    Bruce McT likes this.
  16. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    Northern Ireland
     
  17. Jiml86

    Jiml86 Screwfix Select

    Is it that when your heating system is on the house is not warming up or that it won't retain heat? Are all your radiators working properly? Are your windows and exterior doors as sealed up as well as they could be? What investigating have you done on relation to your insulation?
     
  18. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    The slopes of the roof can be boarded over with insulated plasterboard, or for a temporary fix just screw celotex or kingspan to the area making sure it's into the rafters not just the existing plasterboard then add a layer of plasterboard when funds allow.

    Several hundred miles and a body of water apart I'm afraid.
     
  19. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    The rads get nice and hot, all bled as required etc.
    We put a new front door on when we moved in. The back doors are in good condition
    Windows all double glazed and seem ok. Kids windows are velux and windows and blind in good nick.

    Insulation - I opened up the crawl space on the side I could. There is a boarded floor with no insulation and nothing on the roof part.
    I can’t access the other side so would need to cut a hatch and see. It’s probably the same as the first side.
    From the very edge of the loft at the slope (going down to their room) I’m pretty sure there is nothing.
    Hope Ive described this ok. It’s hard to get accross.
     
  20. Bruce McT

    Bruce McT New Member

    I could try that for the side I can access thanks. The other girls will just have to wait as I’ll only cut a hole in their side when I’m able to fix properly.
     

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