Dirt as a roof insulator

[Conrad Edwards]

OK, we've all seen the topics about un-sarked roofs where dirt is settling in the loft...I myself own an unsarked 1930s end terrace.

If people don't wan't to use the roofspace then what, apart from the mess, are the disadvantages of leaving the roof unsarked?..the obvious one would be storage, but we can all get big plastic bags..

What are the advantages...I would assume some boffin would come up with an airflow calculation ?

What are the 'cheap fixes'?.. I regularly see adverts for spray insulation ..or maybe battening in normal sheet insulation,,,,

[Squid]

When we moved in the house was generally cold so I tacked up cheap plastic sheeting (Thicker than dust sheets, thinner than tarpaulin) across all of the loft timbers.

That immediately stopped the gale blowing through and removing the heat, the house became warmer straight away.

Subsequent to that I spent about 30 quid on plaster sheeting (small ones that fit through the loft access hole) and nailed them over the sheeting in the "standing area". It works fine as a model railway room - looks a bit crap but who sees it anyway.

[Hugo Nebula]

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 08:17:44 +0100, a particular chimpanzee named "Squid" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Sarking felt is primarily there to prevent wind uplift of the tiles or slates. It has a secondary function of being a second weatherproof layer if the first one fails (i.e., a slipped tile, or driving rain blowing water up between the tiles).

If your choice is between a 'cheap fix' of spraying the underside with that gunk that sticks the tiles down or leaving it as is, then I would leave it as is. In fact, if the choice was between spraying the underside with that gunk that sticks the tiles down or sticking needles into your eyeballs, I would go with the latter.

It's not the gale that removed the heat. If there was any heat in the loft, it was due to inadequate insulation.

Any vapour impermeable material (i.e., polythene sheeting) should not be installed on the 'cold' side of the insulation, as it causes any water vapour to condense rather than being ventilated away.

[me]

One advantage I found was the ability to re tile the roof from the inside which saved money on Scaffolding :-)

I now rent out the house so am not likely to do anything to the inside but during the 7 years we lived there the biggest nuisance was the dirt. The plastic bags kept the stuff clean but the floor under the hatch looked like a garden whenever we moved anything around in the loft.

Andy

[Squid]

There was insulation on the floor - a bit thin for modern standards, but not bad.

I put the sheeting on the roof timbers so there is a couple of meters gap between the floor insulation and the roof polythene (at least 12 inches between them at the eaves) - there has never been a problem with condensation or damp.

[Conrad Edwards]

That's an idea...we could grow potatoes and harvest them in the bedroom....

[Zymurgy]

Hugo Nebula wrote

Hmm,

I have this felt in my garage with a pitched roof. However, the felt's all shot, flaky and hanging down.

What's the procedure for renewing this. I don't really want to gunk up the underside of the tiles particularly.

Any tips for putting new up. Where is it affixed to. Do I need to take the old down first or affix over the top in true bodge fashion ?

TIA

Paul.

[Hugo Nebula]

On 25 Sep 2003 11:55:05 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named [e-mail] (Zymurgy) randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

Roofing felt is fixed to the top of the rafters, secured with battens over at right angles to which the tiles or slates are nailed. If you need to renew, the tiles and the battens will have to be stripped off. Once you've done this, the old felt will come off easily, so there's no point in keeping it on.

[Zymurgy]

Hugo Nebula wrote

eek. Is there no way of fixing (read bodging) this from below ?

I really don't want to strip off the tiles as they're currently in reasonable condition (although the apex sags a bit) and are watertight.

It's only a garage !!

Cheers,

Paul.

[Hugo Nebula]

On 29 Sep 2003 01:39:30 -0700, a particular chimpanzee named [e-mail] (Zymurgy) randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

There are plenty of ways of bodging it from below. None of which will solve your initial problem of worn roofing felt.

You've asked a question; I've replied. What you do with the information is up to yourself.

[Zymurgy]

Hugo Nebula wrote

Indeed.

Very true. I shall take your advice as how to do the job properly and promptly bodge something ;)

Cheers,

Paul.