Wall and Insulation Drying in Hull

Insulation in Hull homes

• Cavity wall insulation. Many postwar houses had their cavities filled later with mineral wool, beads or foam. Wet mineral wool slumps and stays damp, and can bridge the cavity so damp reaches the inner wall.
• Loft insulation. Mineral wool rolls between the joists. A tank or roof leak soaks it, and it holds water against the bedroom ceiling below.
• Internal wall insulation. Older solid-wall terraces are sometimes insulated on the inside with boards. Water can get trapped between the boards and the brick.
• Solid walls with no insulation. Common in pre-1919 houses. No insulation to ruin, but the brick itself holds water and dries slowly.

Dry it or take it out?

Saturated mineral wool in lofts is usually removed, because it's cheap to replace and slow to dry. Wet cavity fill is harder: after a flood, if readings show the inner leaf staying damp, the cavity fill may need extracting through small holes and the cavity drying before it's refilled. Rigid foam boards can often be dried if the water was clean, but anything soaked by flood water or sewage is replaced.

How we dry walls

We take readings through the depth of the wall, not just the surface, and dry with dehumidifiers and air movers. For cavity and stud walls, air can be introduced through small holes near the floor. Solid brick is left to dry out steadily under controlled conditions. We don't rush it with heat.

After the drying

Replacement insulation should go back in only once the wall is dry. If the house is being repaired after a flood, it's worth talking about more resilient options low down on the walls. See repairs and plasterboard.

For what drying and the repairs after it usually cost, and what insurance tends to pay, see our water damage cost guide.