How Is Cavity Wall Insulation Removed?

Here at Extract Insulation, we believe cavity wall insulation (CWI) can be a wonderful thing – it’s a cost-effective way to keep your home warm in the winter months and homeowners can reap the benefits almost immediately. But, if not done properly, cavity wall insulation can create more problems than it solves. This is why we’ve dedicated our time to removing inadequate and ineffective CWI – but how exactly do we do it?

To the uninitiated, the process may seem daunting, but here’s our step by step guide on how we remove CWI:

1. We start by pulling out a brick from the bottom of your property. This is done with a specialist tool, the Arbortech Allsaw, to ensure we can save the original brick and put it right back into place once the process is complete.
2. We then attach a large extraction hoover to the wall, which is an important part of the overall process.
3. A series of 22mm holes are drilled into the external walls of the property, using a strategic drill pattern. 
4. An extra row of holes is then drilled three bricks above the property’s damp proof course. This ensures that all of the cavity wall fill is sucked out by the extraction machine, so no insulation remains above the point of the damp proof course.
5. This is where the fun really begins – starting at the hole closest to the hoover, we used compressed air to force the insulation toward the hoover. This works by causing a gap in the insulation, allowing the material to be sucked out. We’ll then move on to the level above, forcing the next section downward and so on until all the insulation has been sucked into the extraction hoover.
6. We will then bag up the extracted material for you, and remove it from your property under a waste carrier’s license.
7. To ensure the process has gone smoothly, we will check your property with a boroscope. We can even allow you to see our impressive work for yourself by connecting an iPhone to the boroscope and taking pictures and videos inside your cavity walls which you can keep for your records.
8. To finish off the job, all flues, chimneys, and gas vents will be checked by a competent and accredited professional to ensure your property is fine.

So there you have it, cavity wall extraction explained!

If your CWI is causing problems in your home such as dampness, get in touch with us today and we can help you extract it.