FAQ

GRAPHITE BONDED BEAD FAQS

Q. Why should I buy wall insulation?
A. According to independent government figures and Which? magazine your heating bills can reduce by as much as 25%, (up to 33% in detached houses and bungalows).

Q. How popular is wall insulation?
A. The head office of EnergyStore / Certainfil is situated in Belfast and over the last 25 years the Northern Ireland Housing Executive have insulated the cavity walls of 95% of their total housing stock. Over 200,000 homes.

Q. Common sense dictates that a 3 inch blanket of polystyrene around my home will make it much easier to heat, but can filling the cavities lead to moisture crossing to the inside wall?
A. With polystyrene beads this cannot happen because the material does not soak liquid. Drinking cups are made from it because of this quality. When you drink from such a cup you notice the heat from the drink cannot penetrate the thin wall of the cup. This will give you some idea of how little heat can pass through a 2½ - 4 inch thickness of the same material in a wall cavity.

Q. Do the lndependant Agrément Boards (BBA & IAB) support your claim that the system can not cause damp penetration?
A. Yes on their Certificates they state the following: Bonded Beads will not transmit water across the cavity or from below the Damp Proof Course Level. After a period of 20 years no failure of this product has been reported to the Board. Ask to see the Certainfil certificate. In addition the N.H.B.0 (NI) state they have never had a claim involving Bonded Bead.

Q. What is the Agrément Board?
A. The Agrément Board is sponsored by the various European Governments. Not unlike the B.S.I. they assess and issue certificates for products used in the construction industry. If they approve of the product they issue Building Product Certification.

Q. How popular is cavity fill in new houses?
A. In N. Ireland the majority of the larger home builders use cavity fill (43 out of 50) and 95% of these choose bonded beads.

Q. Why is Bead so popular with these builders?
A. In the North the vast majority of houses are built with Facing (Red) Brick and these can be very porous, compared with a rendered (plastered) wall. Beads are totally safe to use in this situation. Builders do not have the same confidence in alternative forms of wall insulation.

Q. If my house was built today would the walls be insulated automatically?
A. Yes. Since the early eighties some form of wall insulation is included in every new home. This is standard building practice and to build a cavity wall without insulation is no longer permitted. Filling the cavity in an existing house with Polystyrene Beads reduces the heat loss through the wall by 80%.

Q. In addition to a warmer home and lower fuel bills are there other benefits?
A. Yes. Many householders suffer from black mould growth on bedroom walls, (this tends to occur mostly in bungalows). The mould occurs due to the coldness of the wall but after insulation it will no longer appear.

Q. Why does mould growth form mainly on bedroom walls, and why is it worse behind furniture, in corners and in wardrobes?
A. Mould growth occurs when warm moist air meets a cold surface. The coldest walls in a bungalow are the bedroom walls and these walls (external) are at their coldest where there is bad circulation eg. in low corners, behind furniture and in wardrobes.

Q. Are polybeads environmentally safe?
A. Yes. The men installing beads do not need protective masks and as you will be aware, polystyrene is used throughout the food and catering industry.

Q. You strongly support Bonded Beads as compared to other materials. How do I know you do not have a vested interest?
A. Over the last 33 years Certainfil's parent company (Energystore) have installed cavity wall insulation of all types but for the last 25 years we have installed only polystyrene beads. The main reason for this is because we have found the system is very easy to install in accordance with the Agrément Certificate. The density of bead required to do a first class job is already built into each bead before it leaves our factory. We simply blow the bead from the van, spray it with adhesive, and deposit it in the cavity where the beads stick to each other.

Q. How am I to know if not enough bead is blown into the wall and I am getting a complete job carried out?
A. Beads cannot be compressed into small bales to take up less space or 'fluffed up' to take up more space. If you lift a bean bag off the floor all the beads rest on the bottom portion of the bag (without gaps) and the top of the bag will be completely empty. Exactly the same occurs in a cavity. If not enough material is injected into the wall the top of the cavity will be completely devoid of bead.

Q. Because you are not compressing the material within the cavity, do you need to drill as many holes as other systems where a given density must be achieved in situ?
A. No, much fewer holes are required. We drill mainly at the top of the area we wish to fill plus under windows. In a typical gable wall, only about half the number of holes are required to blow bonded bead as with other systems.

Q. Today cavities are built 4" approx. (100mm) wide but when my house was built 2% - 31/2" cavities were typical. Does this matter?
A. Yes. In a narrow cavity you often find excessive mortar extruding from between the bricks because the cavity was too narrow for the bricklayer to clean with his trowel at the building stage. With beads however such obstacles present no problems as the beads simply flow around obstacles just as a liquid would. At present you probably find that when the heating system turns off, your house cools quickly and you are quite aware that it's gone off within a half hour. After insulation this will change and you will find that even on the coldest night your living room will remain comfortably warm many hours after the central heating system has stopped operating.

Q. I am quite keen on the idea but my wife / husband has reservations and would prefer to spend the money on something more visually attractive.
A. We find that the partner who is least interested in insulation is the one who is unaware of what the heating system costs to run. If an electrical appliance was available that saved you £200-£300 (€300-400) per annum she/he would not hesitate to buy it.

Q. How do I know you are not overcharging?
A. We give a price guarantee. If within 7 days of ordering from us and paying a deposit you obtain a written quote (inc. VAT) for less than our price, for bonded bead from a recognised company, we
will reduce our price to match the difference or refund your deposit. We recommend that you do not simply ring two or more companies and decide on the cheapest phone quote. Speak to one of our sales people face to face. There are important points to be made, regarding quality etc.

Q. Why should I not necessarily give the order to the lowest quote received?
A. Before deciding on an installer you should first ask the following questions:
1 How long has your company been in business?
2 Have the owners (owner) ever traded under another name?
3 Does your quote include sleeving the underfloor ventilators?
4 Does the price include filling the apex? (peaks).
5 In a semi-detached situation will you be fitting cavity barriers between my house and my neighbour's house?
6 (If applicable) Why did you not point out these important matters during your sales presentation?

Q. How will I know I am dealing with a company with a good track record?
A. Companies with a good reputation will have traded under one name and not have changed the name they originally were known by. Companies with a 'History' tend to have changed their name at least once.

Q. What would indicate that the salesperson I am speaking to represents a sound company?
A. For example, a good company will insist that their representative informs you of the importance of cavity barriers if they are required. These 'Brushes' are inserted into the cavity to prevent ventilators being blocked or to stop insulation material entering the neighbours cavity wall in a semi detached situation. If this important aspect of the work is not dealt with at the point of sale (if applicable) it can be a sign they do not intend dealing with the problem. Buyer beware!

Q. Why should I deal with your company?
A. Certainfill is the trade name of the system owned by the parent company, Energystore Ltd. For 33 years this company has insulated cavity walls throughout Ireland. In recent years the cavity insulation business has grown rapidly and several franchisees have been appointed to meet the demand throughout the island of Ireland. Each company is carefully vetted and are subject to inspection by the Agrément Board.