In the article, we
describe the basic types of external building insulation
Appropriate insulation
of the building means comfort of use and a large saving of money. Energy efficiency is at this moment a
very important feature of the building.
Energy consumption -
this is the amount of energy consumed for the operation of the building during
the year.
Heat demand index E -
value expressed in kWh / m2 per year, determines the value of seasonal energy
demand needed to heat1 m2 of the
house area.
Buildings in Poland have a coefficient of E, sometimes far
from the standards recommended by the Building Research Institute in Warsaw. According to the ITB, it should be
between 91 and 125 kWh / m2 per year. Buildings
from the 70s have this ratio above 220 kWh / m2 per year, buildings from the
90s are already a little better - 120 by 180 kWh / m2 per year. For example, in Germany the
heat demand index E is 70 kWh / m2 per year.
Heat losses are caused
in about 70% by improper insulation or non-insulated walls, roofs, floors. Walls play a significant role here.
The methods used for
insulation of building walls are:
The wet light method -
consists in sticking to the wall insulating layer made of foamed polystyrene or
insulation wool, applying a reinforcing mesh embedded in a suitable adhesive,
and then plastifying (this method does not apply to wooden walls).
Dry light method -
between the elements of the grate fixed to the wall, the insulating material is
placed, it is covered with wind insulation, and it is mounted with vinyl siding
or wooden siding.
The most popular method
is light wet.
Most producers of
insulation systems offer full or faded plasters that give great texture
effects. The outer plaster of the
insulation layer can be found in several color versions. There is also the possibility of an
individual, repeatable color thanks to computer systems for precise dosing of
coloring pigments.
The thermal insulation
layer can be made of expanded polystyrene or wool. It is important to choose the
thickness of this layer.It depends on the heat transfer coefficient U for a
given type of wall. According to
the current thermal standard, it can be a maximum of 0.30 W / m2K. In the case of walls in old houses,
the thickness of foamed polystyrene or wool is sufficient between 10-12 cm .
STYROPIAN -
self-extinguishing polystyrene of the variety no smaller than FS 15 is used for
insulation. In addition to being glued to the wall on a special glue for
polystyrene, it should also be used to fasten insulating material to the wall -
it ensures that it will not peel off wall. In
buildings with a height of more than 8
m , or when the old floor is in
poor condition, it is a necessary requirement. For fixing styrofoam to walls,
expansion plugs with a plastic mandrel (4 pieces per 1 m2 )
are used. Styrofoam 10 cm thick is the most commonly used for
insulation , boards should not be
larger than 120 X 60 cm .
WOOL - for insulation
there are used boards with a thickness of 8 to 12 cm , wool mats are not used. Wool should have a density of 80-150 kg / m3, for the
baseboards it is worth using wool with a higher density, soaked with a
preparation that reduces its absorbability. The
wool, in addition to sticking to the wall with a special cement adhesive, is
simultaneously fastened with pins with a steel rod in the amount of 8 pieces
per 1 m2 .
Reinforcing mesh - its
main task is to give adequate strength to the plaster and protect the thermal
insulation layer from damage.The most commonly used are glass fiber mesh with a
weight of 140-190 g
/ m2 - the strength of the net depends on its strength.The mesh should be
evenly covered with a special cement glue, embedded in the adhesive layer, and
then covered with a second layer.
Priming preparations -
their main task is to improve the adhesion of the plaster to the layer with the
mesh. They are covered with a
layer of embedded mesh before the plaster is made.
PLASTERS - they are used
for the stable finishing of the façade, the following types of plasters are
distinguished:
Mineral plasters - sold
in the form of dry cement-lime mixtures, have good vapor-permeability, appear
in white and light-pastel colors.
Acrylic plasters (resin)
- finished plastering plasters, in which the binder is polymers (acrylic
resins), have a low vapor permeability, while they are less absorbable than
mineral ones. They are
characterized by a large variety of colors - they can be dyed practically in an
unlimited palette. They are
easier to maintain - they are less dirty, but they are more expensive than
mineral plasters.
Silicate plasters - sold
as ready-to-use mass, in their composition have potassium water glass and
plasticizers, which facilitate the application, have good vapor permeability. The choice of plaster should be
conditioned by the type of material used to make the thermal insulation layer. The following rules apply:
for insulation from
expanded polystyrene (material with low vapor permeability), acrylic, mineral
and silicate plasters are used,
for insulation from wool
(material with high vapor permeability), mineral and silicate plasters are
used.
If you want to put a
thin-layer plaster well, remember that:
mineral plasters require
an even foundation - the appropriate mineral putty is used,
substrates for
thin-layer plasters must be primed,
when making thin-film
trips, it is recommended to work without interruptions on one level,
the temperature of using
thin-layer plasters should be observed, from + 5 ° C to + 30
° C ,
it is necessary to use
covers on scaffoldings (falling rain may blur the newly laid plaster, the sun
may cause too fast drying).
Façade paints - if there
is a need to change the color of the plaster, it can be painted with the
appropriate facade paint in the desired color. However, remember to choose the type
of paint for the type of plaster. Nearly
all paints can be used for mineral plasters, preferably waterborne, with high
vapor permeability. Acrylic
paints are suitable for acrylic plasters, silicate paints for silicate
plasters.
