We choose a wall heater for the house

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Insulation of the outer walls of apartment buildings helps all residents to save significantly on heating in the winter

When planning the construction of a house, it is necessary to pay special attention to the choice of insulation. It is from him that your future heating costs will depend, and the difference, it is worth noting, can be very noticeable.

In this article we will talk about how to choose a wall insulation for the house, so that it is as effective as possible, and at the same time does not lose its qualities over time. Do not believe that this is possible? Then just read the article to the end.

Qualities to Watch

Warming and facade decoration of a house built of wood. As a rule, such walls also need additional insulation of the joints between the bars

In order to choose the right insulation for the walls of the house, you need to clearly understand what qualities they should have, and even this will not be enough. A lot depends on the material from which the walls are built. Some require more vapor barrier qualities, others more important heat capacity.

It is quite difficult to make a thermal calculation of the walls of a house, unless of course you have a special education. You can seek the help of specialists, but their services are unlikely to remain free.

There is another option to use the calculator on one of the construction sites, but here you need to understand that the calculation results will be only approximate, and it will be best to add 15-20 percent to the result. Here, as they say, you won’t spoil the porridge with butter.

But it doesn’t make sense to overpay extra money either, especially when you consider that the price of some modern wall heaters can be very high. So, let's figure out what qualities a material should have, and after that we’ll figure out how to insulate the finished walls of a house.

If the neighbors do not want to take off for the insulation of the whole house, it can be done individually

It:

• Steam throughput. The factor is especially relevant if thermal insulation of the walls of the old house is needed. It is on old buildings, most often cold bridges form, and as a result of their constant exposure, condensation forms on the surface. The worst thing is that it can manifest itself both inside and outside the house, and getting rid of its formation is very difficult.
• Heat transfer qualities. As we have already said, the savings from warming the walls of a house can be very significant, and even the most expensive, but at the same time reliable material will be fully compensated in just a few seasons. The other side of the issue is that some walls do not need a large energy consumption of insulation, for example, if they are built of double-row ceramic brick.
• Safety. Some types of insulation of the external wall of the house can be dangerous, and the point is not that harmful substances are present in their composition, but that they are easily ignited and support combustion. Fortunately, new technologies in the insulation of house walls imply the presence of flame retardants, but still do not forget about this factor when choosing.
• A light weight. Understanding, for example, how to insulate the walls of country houses, you can take on any insulation, but it is important to understand that some walls do not imply the application of heavy finishing materials or insulation. Of course, destruction is unlikely to occur, but deformation and subsidence of the foundation in some cases are quite possible.

So, what should be the thermal insulation of the walls of the house, we figured out, and as you can see, when choosing, you need to build on the characteristic features of your home. In this article we will not talk in detail, how to insulate walls in a private house. For this, no instructions have already been written on our website. We just look at some materials, and try to find out what makes the walls of the house warmer.

Cotton insulation

Wall insulation with basalt wool, which differs from wool with mineral gray color and a denser structure

If you are looking for the answer to the question of how to insulate the walls of a stone house, then be sure to pay attention to the insulation based on wool (seeHow is insulation of walls outside with mineral wool) Unlike other types of insulation, cotton wool has a slightly lower degree of insulation, but for stone walls this is exactly what you need, especially if you take into account the relatively low cost.

Cotton wool has a lot of advantages, and among them one can distinguish light weight and ease of installation. In order to fix this material on the facade, you will not need a set of ingenious tools, or special knowledge and skills.

In fact, the very definition of cotton insulation is generalized and includes two different materials:

1. Cotton wool mineral. Soft insulation of medium thermal conductivity.
2. Cotton wool with basalt chips. More expensive, but at the same time reliable insulation.

Basalt cotton wool is made with the addition of volcanic stone chips, which makes the material more resistant to shape retention, and immune to high temperatures and even open flames. Basalt cotton wool is not used so often for wall insulation, since its high characteristics simply do not make sense, but if you need to insulate a stove or fireplace, then you can not do without it.

Cons of cotton insulation

Multilayer warming “pie” using mineral or basalt wool

So:

• Relatively low rate of shape retention. The fact is that over time, cotton wool begins to absorb moisture, and becoming heavier, sags under the facade. Avoid this will help more frequent fastenings, which can be done in a combined way using special plastic dowels and glue.
• Low degree of thermal insulation. If you need to insulate the wall of an individual house built of wood or on a frame, it is best to look for other material, and leave cotton to those whose walls are already warm and need only insignificant additional insulation.
• The presence of joints between the plates, which can not be removed in any way. It is in these places that the most sensitive cold bridges will form, and you can get rid of them only by layering one heater on another.

As you can see, the warmest walls for the house are not made of mineral wool, so we will not dwell on this material for long, and move on to other, more reliable and high-quality types of insulation.

Advice! The structure of basalt wool is denser than that of mineral, so if you decide to insulate the walls with it, then you will need much less fasteners. Basalt holds its original shape well and does not absorb moisture. In addition, it is maximally resistant to temperature extremes. In a word, if your budget can afford this insulation, then be sure to consider it carefully.

Styrene insulation

Insulation of the facade of an apartment building with foam plates

Styrofoam based insulation has been known for many years, and if you are looking for an answer to the question of how to properly insulate the walls of the house with foam plastic (see.How is the insulation of the walls with polystyrene foam done outside), then this section is especially for you.

Styrene insulation has a lot of advantages. They perfectly retain their shape and are immune to temperature changes.The heat capacity of them is so high, so they can be used on thin walls that need powerful protection.

There is a common misconception that polystyrene is very unhealthy, but in fact, this is just an echo of the past when active formaldehydes and ammonia were used in its production. Modern polystyrene foam is produced without their participation, and is even recommended for wall insulation in children's and public institutions.

Another common misconception concerns the combustible properties of polystyrene foam. It is believed that it is highly flammable and emits toxic substances when burned. In fact, this is far from the case.

Modern foam is made with the addition of special flame retardants, which, when exposed to open flame, break down the material into water and carbon dioxide. Thus, the foam does not only not contribute to combustion, but also prevents the spread of fire.

Important! Polyfoam with flame retardants in the composition has a special marking - SPB-S, where the last letter "C" means the presence of these additives. Be sure to pay attention to the marking when choosing a foam, as the material without flame retardants is very dangerous and is prohibited for use as insulation.

Penoplex

The facade of a private house, insulated with foam crest plates

Are you looking for how to insulate the roof and walls of a house? Then this material is especially for you. Compared to polystyrene, it has higher quality characteristics, and it is much denser than its brother.

With the same heat capacity, the thickness of the foam plate will be several times smaller. This is especially convenient for internal work, when it is necessary to save every centimeter of usable area.

Another advantage of the penoplex is the presence of special connecting grooves that prevent the formation of cold bridges on the walls. After installation, the joints are additionally treated with a mounting foam. This fastens the plates together and turns insulation into a real monolith.

Advice! If you decide to use Penoplex as a heater, and do it yourself, be sure to treat the slit sections with a special protective compound. The fact is that the material itself does not absorb moisture, as it has a protective coating, but if the plate is cut, then there will simply not be protection in this place, and water will begin to penetrate into the structure of the insulation.

And finally, we recommend that you watch the video in this article, which shows how to properly insulate the walls of the house from foam concrete, and in the meantime, we move on to the next material.

PPU

Spraying polyurethane foam insulation on the walls of a house

PPU or polyurethane foam - This is the most modern thermal insulation of the walls of houses. Another name for it, more familiar to the layman - penoizol or just polyurethane foam.

Previously, such foam was used only as an insulator when installing windows and doors, but modern technologies and tools have allowed to apply foam on walls and roofs. The application process itself is very complicated, so if you are looking for an answer to the question of how to insulate the walls of the house yourself, then this option is not for you.

In order to apply foam, you will need not only knowledge and certain experience, but also a special tool, which is two containers with reagents, a powerful compressor to create the pressure necessary for spraying, and directly the sprayer itself, which mixes the two components from the tanks and turns them into the same foam.

It makes no sense to buy such expensive and complex equipment for one-time use, so if you decide to insulate the walls with polyurethane foam, it is best to contact specialists who will do everything in the best possible way.

Advantages of PPU

After applying PPU on the walls, its excess is removed with a special tool

• Due to the fact that the foam is applied to the walls by spraying, as shown in the photo, here the cold bridges are completely excluded. In the foam layer, by definition, there can be no joints, and this is its main advantage over other materials.
• The dense structure of the foam and its expansion at the time of drying, create the highest indicator of energy efficiency. Just a few centimeters of insulation applied to the walls are able to qualitatively and reliably protect the house even in the most severe frosts.
• Durability. No impact is fearless to the foam, and it easily tolerates any deformation, so it can be used both on old buildings and on very fresh ones that have not yet had time to give a natural shrinkage.

So, now you know how to insulate walls at home, and we hope that this knowledge will help you build a real northern fortress, which can easily endure severe frosts and allows you to save on heating. And if after reading you still have questions, then on our site you will find many interesting articles on insulation, and not only.