Panel buildings are characterized by weak heat-saving properties. For their thermal insulation, it is worth using heat-saving materials of greater thickness than for houses made of wooden beams, bricks. Insulation of panel walls from the outside is the best option, which will save up to 50% of heat indoors.
This option is attractive because for the time of repair it is not necessary to look for temporary housing, after the completion of work the cubic capacity of the apartment does not change. External insulation protects panel houses from freezing, thawing, moisture accumulation, and other atmospheric phenomena.
Preparing for insulation
Thermal insulation of a panel house from the outside is carried out by teams of craftsmen. You can independently master this work by those who are engaged in industrial mountaineering, that is, they directly work as a high-altitude installer. Preparatory work before gluing the insulating material looks like this:
- Check the tightness of the joints between the plates of the building. If there are cracks, they are thoroughly cleaned of dust, debris, dirt for subsequent sealing.
- After stripping, the joints are dried, primed. Inside, the cracks are closed with porous nairite, poroizol for maximum isolation.
- When the joints are processed, sealed, they are primed again, then coated with bituminous mastic.
- After drying, the mastics begin to clean the walls. They clean off the old exfoliated plaster, paint, and then the surface is primed, which will improve the adhesion of the wall and adhesive composition.
Tools that wizards use to work:
- Equipment for industrial mountaineering;
- A bucket, a perforator, a shovel and a drill for it, a hammer;
- Umbrellas for fastening a heater, a construction knife.
Insulation materials
External insulation of panel buildings is carried out using traditional materials:
- Glass wool is a fibrous material with good elasticity and strength. It is produced in plates; when working with it, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment.
- Polyfoam - foamed plastic with low thermal conductivity, low price, ease of cutting, installation.
Modern thermal insulation materials have the advantages of their predecessors, new advantages. For work use:
- Polyurethane foam, initially liquid, after solidification, solid insulation that is poured into the cracks, filling the smallest voids. It retains heat well, ideal for processing hard-to-reach spots, after solidification it forms a monolithic seamless surface.
- Expanded polystyrene, extrusion, with frost resistance, low thermal conductivity, not absorbing water.
- Basalt cotton wool made from basalt rocks. It is environmentally friendly, its service life is up to 40 years.
- Mineral wool is a fibrous insulation made from silicates, slags, rocks. Attracts environmental friendliness, ease of installation.
The advantages of external thermal insulation of panel houses
- The wall takes on an aesthetic appearance.
- The mechanical, shrinkage deformation of the panels is reduced.
- The temperature fluctuations of the structure are reduced.
- The water absorption of the surfaces is reduced, providing an optimal microclimate inside the home.
- Insulation prevents the destruction of structures, creating a reliable moisture barrier.
- Sealing joints between the plates increases the heat capacity of the structure, provides maximum sound, vibration absorption.
Technology of insulation of a panel house outside
Insulation of the facade and end walls of panel houses is carried out:
- Dry method, including the installation of a heat shield on the outer surface of the building.
- Wet method with the application of liquid building mixtures, for example, decorative plaster.
- Combined, including both of the above technologies.
The advantages of the wet method are that the material is applied in a continuous layer, preventing the occurrence of cold bridges on the surface of the walls. Decorative plasters give buildings an attractive appearance.
The advantages of the dry method are a wide range of heat-insulating materials, insulation options. The heat shield is durable, durable, resistant to weathering.
Work process
After the audit, the processing of joints between the panels proceed directly to the wall cladding, insulation of the panel house from the outside. Most often, polystyrene sheets are used as the material. For gluing insulation use ready-made building adhesives. They are applied to polystyrene foam boards, after which they are fixed tightly to each other.
Laying starts from bottom to top, if necessary, set the limiter at the bottom, set by level. By rotational movements evenly distribute the adhesive mixture under the sheet. Another way is to apply insulation, shifting to the side by a couple of centimeters, then, slightly pressing on the sheet, shift it to the right place. Until the glue mixture has dried, plastic sheets with umbrella and dowels are used to fix the sheets with a hammer and punch.
Important: The length of the dowel must be equal to the thickness of the insulation plus 6 cm. For 1 m2 you will need 4 "umbrellas. "Do not use metal dowels, which can easily become bridges of cold, lowering the temperature inside the home."
Then, using a spatula, a reinforcing mesh is mounted on top of the thermal insulation materials, which they begin to glue from the end and front corners of the building. The glue mixture is applied to the surface, a reinforcing mesh with an overlap of 10 cm is placed on top, pressing it 2-3 mm into the glue. After that, 2 layers of glue level the plane. When the glue dries, proceed to finish the walls on the outside.
Thermal insulation with new materials using modern technologies
The walls of panel buildings today are insulated from the outside with polyurethane foam, foam.
Polyurethane foam is not afraid of temperature changes, high humidity. It is available in panels with a standard width of 1.115 m, arbitrary length, thickness - from 25 to 100 mm. Plates can be with a foil layer, coated with paper and cached polyethylene or paper with a splash of foil. The panels are glued to the adhesive mixtures used for the installation of foam, on top you can strengthen them with mushroom-shaped screws.
Penoplex is several times denser than polystyrene, non-combustible, has a high density. It is produced in plates of 12060 cm 2-10 cm thick, sometimes with foil 1 side. It is laid outside the panel walls as you wish, vertically, horizontally, securing it with umbrella screws.
Important: If penoplex is used, it is worth paying attention that ceramic tiles on its surface do not hold well. Heavy-duty adhesives are used for reliable adhesion.
Useful Tips
- Before laying the thermal insulation material, the walls should be treated with antifungal compounds.
- Whatever works are carried out, it is worth using the construction level.
- Thermal insulation outside is more effective than similar indoor work.
- In parallel with the thermal insulation of the walls, it is worth closing the cracks in the window openings, under the windowsill, to glaze the balcony. This will significantly improve the indoor microclimate.
- Additionally, the installation of the system on the principle of "warm floor" inside the apartment will help to insulate the walls.
It is important to entrust the thermal insulation of the home outside to professionals. It is extremely difficult to realize this on our own, fraught with a lot of difficulties.It is worthwhile to discuss the cost of services with the contractor in advance, while it is worth contacting only those contractors who give a guarantee of the work performed.
