Subtleties of the process of warming the basement of a wooden house

 Subtleties of the process of warming the basement of a wooden house

The main functions of insulation for the foundation - reducing the heat loss of the structure and the protection of the base from damage and freezing. However, this can be achieved only by external insulation provided that suitable materials are used.

Special features

Wooden houses are fairly lightweight structures compared to brick or concrete counterparts, so it can have a lightweight foundation. Depending on the characteristics of the soil on the site selected one or another type of foundation. As a rule, it is a shallow-bottom tape, pile or pile-tape base. However, regardless of the type of system used, it is imperative for all types of bases to be necessary for their insulation.

Experts recommend that the basement be insulated from the inside, and it is important to do this on horizontal surfaces and vertical blind areas. Warming the foundation from the outside allows you to solve a number of problems.

Reduced heat loss at home

A non-insulated foundation causes up to 20–25% of the heat loss of an object, even if there is thermal insulation of the walls and the floor. This is due to the formation of "cold bridges" in the foundation, through which heat is released.

Reduced swelling in winter

Insulation of the base from the outside allows you to prevent significant soil freezing near the insulation. This, in turn, prolongs the life of the structure, reduces the likelihood of seasonal deformation of the soil, and hence the violation of the horizontal and geometry of the foundation.

Reducing the number of freeze / defrost cycles

Each material for the foundation has a frost resistance, wood is no exception. Frost resistance refers to the number of freeze / defrost cycles that can sustain a foundation without losing its technical properties. It should be understood that in one winter like frost and defrost can take place over 10that, of course, affects the durability of the operation of the foundation, which means the entire building. The use of insulation allows to reduce the number of cycles of freezing / defrosting the foundation.

Foundation protection

The foundation, protected from freezing and penetration of moisture, is characterized by durability and reliability. Soaking, wood is subject to warping, begins to rot, lose strength, as well as its characteristic heat and sound insulation.

Ensuring a favorable indoor climate

When insulating the foundation from the outside, it is possible to move the dew point as close as possible to the surface of the insulation cake, which helps prevent walls and insulation from getting wet, and avoid increasing the humidity inside the room. On the contrary, with proper heat and vapor insulation in the wooden house will be maintained optimal humidity.

Preservation of communication performance

Often in the basement of the house lay a network of communications. The use of insulation ensures their protection from freezing and failure.

Materials

Materials for warming the basement of a wooden house must meet the following criteria:

  • low thermal conductivity;
  • vapor permeability;
  • moisture resistance;
  • high wear resistance;
  • easy installation

The most important are the characteristics of thermal conductivity, vapor permeability and moisture resistance. The less material conducts heat, the warmer the house will remain. The tree is characterized by its ability to absorb excess moisture and, if necessary, give it away. That is why it is so important to use "breathing" heaters, which can remove excess moisture, preventing them from turning into water droplets directly on the surface of walls or insulation. The vapor permeability of insulation should be close to the vapor permeability of the base material, if this is not possible, the use of vapor barrier is mandatory.

Among the most popular materials for warming wooden base there are several types.

Styrofoam

It is well known to many polyfoam. However, today experts recommend using its best option - extruded polystyrene foam. The latter is characterized by low thermal conductivity, it is better that polystyrene resists moisture, it has a large margin of safety.

Such disadvantages of insulation as environmental safety (in the process of using a certain amount of styrene) and combustibility (depending on the type of product material belongs to class G1-G4) when installing it on the foundation become insignificant.

Attracts users and convenience of fixing - polystyrene foam is produced in the form of rectangular plates, has a flat surface. A special adhesive composition is used for fastening (it is important that it does not contain solvents), and umbrella-type dowels are used as an additional fastening.

A type of polystyrene foam insulation is a penoplex, made on the basis of extruded polystyrene foam. In terms of performance, it is slightly higher than the last, apparently no different.

An important point when using insulation on a polystyrene foam basis is their instability to the effects of UV rays, so the insulation should be closed with protective and decorative elements for the socle and not stored unpacked.

Expanded clay

Natural insulation, which is a small, filled with air "pebbles". Differs in low heat conductivity, environmental friendliness, fire safety, good indicators of vapor permeability, but absorbing moisture. Soaked insulation, as you know, loses its technical characteristics. To avoid this allows high-quality waterproofing.

As a rule, claydite is used in log cabins, as well as houses with a floor on the ground. In this case, a semblance of a hollow is organized - at the height of 50-60 cm a blind area is made from the ground, the walls of which are waterproofed and covered with expanded clay.

For insulation it is better to use the material of different fractions - larger fragments will provide the insulating effect, small - fill the space between them.

Polyurethane foam

Modern insulation, which has similar heat efficiency indicators with polystyrene foam materials. Besides, it differs in moisture resistance, is safe, from the point of view of environmental friendliness, nonflammable.

Thermal insulation with polyurethane foam implies its spraying over the surface with a layer of 3-10 cm thick. Like polystyrene foam, the material is unstable to ultraviolet radiation, therefore it is necessary to protect it after setting.In addition, the contact trim in this case can not be mounted, so even before spraying the composition should take care of the crate, which will be fixed basement materials on the principle of ventilated facade.

Penofol

Roll material based on polyethylene foam with good thermal insulation characteristics. Besides, one of the sides of the product is equipped with a foil layer, which is characterized by its ability to reflect heat. In other words, the insulation acts on the principle of a thermos - in the cold season it keeps the heat inside the house, in the summer heat - it provides coolness inside the room, preventing it from overheating.

In addition, the presence of foil coating improves the performance of moisture resistance and strength of materials. The release form provides ease of installation.

Insulation features

Ideally, the insulation of the foundation should be dealt with at the stage of its creation. However, in the constructed house it is possible to warm the base with high quality, however, the process will be more laborious.

First of all, you need to release the foundation, clearing it to the ground.Around the foundation should be a trench with a width convenient for working in it. If the construction is at the stage of construction, then you can use special equipment to speed up the process, if in an already built house you will have to dig it yourself.

Next, the foundation over the entire surface should be cleaned of dirt, if necessary - to eliminate irregularities and cracks, dents. To obtain a smooth surface, use a grinder for concrete or wood. To get rid of cracks and potholes on concrete foundations allows a special solution with a high adhesion rate. If instead of him to use the usual cement-sand mortar, you will have to wait about 2 weeks until he grabs. Leaving the foundation unprotected for such a long time is undesirable.

It is important that the surfaces are clean and dry (maximum moisture content - 4-8%). This is the only way to achieve adhesion of the insulation.

Before proceeding to the insulation, it is necessary to make waterproofing. At the first stage the primer is applied. It is important to achieve unity of coverage - so that there are no basement areas that are not protected by the primerIt is more convenient to work with a synthetic roller with a short nap, in hard-to-reach areas - with a brush.

After the primer dries, the roll waterproofing is glued. Fixation is carried out by fusing, there are also more expensive self-adhesive versions of products. Stick waterproofing should be upwards.

If you move from top to bottom, the melted bitumen layer will drain, so workers are at risk of burns.

Next is attached insulation. If these are sheets of expanded polystyrene, they are glued (fixation on a bitumen primer on a water-soluble basis is also possible). The plates are laid end to end, you should try to avoid the formation of gaps between the elements.

A layer of insulation that is below the ground level, it is enough just to glue. After falling asleep this part of the base of the soil insulation will be securely pressed. It is highly undesirable to use fasteners here, since this means a violation of the waterproofing layer - groundwater can contact the foundation.

Insulation in the aerial parts can and even need to be additionally fixed with dowels of the umbrella type.A hole of suitable diameter is first drilled under them, and only then the fasteners are screwed in or driven in.

When using penoplex on top of it, a layer of roofing material is usually lined in the underground part. For the basement element, hydroprotective membranes are usually used, to which decorative material is then attached (to the batten).

On the installation of polystyrene already mentioned above. The important point is the preliminary preparation of crates, spraying is usually carried out by professionals.

Completely different installation characteristic of expanded clay. To do this, you must dig a trench and equip it with formwork. Further, in the space between the latter and the foundation, a concrete mix with expanded clay is poured. After solidification of this layer, it can be further insulated with expanded clay, and then waterproofed.

If we are talking about warming with expanded clay of a pile foundation, then they act differently. Trenches with a depth of 30-40 cm are pulled up between the supports, bars with grooves are attached to the supports themselves. They are inserted into the board, and then get a kind of "pocket" space. He is covered with expanded clay.

The process of warming the foundation is completed with its filling, tamping of the earth around, decorating the basement or the space between the piles and the overlap of the first floor.

See how to insulate the foundation of a wooden house in the next video.

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Information provided for reference purposes. For construction issues, always consult a specialist.

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