It is difficult to live in an age of innovation, with every decade bringing a doubling of information - there is no stability! Things that were familiar yesterday, today or tomorrow may well become anachronistic. Innovation in everything and everywhere, including in such a conservative industry as construction. New technologies, dozens of new finishing materials, fasteners and fittings, materials for walls and insulation. Fundamentally new window systems, which changed the idea that the window is a constant source of cold, can now partially serve as a heat insulator. New ones appearing almost daily Construction Materials, technologies or tools. Unfortunately, not everything worthy of use in construction is widely known. And the purpose of this article is to introduce you to a fairly little-known liquid insulation– penoizol (can also be called “Mipora”, “Unipor” or “Mettemplast”).

So, penoizol

Penoizol (also known as urea foam) is produced by foaming and subsequent polymerization of urea resin. The uniqueness of this technology is that the production process takes place directly at the insulation facility, where the product in liquid form and under pressure is supplied into the insulated cavities, allowing them to be completely filled with insulation. Saves effort, time, money on transport and loading and unloading operations. There is no need to take up space to store large volumes of insulation. There is no need to fasten the insulation to the wall and related work.

The whole difference in the use of penoizol from conventional insulation is in the order of work. If soft roll and solid sheet insulation is attached to the wall and only then covered (protected) with a vapor-conducting membrane with a suspended facade or plaster, then for insulation with liquid foam insulation, a curtain façade is first built and only then liquid insulation is poured into the cavity under the vapor-conducting membrane.

Characteristics of urea foam

As an insulation material, penoizol can have a density of 10 - 30 kg/m3 and has excellent thermal insulation properties with a thermal conductivity of 0.028-0.038 W/m² C. Compare, the thermal conductivity of classic polystyrene foam, depending on the density, varies in the range - 0.038 - 0.043 W/m °C. Mineral wool boards with a density of 125 kg/m 3 - 0.07 W/m² C (to prevent shrinkage of mineral wool during operation, a density of 120 kg/m 3 and higher is recommended by manufacturers of mineral wool insulation for thermal insulation of vertical walls), and with a density of 200 kg/m 3 - 0.08 W/m²C, i.e. penoizol as an insulation retains heat better than polystyrene foam and, in this parameter, is twice as good as mineral wool.

Urea foam, at one time, withstood a number of tests and was repeatedly studied in various laboratories in our country and abroad. Government services for certification and licensing Gosstandart, State Committee for SEN, Gosstroy, after detailed studies for compliance medical standards, certified urea foam. In addition, penoizol was tested for fire resistance at the State Enterprise TsNIISK named after. Kucherenko.

The studies carried out confirmed the thermal conductivity coefficient in the range from 0.028 to 0.038 W/m² C.

Tall enough and Fire safety penoizol, the material corresponds to a flammability group of at least G-2. Penoizol does not support combustion, which in itself is unique, given the organic basis of the material. When exposed to an open flame, penoizol gradually loses mass, charring and evaporating without the formation of melt drops, without emitting harmful gases or soot.

It tolerates significant cyclic changes in temperature and humidity well and without changes in its structure. At the same time, it has enviable durability. Laboratory research They gave an estimated service life of 60 – 80 years. At the same time, the Institute of Chemical Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, after studying penoizol for durability, wrote in its conclusion that “the service life of penoizol is not limited.” This is confirmed by a study of samples of penoizol taken from walls insulated 60 - 70 years ago (the first experiments in using insulation). There were also no obvious signs of degradation.

The internal fine-mesh structure of the insulation effectively passes water vapor towards the lowest partial pressures. According to this indicator, penoizol corresponds to the best examples of insulation on the market. This characteristic classifies it as a “vapor-permeable” insulation material, which is prerequisite for insulation of walls and ceilings of the house.

Application

The microcapillary internal structure of penoizol, which is highly permeable to water vapor, actively pumps moisture from the walls out through its volume, constantly drying them and preventing condensation from accumulating and the appearance of accompanying mold. Which is very valuable for any walls, especially wooden ones. A well-built and high-quality curtain wall with foam insulation as insulation guarantees a long life for a wooden house.

Like most insulation materials, penoizol is an excellent sound insulator. Its five to seven centimeter layer reduces mid-frequency airborne noise by three times, structural noise (transmitted through structural elements) by two.

Penoizol can be effectively used for insulation and sound insulation of walls, ceilings, floors and internal bulkheads of houses built from almost any modern structural materials. The efficiency, low cost and fire safety of penoizol made it attractive for insulating houses, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.

Penoizol is an effective, if not the only, material for repairing the heat-insulating layer of a building damaged during operation. The material can be used, for example, to fill cavities formed as a result of poor-quality installation or shrinkage of mineral wool, filling cavities formed from expanded polystyrene (foam) destroyed by rodents, voids formed as a result of shrinkage of bulk insulation - expanded clay, ecowool, etc.

Testing various insulation materials for breathability

Pouring penoizol into walls with settled mineral wool

Disadvantages of penoizol.

Like any other material, penoizol has advantages and disadvantages. In this article I will give the main ones:

Penoizol has quite low mechanical tensile strength compared to extruded polystyrene foam and needs protection from mechanical influences.

If water enters openly for a long time, a certain amount of moisture can accumulate, which leads to a decrease in the thermal insulation properties of the insulation. But I note that, again, thanks to the capillary structure, it evaporates accumulated moisture very quickly.

During the period of polymerization and drying, a small amount of formaldehyde gas is released along with water, but after 2-3 weeks, when the material gets rid of moisture, this indicator does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration.

Due to its hygroscopicity, penoizol cannot be used to insulate the underground part of foundations, and also cannot be used as insulation under reinforced concrete screed.

In the case of pouring the material not into main walls (brick, concrete), but for example into a frame wall between two films, due to the impossibility of creating high pressure in the frame wall, penoizol has an unpleasant feature - shrinkage of the material during the drying process, which can reach 1%, in On capital walls, shrinkage is leveled out by the high pressure created in the wall during the pouring of penoizol.

To solve the problem of penoizol shrinkage in the lungs frame buildings, Armoplast specialists have developed a set of measures:

The technology of micro- and macro-reinforcement of penoizol using mineral additives and additional preparatory special measures, which allows you to completely get rid of the negative phenomena associated with shrinkage of the material in frame walls, ceilings, attics and guarantee reliable operation of the insulation throughout its entire service life

Rapid drying of the material is unacceptable, because penoizol during rapid drying does not have time to polymerize sufficiently and gain sufficient strength, which leads to a high percentage of material shrinkage (penoizol should be placed between the vapor barrier and windproof vapor-transparent membranes and dry for 2-4 weeks)

Mandatory use of the “correct” components, the so-called “foam-insulating” resin VPSG and Mettemplast technology.

Below are pictures taken using an electron microscope (magnification 500x - 600x) which show the structure of conventional and micro-reinforced foam insulation.

Photo 1 Photo 2

Photo 1 shows an opened empty capillary of a unit cell ("bubble") of conventional non-reinforced penoizol; photo 2 shows capillaries of reinforced penoizol filled with mineral fillers, which helps combat shrinkage phenomena during drying of the material, and also gives additional strength and fire resistance to penoizol. .

Thus, we see that penoizol has its own fairly wide area of ​​application, and many of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the material can be eliminated technologically. Aenoizol must be protected from external mechanical and climatic influences (this requirement is the same for almost all modern insulation materials). Penoizol in frame house construction and open fills must be reinforced, which will eliminate shrinkage of the material and obtain an excellent monolithic seamless heat-insulating layer connected throughout the entire volume with reinforcing mineral fibers.

The effect of using penoizol to restore thermal insulation brick house, is perfectly demonstrated by a thermogram taken before (photo on the left) and after additional insulation was poured into the walls (photo on the right).

So, by choosing penoizol as the main insulation for the walls and ceilings of your home, you will receive an economical, reliable and durable material. A material that does not burn, “breathes” and does not harbor mice (a disadvantage of most modern insulation materials).

Penoizol is cheap, using it, you save at the construction stage, but you will receive even greater savings during the heating operation of the house, since this insulation has one of the best characteristics by thermal resistance. Penoizol is a combination of low price, good quality and high performance.

Since penoizol in its original form is liquid foam poured under pressure, free volumes in walls of any configuration are completely filled. This eliminates subsequent blowing and associated heat losses.

The material has a low price, therefore, using it, you will have the opportunity to increase the insulation layer in the house without additional financial costs, thereby automatically laying the foundations for its future energy efficiency.

Based on the above, we can conclude: penoizol has both positive and negative properties. But for a specific, narrow use of the material - wall insulation, floors and ceilings of the house, the pros outweigh its cons. Good thermal resistance coefficient, durability, affordable price and excellent performance properties make it one of the best insulation materials On the market. Provided that the production technology of the material is followed, it can be recommended as insulation and sound insulator for walls, ceilings and partitions of almost any house and structure.

One of the excellent options could be foam insulation, which we will talk about in more detail in this article.

Modern technologies in the field of construction make it possible to carry out thermal insulation work in 2 ways:

Insulating the wall from the outside

Pros:

• All work is carried out outside the residential premises, thereby without reducing its usable area.
• Additional layers of vapor and waterproofing completely limit the access of moisture to wall structures, preventing the development of fungal infections.
• Wall insulated from the outside loses heat 6 times slower, rather than insulated inside.
• Thanks to the external thermal insulation layer, the load-bearing wall element warms up and remains warm on both sides. The zero temperature point is outside the wall.
• Thermal insulation also plays the role of a soundproofing cushion.

Minuses:

• Difficulty of installation. In addition, if the building is multi-story, then the help of industrial climbers will be required.
• During insulation, the appearance of the building facade will change.
• Installation work can only be carried out under certain weather conditions (lack of precipitation, air temperature above +5 degrees)

Comparison of insulation methods

Internal insulation of wall structures

Pros:

• Internal insulation work can be carried out in any season.
• This option for insulating the room will be more economical, since all the work can be done independently.
• You can insulate a separate room, not the entire building.

Minuses:

• Reduces the internal area of ​​the room.
• The wall elements do not warm up completely, which prevents them from accumulating heat.
• During operation condensation may form between the wall and the insulating layer. Dampness is an excellent environment for the development of mold and mildew.
• A layer of insulation will make it problematic to attach shelves and other hanging elements to the wall.
• Heat loss through wall structures remains at 10-15%.

Advantages and disadvantages of penoizol

Penoizol is a lightweight urea-formaldehyde foam, belonging to the genus of organic materials.

It is used both for heat and sound insulation of premises, and for insulation of the soil base.

It has been present on the building materials market not so long ago, and therefore is not as widely known as its analogues.

Let's look at its positive and negative qualities.

Advantages of penoizol:

• As mentioned earlier, it is not only a heat-insulating, but also a noise-absorbing material;
• Penoizol, unlike many insulation materials, rodents don't eat;
• The material is resistant to rotting;
• When exposed to high temperatures it does not ignite, does not melt or smoke;
• Is a breathable thermal insulation material;
• Penoizol has a fluid structure and hardens only on the insulated surface when interacting with air. This makes it possible to achieve high-quality insulation of complex wall structures, since it fills even the smallest gaps and cracks;
• There is no limitation on service life;
• Foam insulation can be reinforced. This can be achieved by introducing mineral additives into the base material;
• The price of the material is relatively low.

Inter-wall thermal insulation

Flaws:

• Gives high shrinkage;
• Difficulty of carrying out installation work. Using foam insulation requires certain knowledge and experience working with the material, since during application strict adherence to technology is required.
• When insulating frame structures it is difficult to predict how such thermal insulation will behave. When hardening, penoizol shrinks, as a result Possible occurrence of large voids, which will be problematic to fill out.
• The material is fragile, so it must be sheathed with other materials that have greater mechanical strength.

Some sources say that penoizol is a toxic material that emits toxic gases. However, there are opinions that this process occurs only at the stage of hardening of the insulation.

Specifications

To obtain a qualitative assessment of the properties of this material, it is necessary to evaluate it technical indicators. These include:

• Operating temperature range – from -50 to +120 degrees;
• Material density – 5-75 kg/m3;
• Daily water absorption by mass – 10.5-20%;
• Thermal conductivity – 0.028 –0.047 (W/m) *°C;
• Humidity (mass fraction) – 5-20%;
• The standard service life is 50 years. According to recent studies, it is not limited.

Tensile strength:

1. For bending deformations – 0.1-0.25 kg/cm. sq.;
2. For compression (at 10% linear deformation) – 0.07-0.5 kg/cm. sq.;
3. Tensile – 0.05-0.08 kg/sq.cm;

Slab penoizol

Equipment necessary for self-insulation

For installation work on room insulation You will need the following mechanisms and equipment:

• Compressor;
• Foam generator;
• Pumps (for supplying solution and for supplying foam);
• Source of electricity;
• Additional fastening and formwork elements;
• Special protection (gloves, glasses, respirator).

Equipment for applying thermal insulation

Lathing for foam insulation thermal insulation

To ensure normal bonding of penoizol to the wall structure, it is necessary to construct a metal or wooden sheathing. In case you choose wooden version, additional treatment of frame elements with special antiseptics will be required.

NOTE!

The cross-section of the bars is selected strictly in accordance with the calculated width of the insulation layer.

Sequence of installation of the sheathing structure:

1. Mark the areas on the facade where the main elements of the sheathing will be attached to the wall;
2. Drill holes for fasteners in the designated locations;
3. Fill the holes with cement or gypsum mortar, and then, using a hammer, drive wooden plugs into them;
4. Install the vertical elements of the sheathing and secure them using self-tapping screws (on clogged wooden plugs). The pitch of the guide bars is up to 1 m.

When using penoizol no need to lay film vapor or waterproofing. It will not allow the insulation to dry out, and the wall will not be able to breathe.

Horizontal elements are installed on vertical bars in increments of about 0.5 m.

Installation of sheathing

You can start applying penoizol. Since this liquid material, then you will need additional element lathing structure - boundary mesh. It is attached to a frame with insulation to ensure the necessary fixation of the penoizol until it dries completely.

The last step is to install the finishing trim on the already insulated surface. In the same way, you can carry out internal thermal insulation of the room. In this case, plasterboard is used as a finishing material.

Just above we looked at the method of external insulation with foam insulation using a sheathing structure. Let's consider other options for insulating structures.

Interwall thermal insulation

Can be used both for buildings under construction and for buildings already in use, having voids between the outer and internal wall . In the first case, injection is carried out directly into the open cavity of the wall.

For an existing building, the insulation process is carried out as follows:

• In the seams outer wall need to drill holes(in a checkerboard pattern), equal in size to the hose of the installed pressure equipment;
• In the holes located at the very bottom, hoses of pumping equipment are installed;
• Next, the foam insulation mixture is supplied under pressure into the interwall space;
• After penoizol appears in the holes of the next tier (in height), the supply of the mixture is stopped and they move to the row above.
• The lower holes are sealed with plugs to prevent leakage of insulation;
• The sequence of work is repeated until complete thermal insulation of the wall structure is ensured.

Insulation injection

Thermal insulation with foam insulation

Thermal insulation of the facade with cladding slabs

The work is being carried out as follows:

• The required number of slab and profile elements for the entire façade surface is calculated;
• To the facade of the building, using dowels (wooden plugs) and self-tapping screws, galvanized steel profiles are attached;
• Magnesite slabs are installed and secured to a steel frame;
• Holes are drilled in the constructed casing in a checkerboard pattern;
• Using specialized pumping equipment, liquid penoizol is pumped into the holes. The order of filling voids is from bottom to top;
• Upon completion of thermal insulation work, the holes are sealed;
• At the final stage they begin decorative finishing facade, which can be done using plastering and painting compounds.

Application of insulation

Thermal insulation under siding

If desired, magnesite plates can be replaced with another sheet material finishing.

Insulation with penoizol is a rather labor-intensive process. However, given its excellent thermal insulation performance, as well as its low price, it can and should be used for home insulation with your own hands.

Useful video

Do-it-yourself thermal insulation of walls with foam insulation:

In contact with

Liquid foam plastic is a modern building material used to insulate buildings or produce facing products (sandwich panels). This substance has certain advantages that make it popular. Let's take a closer look at how it is used, manufactured and what differences liquid foam has from other materials.

What is the substance?

So, this insulation has a liquid consistency, which is why it can be used in any hard-to-reach places. Despite the paste-like primary structure of the substance, the material quickly increases in size and hardens. In this case, all the voids are filled.

Liquid foam is made from polystyrene foam with the addition of some additional substances that facilitate long-term storage of the material in a paste state and change properties during use.

What components are used in production?

In order to manufacture the presented product, it is necessary to prepare raw materials. To work you will need:

1. Water (it should be heated to 40 degrees).

2. Foaming agent.

3. A catalyst that promotes hardening of the material.

It should be noted that liquid foam can harden at low temperatures, which makes its use as convenient as possible.

Properties and advantages of insulation

Now let’s see what advantages the material has:

1. Small mass. This parameter allows the use of this insulation even in those buildings that stand on soft soils. The material does not weigh down the structure.

2. Ease of use.

3. Low cost and efficiency.

4. Good sound and heat insulation properties.

5. Resistant to temperature changes.

7. Resistance to rodents.

8. Non-flammability.

9. Reduced transportation costs.

10. Liquid foam plastic, reviews of which are mostly positive, does not rot, does not allow moisture to pass through, and provides high energy savings in the home.

11. Possibility of use in both residential and industrial premises.

11. Use of raw materials in places where it is impossible to install other types of insulation.

Disadvantages of the material

It must be said that liquid foam, reviews of which will help you decide whether it is worth using or not, also has some disadvantages. There are few of them, but they are there:

An unpleasant odor of formaldehyde, which dissipates over time. It must be said that formaldehyde is a component unsafe for human health, but it evaporates quickly enough, so the final material is harmless.

If you use this insulation on horizontal surfaces, it can shrink up to 5%. Naturally, this result can happen if you apply the material without pressure.

Areas of application

Liquid foam is usually sold in cans, so delivering it to your destination is quite easy. In general, this material is used in the following cases:

1. For thermal and sound insulation of walls. To do this, you can pour it into the masonry, between the main surface and the facing material, or apply the product to the outer surface of the walls.

2. Thermal and sound insulation of the roof and floors. The material can be applied under flooring and under suspended ceilings.

3. Liquid foam insulation can be carried out on pipelines.

4. Used in the production of sandwich panels. This allows you not only to insulate the building, but also to beautifully cladding it.

5. This material is used in industrial buildings, drying and refrigeration chambers, vegetable storage facilities.

In any case, the presented substance is used primarily for sound and thermal insulation.

Features of insulation

In order to carry out the procedure, you must first clean the surface to be treated. Insulation with liquid foam is carried out under pressure, that is, the material is poured into the required areas using special equipment. Naturally, after processing it should be dried. Only in this case will it swell and dry well.

It should be noted that fresh foam has high turnover and penetrates into the most inaccessible places. At the same time, it seals even small holes well. At the same time, in construction there will be no need to use heavy building materials that have big sizes and are quite expensive. Liquid foam in containers can solve this problem.

It should be noted that this material can be manufactured right where the construction is taking place. That is, you can make this substance yourself. A small layer of insulation can retain heat as much as a very thick one.

Insulation technology

Insulation with liquid foam, reviews of which are positive and help to increase the rating of this material, is carried out according to certain instructions. That is, it is necessary to follow the sequence of work. The procedure itself is not complicated, but requires the use of special equipment. So, insulation technology involves the following stages:

1. Cleaning the surface to be treated from dust and debris.

2. Calculation of the amount of material. In this case, you should take into account all those voids that are in the walls, attic or under flooring. In principle, the cylinders indicate how many cubic meters the insulation is designed for.

3. Insulation with liquid foam is carried out using a special installation that is capable of supplying material under pressure. That is, you need a foam generator. It perfectly doses all components. Simply install the required program.

4. Actually pouring the raw materials. Moreover, if there is a gap between the masonry where the old insulation has already rotted or lost its functions, then you should not dismantle the entire wall. Simply make small holes and pour foam through them. They need to be drilled in different places.

5. Polystyrene foam should be poured from bottom to top in a checkerboard pattern. It is necessary to fill the void until the raw materials begin to pour out. Do not be afraid that the material will begin to burst. The fact is that its density is very low, so it will not be able to destroy the structure.

Now you need to wait for the insulation to harden. After this, you can cladding the walls. If you produce liquid foam in the attic, then it is enough to fill the gaps between the beams.

What equipment is needed to make the material?

In order to produce this substance, it is necessary to have suitable machines. That is, you need to buy the following equipment:

1. Compressor.

2. Installation for mixing gas and liquid. All ingredients will be mixed in it.

It must be said that making liquid foam at home is quite simple. However, you will need a container in which you will package the resulting raw materials. If you want to make solid insulation, then you will also need molds.

Please note that different installations can produce different amounts of material. Therefore, you should buy only equipment that will produce the required mass of raw materials.

Insulation manufacturing technology

Making liquid foam with your own hands is quite simple if you have the appropriate equipment and raw materials. First, you need to prepare the installation for operation. Please note that the equipment must be of high quality and all hose connections must be tight. In addition, the electrical wiring must withstand the load.

Next, you should prepare a foaming agent. To do this, you need to make 2 liters of concentrated solution and dilute it with 48 liters hot water. To prepare a foamy substance, an 85% concentration (half a liter) is required. It should be mixed with water (45 liters). The liquid must be heated to 40 degrees.

Now both solutions can be mixed, that is, you must combine the prepared foam substance with 5 liters of foaming agent. After this, the resulting solution is poured into the appropriate container.

A polymer resin is also added there, which helps harden the foam. To improve the qualities of the material, various modifiers should be added to it. All components are thoroughly mixed in a gas-liquid installation under the influence of compressed air. If you want to reduce the cost of construction, then try to produce liquid foam with your own hands right at the construction site. This will allow finishing work to be completed faster and will significantly reduce the cost.

Naturally, all actions should be performed carefully in compliance with all necessary safety standards. The point is that you will be dealing with acids. Try to wear protective clothing, gloves and a respirator.

Insulating houses with liquid foam plastic can reduce energy costs several times. In principle, these are all the features of making liquid foam. Good luck!

(urea foam, also known as penoizol) in its original form is a liquid foam that hardens on outdoors within two to three hours. The fluidity of the unhardened material allows it to be used to insulate cavities inside the walls of an already built house.

At the same time, the expansion coefficient of this material is zero, which allows it to be used as an adhesive for installing insulating panels, effectively replacing nails and anchors.

Liquid foam for household use sold in small sealed containers, very convenient for do-it-yourself use at home, but if we talk about large-scale construction, then it uses special installations for the production of foam plastic, which produce it at the construction site from special granules, and supply it to the workplace using hoses .

1 Scope of application

The use of liquid foam has spread widely to all areas of construction. Due to its low cost and ease of use, this substance successfully replaces most outdated methods of insulation and sealing of ceilings and walls.

The most common uses of liquid foam are for the following purposes:

• Insulation for horizontal planes and on;

Liquid foam is one of the most effective insulation materials for attic floors of private panel, wooden or brick houses.

It is also common practice to use it when insulating the space between rafters and inclined planes of the inside of roofs, since the adhesion of this substance to any surface is maximum.

• Insulation of sinuses and hollow spaces;

Due to its optimal consistency, which allows you to seal any small cavity or hole, liquid foam is an indispensable substance for their insulation. We are talking about insulating the underground space in wooden floors, brick formwork, or false wall cavities, places where doors and windows join frames.

At the same time, liquid foam can be used where it is impossible to install any other insulation, for example, in small holes or cracks.

• Insulation of container walls using;

In everyday life, liquid foam plastic is often used to insulate the walls of caissons, wells, or the head of wells; to do this, you just need to make an external formwork with your own hands, the distance between which and the main wall will be 3-5 centimeters, and fill the resulting free space with foam plastic.

• Applications as an adhesive;

In its structure and composition, liquid foam is not very different from classical polyurethane foam, in fact, it was originally produced as one of its varieties.

The prevalence of using liquid polystyrene foam as an adhesive in everyday life is explained by the fact that, unlike ordinary polyurethane foam, hardened polystyrene foam has good thermal insulation and air permeability.

Based on this, liquid foam in cylinders can be successfully used for installing any slab insulation, and you will not need any nails or anchors.

In industrial production, liquid foam is the basis for the manufacture of a variety of complex PP structures, such as baguettes, baseboards, relief moldings, and the like.

They are created by filling special forming blanks with foam. By the way, this technology It is quite easy to implement at home, which is a fairly attractive area for small businesses. Foam plastic is also used on.

Recently, a fairly large number of small industrial workshops have emerged that produce products from molded foam plastic. To organize a production line, it is enough to have a foam generator, raw materials (liquid foam is made from special granules), and blanks of the required shape and size.

2 Advantages and disadvantages

Objectively comparing the pros and cons of urea foam, we can conclude that among all existing materials for home insulation, the use of liquid foam is the most justified in most cases.

Advantages:

1. High thermal insulation characteristics;

According to the main functional characteristic, namely coefficient. heat retention, urea foam is superior to any other insulation.

For example, a ten-centimeter layer of this substance is equal in thermal insulation properties to a 30-centimeter layer of ordinary rigid foam, a 20-centimeter layer of mineral wool, or 2.5 meters of additional brickwork. At the same time, this insulation does not lose its functional properties in a wide temperature range, from -70 to +200 degrees.

1. Moderate cost even at .

In general, the total cost of insulating the floor, roof, or attic of a house with your own hands using liquid foam will be much less than when insulating with any other material.

1. Ease of use;

If you need a small amount of urea foam, you can use prepackaged cylinders sold in any hardware stores, but if insulation is required in large quantities, you can rent a special installation that produces it directly at the workplace.

At the same time, of all the insulation materials existing on the market, only liquid polystyrene foam can fill cavities in the walls, floors, and ceilings of existing structures, without compromising their integrity and appearance.

1. Multifunctionality;

Liquid polystyrene foam for the home is, in fact, an irreplaceable thing - it can be used both as effective insulation, and successfully replace liquid nails, anchors, or ordinary nails when installing any insulating panels with your own hands.

1. Resistance to external mechanical and atmospheric influences (for example);

Firstly, this insulation is not afraid of rats, mice and other rodents that gnaw and infest most other solid insulation materials. Secondly, urea foam does not become covered with mold and fungi when the air humidity in the building is high.

1. Fire safety;

A high-quality product manufactured in accordance with GOST requirements does not burn or melt when exposed to high temperatures and fire.

1. High adhesion;

Liquid foam has maximum adhesion to any coating, while the surface on which the insulation will be applied does not require any pre-treatment.

1. Durability;

An interesting fact is that an attempt to implement a study on the service life of urea foam was stopped 78 years after it began, since penoizol did not show any signs of aging and deformation;

1. High noise insulation properties;

The significant disadvantages that urea foam has include only two factors: the first (applicable only to low-quality products) is the ability to absorb water, but this issue has long been resolved by leading manufacturers.

Adding special mixtures (hydrophobizers) to the composition of urea foam at the production stage completely eliminates the problem of moisture absorption.

The second is an unpleasant odor that will “delight” the insulation for several hours after installation. However, over time, this smell, which is caused by the presence of uncured formaldehyde in the foam, will completely disappear.

2.1 Security issue

Formaldehyde, which is part of the liquid foam mentioned above, has previously been the subject of heated debate. This substance itself, with constant exposure to a person, causes certain harm to the body. It even got to the point that penoizol was completely banned in several American states.

However, this misunderstanding after detailed research was completely resolved, since it turned out that when a house is insulated with polystyrene foam, no harmful effects on humans occur, and the beginning of this precedent in the USA was poor-quality insulation from a company that uses resins not intended for this purpose for its production.

Modern production technology, which is implemented by leading companies such as Tiger, completely eliminates the possibility of any negative impact of this insulation on the human body.

2.2 Features of use

Insulation of the space between the walls of an already operating house can be carried out if the thickness of the cavity inside the walls is at least 3 centimeters. To insulate such walls with your own hands, you need to drill holes with a diameter of about 30 millimeters in the walls in a checkerboard pattern.

The optimal distance between holes is 1.5 meters. After that, penoizol is poured under pressure into the holes, which, upon completion of the work, are sealed with cement mortar.

When insulating walls under construction, penoizol must be poured in layers, and the height of one layer should not exceed 3 meters. If the walls are higher, you need to let the first layer dry, and then pour the second.

Insulation with penoizol

Insulation with penoizol

How is insulation done?

For example, to insulate walls in a residential building, pouring occurs through small holes and allows installation of insulation without disassembling building structures. And for thermal insulation of houses under construction, penoizol is pumped into the voids of the walls, without joints and seams, thereby filling all the smallest cracks and cracks in the masonry. Penoizol has been used in Russia from the 50s to this day, and in the 70-80s, filling was carried out en masse. In addition to insulation by pouring material, it is possible to produce insulation with ready-made penoizol in the form of sheets or crumbs (crushed penoizol). This type of work is usually carried out on horizontal surfaces (interfloor ceilings, attics, floors, etc.)

Moscow, st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya.

Insulation of the roof of a historical building by pouring foam insulation from the outside into the under-roof space. Moscow, st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya.

Two-story old building, early 19th century. The walls are made of logs, plastered, and insulated with felt from the inside. Roller pitched roof made of galvanized metal 0.5 mm thick. Rafter system wooden, attic floor insulated with sawdust. A vapor barrier is laid over the wooden sheathing. There is no roof insulation. During the operation of the building, significant heat leaks through the roof were discovered due to the lack of thermal insulation of the roof covering.

It was still possible to combat the coolness in the rooms on the second floor by increasing the heating power, but freezing and failure of the expensive automatic fire extinguishing system forced urgent measures to be taken to insulate the roof.

It was not possible to insulate the roof from the inside due to lack of access to the attic space occupied by the air conditioning system. Insulate the roof from the outside traditional methods It was also not possible, because no one will dismantle the roofing in the middle of winter. The only possible method of roof insulation in this situation was considered to be insulation of the roof from the outside by pouring penoizol into the under-roof space. Penoizol was poured into the ventilation gap between the sheathing and the counter-lattice from the side of the roof overhangs along the entire perimeter of the building onto the vapor barrier layer, which in this situation performs the function of the enclosing structure.

To access the roof overhangs, it was necessary to use a telescopic aerial platform (installing an aerial platform in a cramped Moscow courtyard turned out to be quite a problem).

To pour penoizol into the under-roof space, a rigid and long PVC tube with a diameter of 50 mm and a length of 7 m was used. The operator on the aerial platform inserted the tube into the ventilation gap and pushed it under roofing covering to the roof ridge. Then the supply of penoizol was turned on and the operator pulled the tube back as the under-roof space was filled.

All operations were carried out in a given sequence every 1.5 meters, along the entire perimeter of the roof overhangs.

The quality of penoizol pouring was controlled by tapping and visually, by the material exiting through the ventilation holes. As a result of roof insulation, the functionality of the fire extinguishing system was restored, and the temperature in the rooms on the second floor began to meet the standards.

The building's heating costs have decreased significantly.

Moscow region, Sergiev Posad district, Bogorodskoye village.

Insulation of the walls of a multi-apartment 4-storey residential building. Moscow region, Sergiev Posad district, Bogorodskoye village.

During the construction of a residential building, the project provided for technological cavities between the walls of the building, made of cellular blocks and the outer cladding of sand-lime brick. Penoizol insulation was poured through holes pre-drilled from the inside. Holes were drilled through the walls made of cellular blocks in a checkerboard pattern, with a step of 1 meter vertically and horizontally. The drilling depth of the holes was calculated in such a way as to penetrate into the technological cavity without damaging the layer of outer facing masonry. After finishing pouring penoizol, the holes were sealed with a non-shrinking cement composition, the inner surface of the walls was prepared for further finishing works

Theater of Nations

Moscow, Petrovsky Lane. Ancient building, 19th century.

The walls are brick, the ceilings are wooden, and during reconstruction they were replaced with reinforced concrete.

The rafter system is wooden, the roof is pitched, made of galvanized metal 0.5 mm thick.

There are unglazed dormer windows in the roof.

The air temperature in the attic is almost equal to the air temperature outside.

There is no roof insulation.

The attic floor is insulated with a 100 mm thick layer of expanded clay and 100 mm thick mineral wool.

At low ambient temperatures in the autumn-winter period, the attic floor freezes, because... insulation with expanded clay and mineral wool turned out to be insufficient for complete thermal insulation of the interior. The air temperature in the rooms located directly under the ceiling is significantly lower than normal, which negatively affects their operation.

Insulating the ceiling by pouring penoizol allowed us to solve several problems at once:

• High-quality insulation of the attic floor;
• Comply with fire safety standards;
• Make the attic space usable.

Penoizol was poured in several stages.

On initial stage mineral wool and expanded clay were dismantled, bagged and manually carried into a trash container.

Then, a polyethylene film was laid on the surface of the ceiling, with releases along the edges. The joints of the canvases were taped with tape.

A frame made of wooden beams was assembled using the laid polyethylene film. On wooden frame outlets were wound up and plastic film was laid.

At the next stage of work, a floor of 20 mm thick plywood sheets was laid on top of the polyethylene film in such a way that a technological cavity 200 mm wide was formed between the surface of the attic floor and the floor. Holes with a diameter of 20 mm were drilled in the plywood floor in 1 m increments in length and width.

Through the drilled holes into the technological cavity between the floor and the ceiling, non-combustible penoizol insulation was poured. Penoizol was poured under pressure until all cavities were completely filled.