7 tips for warming apartment buildings: insulation and technology

Modern apartment buildings erected in accordance with the heat engineering requirements. Residents of houses built back in the Soviet Union were less fortunate - their walls were not insulated. Dozens of years ago, when the resources seemed limitless, and their price for the population was penny, no one thought about saving and everyone unitedly heated the street. In conditions when about 50% of heat loss occurs on the walls, and heat is not so cheap, warming an apartment building is not a fad, but a necessity. Thermal insulation is especially necessary in prefabricated houses, where in winter the temperature can drop to 14-15⁰C and below. Warming will help to save significantly on heating, if an autonomous system is used, or to raise winter temperatures in the apartment by 2-4⁰C, if the heating is centralized. Now it is important to understand what technologies are used to warm the facades of apartment buildings, and what materials are best used.

No. 1. Warming of an apartment building: outside or inside?

The walls of the house can be insulated on the inside and outside. We all know that external insulation is used much more often, because it is considered more effective. However, in some cases only internal thermal insulation, and she, by the way, also has her advantages.

Internal insulation can solve the problem of energy saving, but it is necessary to approach the process very carefully. An error in the calculations or installation - and the dew point shifts inside the house, which will provoke wetting of the front wall and insulation. The consequences of this process are dampness and mold in an apartment, reducing the durability of the exterior walls of the house and, of course, reducing the thermal insulation qualities of the insulation. Among the others cons of internal insulation:

• decrease in the useful area of ​​the room;
• the need to equip a powerful ventilation systems;
• complexity of work to avoid moisture condensation;
• during the work on insulation in the room it will be impossible to live;
• even with the correct behavior of all the work, it will not be possible to avoid freezing the wall of the house, because it will not warm up from internal heat;
• faster wall cooling.

The internal insulation of an apartment in an apartment building has its own pros:

• faster wall heating;
• the ability to carry out all the work yourself, as it does not require the involvement of teams with industrial climbers. On the other hand, to competently perform all the work, a high level of qualification will be required;
• internal insulation can be performed along with repair work;
• internal insulation - the only way to make the apartment warmer if it is located in a house that bears historical value and residents are forbidden to change the appearance of the facade.

The external insulation of the facade of an apartment building has many more advantages:

• the heat inside lasts longer, the room is maintained at a relatively stable temperature both in summer and in winter;
• the area of ​​the apartment does not decrease;
• during the insulation work, you can not leave the apartment;
• a layer of insulation and decorative finishes protect the walls of the house, extending their service life.

Among cons:

• the inability to conduct external insulation on their own. True, some residents of the first floors take up such work, but at the same time you need to be well confident in their own skills;
• point external insulation is more likely harm than good, which we will discuss below.

External insulation can change appearance house facade, and this can be both a plus and a minus. If the whole house is immediately insulated, then from a typical gray Soviet high-rise building at the exit you can get a nice modern house with a stylish facade. This is a significant plus. But if the residents have not reached a consensus on the issues of insulation, then the insulation is carried out fragmentarily, by rags, and then the appearance of such a house leaves much to be desired.

No. 2. Is a warming permit necessary?

In Russia there is no unified document on the insulation of the facades of apartment buildings; slightly different rules apply in different cities and regions. In some areas of the country there are government programs to warm high-rise buildings, and all work is carried out at budgetary expense. If your house is not among the lucky ones, then before performing insulation you will have to contact the utilities.

The external walls of the house are common propertyeven if the apartment is privately owned. Since insulation of the facade will change the appearance of the house, coordination with utilities and local architects will be required. As a rule, there are no problems. It is enough to go to the appropriate managing authority and write a petition, and the chances of getting a positive answer increase if several tenants who simultaneously want to insulate their apartments write a petition. In addition, the joint integral warming of the facade is many times more effective and better than the “patchwork” thermal insulation technology.

They may refuse your application if the house has historical value. In Moscow, obtaining permission to warm only one apartment is practically impossible - work can only be done if the whole house is insulated immediately. In some regions, insulation will be possible if all the residents of the house do not mind.

In Ukraine, the exterior walls of the house are also the joint property of the residents, and, in theory, all decisions regarding changes in their appearance should be made at the appropriate meetings. In practice, no one does this; everyone is insulated without asking permission from their neighbors. Such an initiative can end with a court or a meeting of owners who collectively decide to dismantle the insulation, and this decision will be completely legal. In fact, there are practically no precedents.

No. 3. Who pays for the insulation of an apartment building?

If you decided to conduct insulation only on the outer walls of your apartment and did not ask anyone, then you will pay for everything yourself. There is a more attractive option, but it requires the active participation of all residents of the house. If you prove that the house needs insulation, and without it it is not suitable for normal living, then you can get funds for insulation from the budget of the administration or the management company. In addition, in some regions there are programs on the gradual integrated warming of apartment buildings.

Residents of Ukraine can also significantly save on home insulation. State programs are in place to improve the heat efficiency of residential buildings. They apply only to homes that are fully insulated, not stained. Of course, the coordination of all the necessary details will take time and patience, but complex insulation will give much better results, and all work will cost much less than with individual "patchwork" insulation.State programs involve reimbursement of up to 50% of the cost of insulation work. The banks have terms of concessional lending for insulation of apartments: the state repays from 30-40 to 70% of the loan.

Number 4. What is wrong with the point insulation of an apartment building?

When you ride through a number of post-Soviet cities, we will see the same picture that is not pleasing to the eye - the walls of high-rise buildings are completely covered with spots of different colors. This tenants are trying to make their apartment more comfortable. Of course, this spectacle does not cause anyone disgust, or irritation, or any other negative reactions, but the main problem is not even the appearance, but the quality of such insulation, its durability and the safety of the walls of the house.

The boundaries of the insulation of a separate apartment pass just along the floor slabs. In these places the dew point shifts sharply from the heater into the wall, which leads to moisture condensation and the risk of mold, moreover, the fungus can occur both in the insulated apartment (at the junction of the wall with the ceiling and the floor), and in neighboring apartments. The temperature difference of the facade wall in neighboring areas also does not benefit the house. As a result, we can speak not only about the problem of increased humidity, but also the gradual destruction of the capital wall.

One more problem - constant wetting of the upper end of the thermal insulation. Although they try to close it in every way from precipitation, the constant exposure to moisture and the accumulation of snow gradually destroys the adhesive fastening of the thermal insulation and opens up access to water. It is difficult to create a continuous insulation loop, therefore, the complete tightness of the insulation section is almost impossible. We will not mention the aesthetic problem of point insulation again.

Ideally, it is necessary to negotiate and insulate the facade of the house completely, from cap before the attic, the more it will cost less than an individual warming, even if you do not use any programs and benefits.

No. 5. Technologies for insulation of the facade of an apartment building

There are two fundamentally different ways of warming the facade of a high-rise building:

• wet facade involves fixing the heat-insulating material directly to the exterior walls of the house. A reinforcing mesh is mounted on the insulation, then a layer of plaster is applied and paints. The works are carried out only in warm, dry weather, the insulation of the entire house will take at least a week, the service life is 20-30 years, but minor repairs may be needed every 5-7 years;
• ventilated facade - This is a more expensive, but also more reliable and durable technology. The principle is to mount a metal frame on the wall, the heater is placed in it, and then the external finish is attached, but there is a gap between it and the heat-insulating layer. This avoids the accumulation of moisture and the formation of mold, and the insulation is protected from the negative effects of the environment. The exterior design can be quite diverse in contrast to the wet facade, where only plaster is used and its subsequent painting. The facade can be made from vinyl siding, aluminum panels and other materials. Insulation is mounted using this technology faster, it lasts up to 50 years.

No. 6. The choice of material for insulation of an apartment building

Today, for the insulation of apartment buildings, foam and mineral wool are often used, but there are much more options, and each of them will be most preferable in specific cases. So, You can choose from the following options:

• Styrofoam - The most popular option for outdoor insulation. Among the main the benefits low price, good thermal insulation qualities, low weight, moisture resistance, the ability to use inside and out. Minuses: instability to fire and rodents. The cheapness of the insulation has led to the fact that it is used everywhere today, even when its thermal insulation qualities are lacking.On the other hand, if the walls have acceptable thermal insulation, then polystyrene will do. For brick houses in regions with a temperate climate, a 10 cm insulation layer will be sufficient (of course, it is better to carry out the calculation taking into account the required heat transfer resistance). Unscrupulous performers often mount polystyrene with a layer of 5 cm, assuring that this will be enough, but in most cases the effectiveness of such insulation will not meet expectations;
• polystyrene foam can be called an improved analogue of conventional foam. It is also inexpensive, but its thermal insulation qualities are many times better. It is not afraid of moisture, weighs little, but burns, so when installing it, it is necessary to equip the fireproof jumpers from mineral wool. It is better to take plates with a stepped edge - when docking, gaps can be avoided. The material is suitable for external and internal insulation, for wet and ventilated facades;
• mineral wool possesses excellent heat and sound insulation qualities, does not burn, rodents do not live in it, the material breathes, but is afraid of moisture and is exposed to a higher weight than polystyrene foam, therefore there should be more fastenings. Suitable only for external insulation, but is used infrequently due to price;
• foam glass - One of the most expensive options for insulating the facade, but at the same time one of the most durable. The material does not burn, is not afraid of water, rodents and mold do not start in it, it is durable and has excellent thermal insulation properties;
• polyurethane foam applied externally or internally, allows you to create a monolithic layer of insulation and avoid the appearance of cold bridges. The material is not afraid of mold, is quickly applied, but always requires the involvement of specialists with the appropriate equipment. After applying and drying the insulation, it is better to do the exterior decoration of the facade as quickly as possible, since the material is afraid of sunlight;
• warm plaster It can also be applied externally and internally, but it can not always provide high-quality thermal insulation - calculation required taking into account the characteristics of the region and home Installation of such a heater is relatively simple, is carried out according to monolithic technology and is inexpensive. Among the minuses are a lot of weight, high water absorption and the need for waterproofing, as well as the inability to apply a layer of more than 5 cm, which is not always enough for high-quality insulation, so the material is very rarely used for thermal insulation of apartment buildings, and it is used much more often in private construction.

If we are talking about comprehensive insulation of the house, then buildings with a height of more than 26.5 m are recommended to be insulated exclusively with mineral wool. For buildings below, polystyrene foam with polystyrene is also suitable. All this in order to achieve fire safety.

Number 7. What you need to consider before conducting facade insulation

The main mistakes when warming the facade of an apartment building:

• point insulation;
• selection of substandard materials;
• appeal to unprofessional performers.

We have already figured out the point insulation, but even this is not the worst. Much worse if the work was carried out using low-quality thermal insulation and other related materials. Cheap heaters of Chinese or it is unclear what kind of production is not only that they may not meet the declared thermal insulation qualities, but also be toxic and extremely fire hazardous. What can be obtained if a low-quality insulation is mounted by a layman? However, unskilled workers can ditch even the highest quality insulation, and all this from ignorance of the intricacies of installation and the sequence of work. Result - the insulation will fall off from rain or more or less strong wind. There are many cases.

If the wrong materials or the wrong specialists are selected (or both), then there will be no noticeable results from insulation, and new problems will appear in the form of mold and increased fire hazard.

Use material from famous manufacturers and resort to services verified companieswho can provide documents confirming the qualifications of workers. It would be nice to read reviews about the artist, see examples of work. All this information on different cities is widely presented on the Internet.

It is worthwhile to pay only a little attention to the study of various technologies and heaters, the choice of a reliable performer in order to enjoy the comfort of an apartment and save on utility bills for years. If you include all your communication and organizational skills, then it will be very cheap to warm the entire house and your apartment in particular. Since it is sometimes impossible to negotiate with neighbors, and thermal insulation cannot be avoided, try to at least find the most qualified and responsible team of performers and ask what materials they use.