Foam insulation is a worthy and effective analogue of the slab, roll and bulk type. These materials have an acceptable cost, a sufficient service life, but they cannot be compared with polyurethane in terms of the main criteria that affect the speed of construction and the quality of living in finished objects. Despite certain difficulties associated with the application of foam insulation for walls, the costs are repaid many times over due to the high performance characteristics of this technology. If you wish, you can do the insulation of walls with foam with your own hands, saving on the services of professionals. To do this, you need to purchase special equipment and learn how to use it. This is a promising investment, since equipment may be required repeatedly to insulate old or newly erected buildings on the site - a barn, a garage, a workshop, a cowshed, a bathhouse, a cellar. In order for the work to be done at the proper technological level, you need to understand the features of the software and the rules for its use.
Material features
Wall insulation foam is an innovative material that has been developed literally in the last decade. It is used relatively rarely, since consumers treat it with caution due to its specificity, novelty and uniqueness. An important factor is that it is possible to apply heat-insulating material in large volumes only with the help of industrial equipment. This service is not yet available in remote regions.
Insulation with polyurethane foam has the following advantages:
- Low thermal conductivity. This indicator is currently the best, surpassing even the penoplex popular among installers.
- The speed of application. If we put aside the services of hired workers, all other heaters are not comparable here. Foam insulation is much faster than other materials. The main thing is not to equalize the cost.
- Long service life. PPU has a minimum of 50 years of service. Since this is a new tool that has not yet been investigated, this period is calculated. As observations show, the insulation does not change its characteristics during the warranty period.
- Tightness. After being applied to the facade, the foam envelops it in a continuous layer that does not allow moisture, heat and cold to pass through. The dew point shifts, the supporting structure is not exposed to negative weather factors.
- Biological inertness. The most common thermal insulation product, Polynor, is immune to microorganisms and is avoided by animals and insects.
- Water vapor permeability. An irreplaceable property when insulating wooden buildings, where natural ventilation is the main condition.
Insulation foam penetrates into any hard-to-reach places and completely fills all voids. This eliminates the likelihood of missing untreated areas when insulating the roof with polyurethane foam. This property is also useful in the fight against nests of birds and insects. Living things simply cannot find a suitable place to settle.
A significant disadvantage of the material is its low resistance to ultraviolet radiation. With prolonged exposure to the sun, the foam darkens, hardens and crumbles.Based on this, the applied coating must be closed immediately.
What objects is foam used for
Penoizol is very popular in big cities, where the issues of insulation of residential and office buildings are given priority. Depending on the characteristics of the processed objects, spraying is carried out from the inside or outside.
For the processing of facades, a special wall compound is used, which is characterized by increased adhesion, density and resistance to temperature extremes. The foam is applied from bottom to top, in layers of 2-3 cm each. It is economically unprofitable to use disposable spray cans for wall insulation. One 1000 ml container is only enough to cover 1 sq. meters in a layer 4 cm thick. It is advisable to make such a decision when you need to insulate a small area of the surface - niches, large cracks, stairs and other small objects. For wall insulation, it is better to involve a team with special equipment. The choice of insulation is determined by the composition of the walls. For concrete, a substance that forms closed cells is better. For structures made of wood, brick and aerated concrete, it is advisable to use foam with open cells that allow air to pass through.
For small works on the balcony and loggia, it is better to use spray cans. Foam is used to insulate the floor, walls and ceiling from the inside. Polinor is applied inside the lathing, which is then sheathed with solid material. Even filling the opening of the fire hatch with foam is not a violation, since it easily comes out of the opening with little pressure.
When installing or repairing windows, it is advisable to widen the openings and fill them with foam, followed by plastering. Since the porous substance has low thermal conductivity, the openings will effectively trap external cold and heat.
Polyurethane foam is widely used in the construction industry. At the initial stage of the construction of buildings, it is practiced to apply an insulating layer to the foundation. Thanks to this solution, the base is reliably protected from the dampness and cold of the soil freezing in winter. In addition, the foam does not allow alkalis in the soil to pass to the concrete, which contributes to the extension of the building's service life. At the final stage of construction, the roof is insulated with foam. This solution contributes to the creation of a comfortable microclimate in attics and upper floors of houses.
Polyurethane foam is in demand in the arrangement of pipeline systems. It is much faster, cheaper and more practical to insulate highways with this substance than with traditional mineral wool. After hardening, the foam becomes one with the pipes, protecting them from cold, corrosion and external pressure.
Varieties of insulation foam
When deciding on the insulation of a house with foam, it is necessary to choose the material that most fully meets the requirements for the insulation of the object. On sale you can find semi-professional (household) and professional means for insulating objects of various types and sizes.
Polyurethane foam
Refers to the category of household products made on the basis of polyurethane. The one-component liquid solution is in conventional steel cans with a capacity of 500-2000 ml. Depending on the volume, 5-20 liters of foam is produced.
Coming out of the nebulizer, the solution enters into a chemical reaction with air, increases in volume and after 20-30 minutes solidifies, forming a dense spongy substance. The substance conducts air well, as a result of which polyurethane foam is in demand for arranging wooden buildings. Foam is applied in one step without intermediate layers, which has a positive effect on the speed of work.You can use cans to perform small one-time jobs associated with low consumption of foam.
Two-component polyurethane foam
The two-component insulation composition is the most effective among the analogues of the foam group. Advantages include speed of application and performance. The foam heater in cylinders is delivered to the site, where the tanks are connected to an air compressor. When the components are mixed, an instant reaction begins, accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide, which forms a foam. After solidification, a porous substance is formed, consisting of 90% gas. Closed cells prevent the insulation from getting wet, including during prolonged exposure to dampness. At the same time, the material retains its ventilation properties, ensuring the removal of steam from the premises.
After hitting the surface, the mixture increases in volume 40 times, which ensures high pressure and penetration of insulation into all voids, depressions and cracks. This property must be taken into account when filling bottlenecks, as expanding foam can destroy brickwork or jam doors.
Penoizol
Penoizol belongs to the category of liquid heaters of the carbide group. The special composition of the substance makes it completely safe for human health and the environment. The material looks like foam and has high thermal insulation properties. On contact with fire, it melts without emitting toxic compounds. An interesting feature of penoizol is its rejection by insects and animals. They try to avoid the neighborhood with insulation, despite its visual appeal.
The material has low adhesion and virtually zero secondary expansion. Based on this, the scope of its application is rather limited. The porous structure perfectly permeates moisture, which makes it possible to equip wooden houses with penoizol without losing their ventilation qualities. Due to the hygroscopicity of the foam, it cannot be applied to foundations, cellar walls, pipes and other objects in contact with wet soil.
How to spray polyurethane foam
The sprayed polyurethane foam is composed of polyol and polyisocyanate. Both solutions are in sealed containers that are connected to the compressor. The size and power of the equipment may vary, but they work in the same way. After connecting the containers through hoses to the equipment, it is adjusted in accordance with the instructions of the insulation manufacturer.
When the compressor is turned on, the pressure required for the intake and pumping of ingredients through the lines is created. Mixing is carried out in a nozzle, which delivers a stream of foaming liquid to the surface. The mixture is characterized by excellent adhesion and fast setting. It must be applied from the bottom up so that the material from the bottom acts as a stop for the next layers. The foam adheres well to vertical walls and surfaces with negative slope angles, such as house and attic roofs. At the same time, the object of thermal insulation does not need any preliminary preparation.
Pouring penoizol
Penoizol is a derivative substance consisting of several components. Foam preparation is carried out directly at the facility.
The following ingredients are added alternately to the container:
- water;
- foaming solution;
- acid;
- liquid synthetic resin.
When substances interact with each other, foaming of the solution occurs. The resin, which keeps the air inside the bubbles, prevents it from completely falling off. The polymerization process lasts 3 days and is accompanied by slight shrinkage up to 3% of the volume.
Since the foam does not expand after leaving the nebulizer, the filling of the cavities is not due to an increase in volume, but due to the fluid flowing into them under the influence of gravity. To avoid the formation of voids in the layer of thermal insulation, it is fed into the molds under high pressure, which ensures that the entire internal space is filled. For high-quality processing of objects, you need to have good professional skills, equipment and carefully maintain the proportions of the components.
Since penoizol is fluid and slowly solidifies, it is used to fill double walls, insulate floors or roofs, using a membrane film as a formwork.
