Methods of insulation and glazing on the balcony

To exclude heat leaks and create additional space, the balcony is glazed and insulated. Work can be done from the inside and front of the apartment. Before starting them, it is necessary to choose a method and thermal insulation materials.

The need to perform insulation and glazing of balconies

During the construction of houses, standard structures are created without thermal protection. High-quality thermal insulation of the loggia solves several problems:

• reduction of heat loss in the apartment;
• expansion of the area of ​​residence;
• providing soundproofing of the room;
• creation of an additional work and leisure area;
• maintaining normal temperature and humidity.

45% of the heat comes out through the old frames, so it is advisable to combine the insulation of the balcony with the repair.

Varieties of insulation work

The balcony room and loggias are mostly not heated, therefore they are places through which heat escapes. Cold air access is possible even with high-quality glazing. To normalize the microclimate in the rooms, it is worthwhile to carry out internal insulation. There are several work technologies. When selecting them, you need to consider:

• The purpose of using the balcony. The storage area is insulated around the perimeter, a place for rest - from the side of the room, a loggia-study, library or gym - through windows across the entire surface.
• Financial opportunities. It is necessary to calculate how much area the insulation will take, choose its type.
• Season. Thermal insulating solutions, foams and adhesives change their properties when exposed to heat.
• Material safety. Some types of expanded polystyrene or mineral wool release carcinogens.

In summer, work is done faster and will be cheaper than in winter.

Cold way

An aluminum profile is mounted without insulation materials, PVC windows with single-chamber double-glazed windows or single glasses. The design protects against the penetration of drafts, precipitation, dust into the room, gives the loggia a beautiful view from the side of the facade. The method is called cold, since the high thermal conductivity of aluminum excludes the support of a positive temperature. Double-glazed windows cannot be installed on frames with an assembly width of 6 cm.

Cold glazing is justified for storage balconies.

Warm way

Allows you to replace aluminum profiles with high-quality thermal insulation structures. The warm method eliminates the presence of drafts, the formation of condensation, cost overruns when paying for heating and eliminates heat loss. Thinking over how to effectively insulate a balcony or loggia with a cold type of glazing, it is worth considering several popular materials:

• Expanded polystyrene. Differs in density, moisture resistance, low level of thermal conductivity.
• Styrofoam. Low-cost, but durable and easy-to-install thermal insulation.
• Basalt or mineral wool. It fits into the frame, due to the chaotic arrangement of the fibers, it does not allow cold air to pass through.
• PPU.Sprayed insulation, which is applied without seams and prevents the appearance of "cold bridges".
• Penofol. Material with a polystyrene backing for heat retention and aluminum shielding to reflect heat flows into the room.

All materials can be combined.

Frameless way

The panoramic view of the insulation is a window or transparent wall through which you can view the territory. On the scale of the apartment, it is executed as a loggia, on which there is a glass unit from ceiling to floor or a balcony glazed in several planes. The frameless design is implemented as follows:

• Connection of several sections of standard systems with a common frame.
• Facade double-glazed windows with a hermetic sealing of the assembly seam. They are installed on vertical ledgers with horizontal crosspieces or solid ledgers.
• Systems with a frame made of monolithic tape tempered glass. The doors move like an accordion, wardrobe doors or remain stationary.

It is possible to glaze the loggia in a frameless way only in order to protect it from weather factors. In this case, there will be no high-quality thermal insulation.

Specificity of cold glazing

Cold glazing is made without insulation and consists of aluminum profiles with double-glazed windows around the perimeter of the loggia. It is suitable if the space is not attached to the living room, but is used as a place for storing and drying clothes. This option is distinguished by:

• ease of preparation of the ceiling, walls and floor;
• installation of window structures on a balcony parapet or beams;
• type of construction - single glazing with aluminum profiles;
• sliding sash opening system.

To implement cold glazing, two technologies are used - with and without extension. In the first case, glass elements are carried out during the loggia period. You will need to fix the brackets 30-35 cm in length to the support bars, and a window sill is mounted between the balcony railings and the system. The glass unit is already placed on it.

The technology without overhang provides for the installation of double-glazed windows with profiles on the base of the loggia, which makes it possible to achieve additional reinforcement.

Features of warm glazing

It is possible to glaze and insulate the loggia at the same time using a multi-chamber profile, glued wooden beams and an insulating glass unit with two chambers. Profiles are made from the following materials:

• Metal-plastic. PVC structures with metal reinforcement inside are divided into 3, 4 or 6 chambers. The profile is characterized by tightness, high energy-saving and noise-insulating properties.
• Wood. The frames are made of oak, larch or pine. Wood species look like lamellas glued together. The systems are maintainable, environmentally friendly, and protect well from heat leaks.
• Aluminum. The profiles consist of two elements and a polyamide spacer insert. The thermal bridge has a thickness of 2.5 m, due to which the structure does not freeze, and the heat in the room is retained.

Wooden frames are more expensive than plastic or aluminum frames.

Warm glass unit construction

The insulating glass units are designed to prevent thermal leaks as much as possible. The standard warm system includes:

• Glass. External elements 6 mm thick prevent external noise. The standard thickness of the inner sheets is 4 mm.
• Cameras. Three-chamber options are installed on reinforced fittings, single-chamber options for warm glazing are produced with a special energy-efficient coating. The two-chamber type of double-glazed windows will be optimal for installation.
• Distance frame. The 16 mm element reduces noise absorption, eliminates heat leakage.
• Glass unit filling. Dry air or inert gas (krypton, argon) is used to preserve heat.

The doors are opened using a swing, swing or swing and swing mechanism.

Characteristics of the frameless method

Frameless method is a Finnish technology that provides glazing without lintels, partitions and frames. The design looks light and airy, suitable for a loggia-terrace or a large balcony.

Panoramic glazing includes the following elements:

• glass 6-12 mm thick with polished edges;
• profiles - upper and lower, on which the main load goes; for movement and rotation, the glass is equipped with outlet grooves;
• multi-section door closer - sets the direction of the glass unit to the niche;
• lateral type of profiles - they seal the points of contact and balance the load;
• latches - located above and below, necessary to fix the flaps;
• glass profile - needed to fix the glass with glue and rivets, equipped with a pair of bearings;
• roller system - suspension or thrust mechanism holds the profile;
• drain cornice - it can be upper and lower, prevents the penetration of precipitation into the structure.

Frameless systems are mounted on a perfectly flat parapet.

Pros and cons of insulation

Cold

The pluses of the cold method include:

• minimum costs for the arrangement;
• beautiful appearance from the outside;
• preservation of the useful area of ​​the loggia;
• possibility of installation in apartments of complex configuration;
• ease of installation;
• low weight of the system in the assembly;
• no corrosion of the aluminum profile;
• fire resistance, reliability and strength of the system;
• the possibility of installation in the old housing stock.

The disadvantages of aluminum cold insulation are the impossibility of living in the winter, minimal tightness and freezing of the profile in the winter.

Warm

The strengths of the warm method are:

• good thermal insulation;
• noise protection;
• maintaining the quality of finishing the premises;
• obtaining an additional room - an office, a bedroom, a dining room, a recreation area;
• resistance to wind loads and temperature fluctuations;
• reliability and structural strength.

Among the disadvantages of the technology are the financial costs of the arrangement (3 times more expensive than the cold one), a decrease in the usable area of ​​the apartment, the need to arrange lighting and the need to strengthen the bearing plates due to the massiveness of the frames.

Frameless

Among the advantages of the frameless method are:

• light and airy design;
• a full view of the street or natural panorama;
• fast glazing of large areas due to the length of the shutters up to 12 m;
• the maximum degree of illumination of the room;
• reliability of fasteners;
• ease of opening the doors;
• absence of injuries due to blunt and rounded glass edges;
• creation of a barrier for dust, wind, precipitation, extraneous noise.

The disadvantages of the panoramic method are the impossibility of using energy-saving double-glazed windows, the risks of breaking glass of standard thickness from the windy side of the house, small sound insulation (10-15 dB), compliance with the parallelism of the balcony ceiling and the upper part of the parapet.

Do-it-yourself balcony insulation procedure

There are several ways to insulate a balcony with cold glazing without replacing the glazing. It is allowed to insulate all structures without glass - walls, floor and ceiling, but the room will be non-residential. If the space is connected to the living area, it will be necessary to agree on the documents for redevelopment. Installing underfloor heating will help make a separate room if it is not attached to a bedroom or living room.

Do-it-yourself work is done like this:

1. The choice of material. You can qualitatively insulate a non-residential balcony with a cold glazing system using extruded polystyrene foam or polystyrene foam.The sheet heat insulator is easily cut out.
2. Sealing cold bridges. All cracks must be sealed with polyurethane sealants or mastic. The compositions are applied with a special gun or a complete nozzle.
3. Leveling the floor and walls.
4. Arrangement of waterproofing coating with roofing felt. The sheets are overlapped and warmed up by a burner along the seam. Spray-on or coating materials can be used.
5. Installation of a frame for insulation. Wooden slats are fastened with self-tapping screws to the ceiling or floor. The dimensions of the structure are matched to the size of the insulation.
6. Cut the expanded polystyrene. The sheets are cut to the size of the cells using a hacksaw or a clerical knife.
7. Laying slabs. A special glue is used, applied with a spatula at a distance of 5 cm from the edge or mushroom dowels in the amount of 10 pieces per 1 m2.
8. Sealing of joints with polyurethane foam. The product is applied from a pistol. After drying, the excess is trimmed.
9. Installation of foamed polyethylene foam over the base layer. The sheets are stacked end-to-end on polyurethane glue and glued along the seam with metal tape.
10. Arrangement of the substrate for finishing. GKL or plastic is fixed to the dowels, but they are previously glued to the insulation.

Use moisture-resistant drywall for cladding - it will eliminate the risk of mold development.

To create a full-fledged living room or resting place from the balcony, it is advisable to choose the right technology. In order not to overpay for the replacement of double-glazed windows, it is recommended to lay insulating materials. If there is a desire to change the glazing, the work can be combined with a major overhaul.