The foundation is one of the main parts of the building. He takes on enormous loads. It is affected by negative factors such as groundwater, freezing, heaving, and changes in humidity. In order to reduce the external impact on this part of the building, it is necessary to insulate it. Each owner of the house carries out these works, taking into account the funds on which he relies.
Material Guidelines
Insulation of the foundation of the house from the outside can be carried out by one of many modern materials, among them it should be highlighted:
- sand;
- expanded clay;
- Styrofoam;
- penoplex;
- polyurethane foam.
As for sand, it is used even at the stage of building a house. This method is one of the cheapest, but its effectiveness is not so high. This is due to the fact that sand does not have a special ability to retain heat. Expanded clay does not accumulate moisture.
Thermal insulation technology with the help of it has two directions. Expanded clay can be poured into the central part of the formwork even at the installation stage. This method simplifies pouring, increases the thermal insulation properties of the structure and reduces concrete consumption, but makes it more fragile. Expanded clay can be used in another way: it is filled up inside the tape base, resulting in reduced heat loss through the foundation, as well as the basement and floor of the house.
Features of the use of foam
Insulation of the foundation of the house from the outside can be carried out with foam. It is also called polystyrene foam and is a self-extinguishing material. It is a sheet of balls, inside of which there is air. The laid layer provides thermal insulation properties and is absolutely non-hygroscopic. Polyfoam is affordable and easy to install. Do-it-yourself warming of the foundation with penoplex from the outside involves the use of more complex technology. This material is free from the disadvantages of polystyrene, it is more dense and able to withstand a large mechanical load. Its compressive strength is quite high.
The use of foam
Penoplex does not support combustion, and its decomposition in the soil reaches 100 years. The sheets have spikes and grooves that simplify installation and eliminate the presence of seams. Among the shortcomings, it should be highlighted that foam is more expensive than polystyrene. The most expensive, but most effective way of warming is the use of polyurethane foam.
The technology is simple. Insulation is a sprayable material that is applied to the wall. Its use allows you to exclude many stages, for example, preparation in the form of leveling the base and sealing joints. When using this heat insulator, not only insulation, but also waterproofing can be carried out.
The use of expanded polystyrene
Thermal insulation of the foundation from the outside with polystyrene foam is today the most popular. First you need to prepare a place. The foundation for this is excavated, the minimum depth of the trench should be equal to the depth of the basement. Ideally, you should open the foundation completely. The width of the trench should consist of the thickness of the insulation and the place necessary for comfortable work.
Features of the work
The bottom of the trench is covered with expanded clay. Instead, you can lay a sand and gravel pillow. If this method is too expensive for you, you can limit yourself to backfilling the space under the insulation. Insulation of the foundation from the outside with polystyrene foam provides for the preparation of the base. An open foundation should dry. Therefore, it is better to engage in such work in the warm season. Manipulations will take about a week. In the cool season, the period of work increases to two weeks. The term will depend on the humidity of the foundation and the weather.
A dry surface sometimes has to be further treated. Large cracks are filled with mortar, and small ones with construction foam. If the structure is seriously deformed, then it must be leveled. This will reduce material consumption and eliminate air gaps.
Primer, waterproofing and installation of expanded polystyrene
The insulation of the foundation of the house from the outside with polystyrene foam at the next stage involves the application of a primer. You should not ignore this recommendation. The composition is able to protect the surface from moisture and destruction. In addition, the mixture improves adhesion, which contributes to better adhesion of the adhesive to the surface.
The structure can be waterproofed with gluing materials such as geotextiles or bitumen. Coating mastics or plaster insulation based on polymers or cement mortars are suitable. When the foundation is insulated on the outside with your own hands, the next step is to proceed with fixing the expanded polystyrene. In the process, an adhesive solution or a special foam is used for the described insulation.
About fasteners and trim
Additional fixing with umbrellas is not required if the base is hidden in the ground. If it is necessary to insulate the basement, this condition is mandatory. In order to protect the insulation from negative factors by the type of exposure to ultraviolet radiation and other things, it is covered with finishing material. You can use roofing material or plastic wrap, which are then covered with soil.
Features of thermal insulation of different types of foundation
Tape bases are usually insulated with expanded clay, which is poured into the pit. If we are talking about a columnar structure, which is the most reliable, and also used in low-rise construction, for thermal insulation in this case, a method of filling voids between the supports is used. To do this, zaborki are arranged, which are metal or wooden structures connecting the supports.
Expanded clay is poured into the central part of the cells, which acts as an excellent insulation. Outside, zabki are waterproofed and glued with polystyrene foam. Sometimes polyurethane foam is applied to the base. The insulation is covered with a film and filled with soil, but you can use the coating with a finishing material.
Insulation of the pile foundation outside is necessarily carried out if the construction was carried out on unstable soil. Thermal insulation will consist in protecting the grillage, which will reduce heat loss. You can use any thermal insulation material for this. The work should be comprehensive, they provide waterproofing grillage and metal supports. Then the basement frame is erected, and the insulation is installed inside it.
Decorative panels are fixed on the base. Its inner side is additionally insulated with soil or expanded clay. Insulation of the basement base outside in this case may include the construction of a brick wall. To do this, a trench is pre-excavated and a shallow reinforced foundation is poured. He will perform additional insulation of the basement.
Once the solution has dried, you can begin to lay out a light wall in half a brick. Next, metal guides are installed to fix the decorative panels. After that, they are hung on the cladding according to the type of corrugated board or siding. Panels are fixed with special glue or mechanical fasteners. The exact choice will depend on the finishing material. In the corners, it will be necessary to install closing joints and droppers.
Penoplex insulation methods
Warming the foundation from the outside with foam can be done in one of several ways, among them:
- vertical;
- horizontal;
- method of creating a blind area.
The first technology also captures the base. It consists in mounting the plates on the prepared surface using glue on a polymer or cement basis. In the basement, additional sheets are reinforced with special dowels.
Horizontal insulation suitable for shallow tape base. This method protects the structure from freezing and exposure to frost heaving forces. Plates are located under the base of the foundation. Insulation of the basement basement from the outside can be carried out by creating a blind area. This method is indispensable when the building must be protected from the deformation forces of frost heaving. This is especially true for areas where soils are heavily heaved during the winter. Plates in this case are laid on a pillow, and a concrete blind area is made from above.
Thermal insulation of the base of a wooden house
Expanded clay can be used to insulate the foundation of a wooden house. This method is one of the most common. It is suitable for the underground parts of the building and the space under the floor. The bottom line is to create a pillow that absorbs and removes moisture from the structure, creating air space at the surface. Air acts as a heat insulator, so when using expanded clay, the probability of freezing is reduced. The layer plays the role of waterproofing.
The easiest way will be to warm the foundation of a wooden house outside. To do this, the base is dug up to the full depth and cleaned of soil residues. If necessary, the material is repaired, cracks are closed in it, the surface is leveled at the places of destruction. Additional protection against moisture can be provided with waterproofing by gluing or coating.
The insulation of the foundation from the outside at the next stage provides for the filling of expanded clay into the resulting trench. It is necessary to reach the ground level, a concrete blind area is laid on top, which protects expanded clay from siltation and moisture. The basement must be insulated with plate materials or covered with plaster.
Insulation of the foundation from the outside can be done with polystyrene. However, it must be separated from the wooden structure with a layer of non-combustible insulation like basalt wool. A width of 20 cm will be sufficient. The layer is laid in the upper part of the cap. After fixing the insulation and hardening the glue, the plates are additionally fixed with special dowel nails. For them, holes are drilled right through to concrete. Then the fasteners are clogged until the cap adheres to the insulation.
Insulation of the foundation from the outside can be done using polyurethane foam. This technology is relatively new. Work is quite expensive, due to the need to use a special installation. To apply the material, you should call specialists, you do not need to prepare the base, it will be enough to clean it of dust and repair damaged areas.
Finally
Up to 20% of the heat loss in the building falls on the foundation. Quite often, homeowners do not carry out work on thermal insulation, considering this measure an extra waste of money. But experts do not advise neglecting this. Many property owners resort to basement insulation from the outside only when dampness appears in the house, condensation appears on the walls of the basement, and the floors in the living rooms become cold.