Insulation of the fundamental walls according to the old standards - from inside the building - ensures the presence of cold bridges. They negatively affect the thermal insulation of the house, the microclimate and the degree of humidity in the room. Now it is more rational when building a house to insulate all walls exclusively from the inside. This method avoids the difference in heat transfer resistance of different sections of the wall, as a result of which cold bridges will not form.
What is a "cold bridge"
Cold bridge - a section of the wall, most often at the junction with another surface, through which about half of the heat energy of the house is lost. Such losses lead not only to a lack of comfortable housing, but also to a significant reduction in the life of the building.
The temperature bridge contributes to the formation of a large amount of condensate on the inner surface of the walls. Cold bridges, providing low thermal conductivity, slowly destroy the structure. Therefore, when designing a house, it must be taken into account that it is more rational to insulate the walls from the outside - this way, the thermal energy necessary for heating will be lost to a lesser extent, as a result, the material costs of residents will be reduced.
Where they are
Determining a place that provides heat loss is quite simple. Thermal bridges are most often found at the transition of a surface made of one material to a surface with a base of another material.
These can be concrete columns, foundation walls, seams between bricks and blocks, window or door openings, the junction of a roof or floor with a wall. Loggias and balconies can also be called a long bridge - these zones provide the greatest heat loss, but at the same time they are the most difficult to completely neutralize.
Fasteners of heat-insulating materials (dowels) are also cold bridges, therefore, when insulating a house, you must follow all the rules, otherwise this procedure will not make sense.
Consequences of high heat transfer
If the room loses enough heat, condensation will form on the inside of the walls. As you know, dust is most strongly attracted to such a place, so the bridge will be clearly visible even to the naked eye.
Following the dust on the wall, mold and fungal microorganisms begin to develop rapidly. It is almost impossible to get rid of it, because even afterpainting or cosmetic repairs on the updated surface, mold quickly appears and worsens the microclimate at home.
Only the complete elimination of the cold bridge will help prevent its appearance. To neutralize them, you should also follow some rules, because poor-quality insulation of external walls or foundations can lead to an increase in thermal conductivity due to the use of a metal frame.
How to get rid of cold bridges
To neutralize high heat losses, it is necessary to carefully consider the design of the house and the way it is insulated. If it is necessary to fix this problem already in the built house, then the insulation of the walls from the outside will help. This action will change the dew point, which will reduce heat loss through the walls.
It is possible to order thermal imaging for the accuracy of determining cold bridges. Thus, an exact indication of the places providing heat loss will appear, and they can be eliminated.
With external wall insulation, it is important to take into account the distance to which the frame protrudes, equipped for polystyrene foam boards. Since it is made in most cases of metal, new cold bridges may form, which will significantly aggravate the situation with maintaining heat in the house.
Proper insulation of cold bridges is the only solution to combat them.
Wall insulation
Regardless of the material used to build the walls, there are always gaps, seams, or loosely connected corneritems.
A house built from gas silicate blocks can have many temperature bridges in the places of cement joints. Such a wall must be insulated without fail, otherwise you can sacrifice your he alth and the cost of heating the apartment. Another possible option would be to use tongue-and-groove blocks or glue instead of concrete.
Brick walls are the greatest conductors of cold, so it is recommended to insulate them immediately. Expanded polystyrene can be used as a heat-insulating material. It well maintains a he althy microclimate in the apartment.
Cold bridges in a frame house are located at the location of the racks. To eliminate them, it is necessary to additionally insulate the walls and equalize the thermal conductivity of materials.
Foundation insulation
Since a reinforced concrete wall is most often used for the foundation, neglecting its insulation can provoke the loss of a large amount of heat. To neutralize this problem, it is necessary to carry out complex insulation, that is, the thermal insulation of the foundation must pass to the walls and be continuous.
Cold bridges will significantly decrease if you lay a slab foundation and insulate the floors of the first floors of the building. When insulating, special attention should be paid to the corners and blind area of the house.
Insulation of the balcony
The balcony is the longest area of heat loss. Cold bridge representsa reinforced concrete slab that conducts both cold and heat well. As a result, the cost of air conditioning and heating the apartment increases significantly.
To neutralize such a vast area of the bridge, it is necessary to create continuous insulation. The heat-insulating material must be attached in the wall under the balcony, directly to its lower surface, the end of the plate and its upper surface, and you must also remember to insulate the walls of the balcony. In this case, it will be possible to minimize heat loss.
The only problem with insulation will be the transition point of the balcony railing to the wall. It is unlikely that it will be possible to reduce thermal conductivity in this area, but this is not a reason to completely abandon the use of the balcony. Warming according to the method described above will be enough to achieve good thermal insulation.
Having figured out how to avoid cold bridges, you can safely proceed to the construction or insulation of buildings. At the same time, it is important to take into account that even the most expensive procedure will pay off as much as possible in the future, since the payment for home heating services will be significantly reduced, and the microclimate of the apartment will help maintain the he alth of residents and permanently eliminate problems with high humidity, mold and regularly deteriorating repairs.
