Working at Fort Thomas

Types of roof insulation

Internal roof insulation is the most commonly used technique at present, in which the material is laid as close as possible to the roofing and is separated from it only by an air ventilation gap and a layer of hydroprotection. In this case, the attic space can be used as a living area with sloping or partially sloping walls.

There are several types of heaters, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. To choose the right material, it is worth evaluating it not by individual indicators of thermal conductivity, price per square meter or installation complexity, but in a complex and in relation to a specific object.

Insulation with expanded polystyrene

Expanded polystyrene is a lightweight material that is obtained after adding gas to the polymer composition. Inside, it expands and increases the size of the entire mass. In appearance, expanded polystyrene sheets are similar to polystyrene foam, but in terms of characteristics they are much superior to it.

The advantages of this heater:

• Has excellent thermal conductivity (0.028 W / mk for extruded polystyrene foam), so the thickness of the insulation can be small;
• The plates are very light in weight, so they are easy to install and transport, the insulation will not weigh down the roof structure;
• Sheets keep their shape — they are easy to cut and install;

Does not generate dust, so you do not need to work in a respirator to install thermal insulation.

Another important advantage is that such a heater has a low price, besides, it belongs to moisture-resistant materials, so you can do without an additional vapor barrier.

Among the shortcomings of expanded polystyrene, it is noted that it is not environmentally friendly. On the other hand, under normal conditions, it is an absolutely inert harmless substance; it begins to decompose and release toxic styrene only when heated above +60ºС. That is, it becomes dangerous in case of fire.

Warming with mineral wool

Mineral wool (mineral wool) is a fibrous insulation based on mineral fibers. Depending on what these fibers are made of, subspecies are distinguished: slag wool, basalt wool, 

glass wool — usually waste from metallurgical production or glass is used for production.

The main advantages of mineral wool:

Very low thermal conductivity (in dry form) — 0.030-0.052 W / mk;

Many builders are not too fond of working with this insulation due to the complexity of installation. In particular, according to the technology, the insulation should be slightly wider than the distance between the rafters in order to eliminate the formation of gaps between the mats and the rafters, which means loss of thermal insulation. However, when installing the rafter system, few people think through the moment of further insulation of the structure, so the mineral wool has to be cut and applications made from it. At the same time, it is almost impossible to cut mineral wool mats so that they have a smooth edge.