How to insulate the foundation from the outside

Thermal insulation of the foundation is an important and responsible stage of building and repairing a house. Insulated foundation is not only serious heat loss, but also the danger of freezing and subsequent destruction of underground building structures. Insulation of the foundation from the outside allows you to reduce heat loss by several times, in addition, reliably protects the base of the house from the effects of groundwater and low temperatures.

Why is the foundation insulation outside more efficient?

To understand this issue, you need to imagine the conditions of the foundation. The foundation takes on both the load on the side of the building and the pressure of the ground. Its underground part is constantly exposed to ground and atmospheric water, while the porous foundation material can become wet, absorbing moisture. When the ground temperature drops below the zero mark, not only the soil freezes, but also the wet foundation. In this case, cracks and chips are formed in the porous concrete. In addition, the destructive effect is also due to seasonal movements of the soil soils. These factors gradually lead to partial destruction of the foundation, and then to the damage to the walls of the building.

To avoid harmful influence of the environment on the foundation, resort to a set of measures, and two basic protective measures - is the waterproofing of the foundation and its insulation. In this case, the insulation is most often produced from the outside, since with external insulation, not only the premises of the house are protected, but also the foundation itself. In some cases, resort to the insulation of the foundation from the inside, most often when external insulation is impossible.

Materials and methods of foundation insulation

There are several ways to insulate the foundation from the outside:

• Backfilling with sand or expanded clay. The oldest and least efficient way, based on the property of these materials, is to remove moisture and create an air layer near the walls of the basement.
• Thermal insulation with foam boards and its modern analogues: penopolix, polystyrene.
• Warming with the use of mineral mats with the subsequent sheathing of the foundation with a protective screen;
• Spraying to the surface of polyurethane foam using a special installation. As a result, a seamless layer is created, resistant to mechanical damage with high thermal insulation properties.

Backfilling of the foundation with sand and expanded clay

The merits of the method include low material cost and the ability to perform insulation independently, without the use of professional help. In addition, the backfill layer is simultaneously a waterproofing and compensates the ground pressure during puffing, which makes it possible to effectively use this method on wet clay soils with a high frost heave ratio.

Technological design:

1. Prepare a pit on the perimeter of the foundation from the outside. Its depth should be just below the depth of the foundation, and the width depends on the region and soil moisture. The lower the temperature in the winter months and the higher the groundwater table, the wider the pit should be.
2. At the bottom of the excavation drainage is carried out: lay geotextiles, fill it with gravel, put a perforated pipe on the rubble, and again a layer of rubble. Pipes are connected in a single system and taken to a well.
3. The foundation is cleaned and dried, after which the basement is waterproofed. The choice of type of waterproofing depends on the conditions of operation of the foundation, but one should take into account: when filling with expanded clay, it is impossible to apply bitumen waterproofing with bitumen or polymer compounds because of the possibility of damaging the waterproofing film.
4. Make backfilled trenches prepared with sand or expanded clay, ramming it layer by layer.

Foundation insulation with foam and its analogs

Modern and highly efficient method, which allows to heat-insulate the foundation walls qualitatively. Advantages of the method are high thermal insulation characteristics of the material, ease of heat insulation, the resistance of the material to mechanical stress and damage, simplicity of finishing. Disadvantages - requires the preparation of the foundation surface, the protection of the layer of insulation from rodents, as well as suitable for this method of waterproofing.

Technology of execution:

1. The foundation surface is dug to the full depth, cleaned and dried. Remains of bituminous waterproofing, fats, oils - foam and its analogues on contact with these substances are destroyed from the surface.
2. Waterproofing the foundation one of the ways: omazochnaya waterproofing with the use of mastics on a polymer basis;impregnated waterproofing or roll waterproofing of the foundation.
3. Plates of heat-insulating material are laid on special glue - it is sold as a dry mix. Plates usually have grooves to facilitate their joining and prevent the appearance of cracks, gaps and bridges of cold.
4. The foundation surface is protected with reinforcing mesh from damage by rodents, laying it on the same glue. After the glue dries, the underground part of the foundation is filled with sand, and the ground part is additionally secured with special dowels with a wide bonnet.

Insulation of the foundation with the help of mineral insulation( Mineral wool)

This method is used quite rarely, as well as good thermal insulation has a number of drawbacks: for its implementation it is necessary to erect a skeleton, good protection of the insulation from wetting, and the erection of a protective wall made of bricks or otherfinishing materials. It is usually used to perform the ground part of the basement and the basement as a continuation of the thermal insulation of the walls of the house.

Technology of execution:

1. The foundation surface is cleaned and dried, eliminates defects.
2. Carry out a frame for heat-insulating mats made of metal profile.
3. Lay the heat insulation mats on the frame and fix them. The surface of the insulation is closed from external moisture by a vapor-permeable wind-hydro-protective film.
4. Build a protective brick wall or a vented frame.

Foundation insulation with

foam One of the most effective ways to warm the foundation, both from the outside and from the inside. For its implementation, special equipment is required - a spraying device, with which the insulation components are fed to the foundation surface under high pressure. As a result, a seamless layer of foam is obtained, which has high heat and waterproof properties. To perform this waterproofing it is better to consult specialists, since the quality of the coating depends largely on the correct mode and the installation itself.

Thermal insulation of the foundation from the outside allows to reduce the heat loss of the building by 20-25%, while its service life is increased. Thermal insulation of the foundation can be carried out both on the object under construction and on the building in use.