What is "cold bridges". How to avoid cold bridges during thermal insulation

Warming 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 the walls exclusively from within. Such a method allows to avoid a difference in the resistance to heat transfer of different sections of the wall, as a result, cold bridges will not be formed.

What is the "bridge of cold"

The bridge of the cold is 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 the lack of comfort in 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 wall surface. Cold bridges, providing low thermal conductivity, slowly destroy the structure. Therefore, when designing a house, it is necessary to take into account that it is more rational to insulate the walls from outside - so the heat energy necessary for heating will be lost to a lesser extent, as a consequence, the material costs of the residents will be reduced.

Where are they located

Determine the place that provides heat loss, it is quite simple. The cold bridges are most often located in the places of transition of a surface made from 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 place of the joint of the roof or the floor with the wall. A large bridge can also be called loggias and balconies - these zones provide the greatest heat loss, but they are the most difficult to completely neutralize.

Fastening elements of heat-insulating materials (dowels) are also cold bridges, therefore, when carrying out insulation at home, all rules must be observed, otherwise this procedure will not make sense.

The consequences of high heat transfer

If the room loses enough heat, condensation forms on the inner surface 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 at a rapid pace begins to develop mold and fungal microorganisms. It is almost impossible to get rid of it, because even after painting or carrying out cosmetic repairs on the renewed surface, mildew quickly emerges and worsens the microclimate at home.

To prevent its appearance will help only complete elimination of the cold bridge. To neutralize them, you should also observe some rules, because poorly carried out insulation of external walls or foundation may entail an increase in the index of thermal conductivity, due to the use of a metal frame.

How to get rid of the 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 you need to fix this problem already in the built house, then the insulation of the walls from 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 accurate determination of cold bridges . So, there will be an exact indication of places that provide heat loss, and they can be eliminated.

When exterior walls are insulated, it is important to take into account the distance to which the frame, equipped for expanded polystyrene plates, stands. Since it is made in most cases from metal, new cold bridges can form, which will significantly exacerbate the situation with maintaining the heat in the house.

Proper insulation of the cold bridges is the only solution to combat them.

Wall warming

Regardless of the material used to build the walls, they always have crevices, seams, or loosely connected corner elements.

A house constructed of gas silicate blocks can have a number of temperature bridges in places of cement joints. Such a wall must necessarily be insulated, otherwise you can sacrifice your health and the costs of heating the apartment. Another possible option may be the use of blocks with pierre-cement fixation system or glue instead of concrete mortar.

Brick walls are the largest conductors of cold, so it is recommended to insulate them immediately. As a heat-insulating material, polystyrene foam can be used. It well supports a healthy microclimate in the apartment.

The cold bridges in the frame house are located at the location of the racks. To eliminate them, you need to additionally insulate the walls and equalize the thermal conductivity of the materials.

Warming of the foundation

Since most often a reinforced concrete wall is used for the foundation, the neglect of its insulation can provoke the loss of a large amount of heat. To neutralize this problem, it is necessary to conduct complex insulation, that is, the thermal insulation of the foundation must pass to the walls and be uninterrupted.

The cold bridges will significantly decrease if you lay the foundation plate and insulate the floors of the first floors of the building. Particular attention when insulating should be given to the corners and the blind area of the house.

Warming of the balcony

The widest area of heat loss is the balcony. The bridge of cold is a reinforced concrete slab that conducts well both cold and heat. As a result, the cost of air conditioning and heating of the apartment is significantly increased.

To neutralize such a vast area of the bridge, it is necessary to create continuous insulation. Thermal insulation material should be attached to the wall under the balcony, directly to its lower surface, the end of the plate and its upper surface, and also it is necessary not to forget to insulate the walls of the balcony. In this case it will be possible to minimize the heat loss.

The only problem with the insulation will be the place of transition of the balcony fence to the wall. To reduce the thermal conductivity in this area is unlikely, but this is not a reason to completely abandon the use of the balcony. Warming by the method described above will be sufficient to achieve good thermal insulation.

Having figured out how to avoid cold bridges, you can safely embark on the erection or warming of buildings. It is important to take into account that even the most costly procedure in the future will pay for itself as much as the payment for home heating services will decrease significantly, and the microclimate of the apartment will help to maintain the health of the residents and will permanently eliminate problems with high humidity, mold and regularly spoiling repairs.