How to insulate ventilation. Why insulate the ventilation system? Mineral wool insulation

Ventilation in a private house is an essential component to maintain a comfortable microclimate in residential premises. However, along with its positive properties, it is often the main source of heat loss. How to insulate the ventilation pipe in a private house, and what is best to use for this?

The relevance of warming

During operation, a small layer of ice can often be observed on the surface of the ventilation pipe. Its appearance is due to the temperature difference between the material of manufacture and the air leaving the apartment building. As a result of this, moisture forms and the appearance of frost and ice.

Vent pipe icing

If this process is left to chance, as a result, a number of negative factors may appear. They will directly affect not only integrity and functionality, but can also affect the operational properties of the entire building. The reason for this is condensation, which forms on the inner wall of the pipe. Its constant presence can lead to the following consequences:

• The occurrence of corrosion processes on a galvanized surface. Over time, this can lead to a violation of the sealing of the ventilation system;
• Reducing the pipe bore. Its gradual icing reduces the actual diameter of the vent. As a result, air exchange rates are reduced;
• Impact on the walls of the house. Water can penetrate the structure of walls and floors. This will cause a rise in humidity, which will affect the general condition of the house.

   The issue of insulation of the ventilation pipe is recommended to be solved at the stage of building construction. However, this is not always possible. It is often required to install a thermal insulation layer on an already functioning system.

Material selection

Heater for ventilation

First of all, it is necessary to choose the right insulation. It should have a number of properties that subsequently affect the performance of the ventilation system. You also need to consider the cost of materials and the complexity of installation.

The priority when choosing is the degree of thermal insulation. The main purpose of the insulation is to maximize the temperature on the surface of the pipe to the degree of heating of the warm air leaving the house. This is the only way to get rid of condensation. To do this, you can use a number of materials:

• Basalt cotton wool.   The best option for arranging ready-made or just installed ventilation. Its fibrous structure can completely follow the shape of the air channel. The disadvantage is hygroscopicity - basalt wool gradually absorbs moisture. For protection, installation of an external waterproofing layer is required;
• Styrofoam shell.   It is made only for round pipes and a certain diameter. The advantage is ease of installation, good thermal insulation qualities, waterproofness (in detail). Polypropylene has similar qualities. It differs only in a more dense structure;
• The made foam polyethylene.   It is an elastic polymer material that can be purchased in rolls or as a soft shell. Some models have an adhesive backing for easy installation.

   One of the parameters for choosing a certain type of heat insulator is the thickness of the material. For the middle regions of Russia, it is enough to install thermal insulation with a thickness of 20 to 50 mm. The lower the temperature in winter, the larger the insulation layer must be mounted on the ventilation system.

Installation procedure

The installation method of the insulation directly depends on the selected material. Scotch tape is used to fix basalt wool. When installing the finished foam shell, special attention is paid to sealing the joint seams.

It is not necessary to mount the heat insulator on the entire ventilation system. It is important to ensure the proper level of protection against negative temperatures in certain sections of the pipeline:

• Ventilation exit to the roof. Here the greatest heat loss occurs;
• Passage of the highway through an unheated room. Most often this refers to the attic;
• Direct contact zones of the pipe and the outer wall of the building.

In all other cases, the installation of insulation is not required. It is important to periodically check for possible condensation on the inside. If it appears even after sealing the air ducts, an additional layer of insulation will be needed.

Few people doubt the need to install ventilation systems. But many young owners are wondering why the ventilation pipes should be insulated in the attic or in other unheated rooms, because this is not water supply or heating, there is nothing to freeze there.

However, if you leave this issue unattended, serious problems may come up over time. In this material I will try to explain the meaning of such insulation and tell how and what you can insulate ventilation ducts with your own hands, without involving specialists.

What is the meaning of ventilation insulation

The main enemy of any ventilation system is condensate, which is actively formed in the collision of warm and cold streams. In addition to the competent layout of the system itself, insulated ventilation pipes are one of the main means of preventing moisture loss. And what is the terrible thing about this condensate in the ventilation system, I will tell further.

Actually warming itself is necessary to prevent the occurrence of the so-called dew point. According to the construction norm SP-50.1333-2012, this term refers to the temperature at which water vapor contained in the air falls in the form of water on surrounding objects, that is, it condenses. Naturally, the dew point directly depends on air humidity, the higher it is, the dew point is closer to the ambient temperature.

• To begin with, on an unprotected pipe in the attic floor, condensation can fall out both from the inside and from the top of the duct. This moisture is dangerous in both cases. So the water constantly flowing down the pipe, of course, will be absorbed into the ceiling. And here it will not matter whether it is concrete, wood or any other material, sooner or later it will begin to collapse. Add to this the unflattering stains around the pipe on the ceiling of the last floor;
• More than half of the ventilation ducts and pipes are now made of galvanized iron. Zinc spraying is a good thing, but if it is damaged, which is inevitable when cutting and mounting, a thin iron sheet will begin to rust and it will take a little time for the holes to appear on the pipe, no more than 2 - 3 years;

• In addition to household ventilation, in houses from 2 floors and above, fan ventilation is installed for the sewer system. Simply put, this is a continuation of the sewer riser displayed on the roof. So, with the transcendental humidity that exists in the sewer, the attic sector of such a pipe with a diameter of 100 mm freezes tightly at a temperature of -5 ° C or -7 ° C for a week. And this already entails problems with the operation of the sewage system;
• In addition to its direct function, insulation for ventilation pipes is a good sound insulator. Having equipped such a system, you do not have to listen to the howling wind in your pipes;
• But a rotten ceiling, a damaged ceiling, constant music of the wind, an unpleasant smell from the sink and a frozen sewage system in winter are still “flowers”, the appearance of mold and fungus inside the household ventilation system is much more dangerous. The fact is that such “vegetation” is spread by aerosol means, in other words, mold spores are carried by air currents. Naturally, once in the ventilation system, they will regularly irrigate the whole house, and people living in the house will constantly breathe all this bouquet. The consequences can be very different, from mild malaise to chronic headaches and allergies.

Now weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself whether to insulate the ventilation pipes in your home. I think the answer is obvious and further we will dwell on the common materials and methods of their installation.

How and how to insulate ventilation pipes

Installation of a ventilation pipe through a side wall is not so common and in most cases it is not domestic ventilation in its pure form, but a chimney for a heating boiler, but in any case, the heat insulation on such air ducts is equipped, starting from a warm room or boiler and to the deflector at the end of the pipe .

As a rule, this is a heat-resistant cocoon made in the factory. As for the arrangement of ventilation thermal insulation with your own hands, this type of work is more relevant for attics.

From the mass of various modern thermal insulation materials, I chose several of the most common options. In general, when choosing, you need to be guided by three main criteria:

1. First of all, it is the lowest possible level of thermal conductivity. With the current assortment of such materials on the market, such a task is easily feasible;
2. The second, but no less important criterion is the level of fire safety. Everything is more complicated here, not every material meets this requirement. Although, in the end, you're not going to cook barbecue in your attic, and even next to the pipes. Therefore, small compromises can be made;
3. And finally, about the sore, the price of the material. Here I can please you, almost all of the most popular materials fit into the average budget.

Mineral wool and glass wool

Glass wool can be safely called the patriarch of domestic insulation. There are no complaints about the level of thermal insulation. As for fire safety, even the most meticulous inspector will not be able to find fault with it. The price of this material will also please you, among the competitors it is one of the lowest. On the market, this material is presented in the form of various soft mats.

• But on this, perhaps, all the advantages of glass wool end. It is believed that, compared with other materials, the installation instructions for this heat insulator are the most complex, although I personally do not share this opinion;
• Such mats have the ability to absorb moisture and the worst is that after drying they can no longer be restored, the coating needs only to be changed;
• But even in absolutely dry rooms the glass wool gradually coalesces, in fact, such insulation will have to be changed every 5 to 7 years;
• Plus, during the installation of such mats you will have to “wrap up” as much as possible. In addition to goggles, masks and gloves, it will not be superfluous to acquire dense overalls. The fact is that this material is not called in vain for nothing, these mats are saturated with many small glass needles and if you work without protective equipment, you will be scratched for at least a couple of days.

With mineral wool, not everything is so sad, it is a newer and more perfect representative of this direction. Such mats are dense, durable and resistant to external influences.

They combined all the positive characteristics of glass wool. It is easier to work with mineral wool, overalls are no longer needed here. Although this material is still afraid of moisture.

Thermal insulation of high-temperature surfaces (for example, chimneys) is carried out just with the help of heaters from the line of mineral materials.

Now let's move on to the installation issue. As I said, there is no particular difficulty in this. For curved and round surfaces, soft glass wool is more suitable.. Such a “blanket” turns the ventilation pipe. But you can’t leave glass wool like that, it needs to be additionally wrapped with a layer of technical foil or, in extreme cases, roofing material.

And in order to keep this whole “pie” firmly held it must be fixed on top with some kind of bandage. A metal or synthetic packaging tape can be used as a bandage, but it is cheaper and easier to fix such a cocoon with annealed steel wire, which is used to knit reinforcement.

Mineral wool slabs are denser than glass wool, they are more suitable for warming straight and flat surfaces. This is almost ideal for arranging thermal insulation of rectangular and square ventilation ducts.

It is enough for you to cut such a plate with ordinary segments of the desired size, cover them with a box, then wrap it with foil and fix it with bandages. It will be easier to work if the pipe is first degreased with an alcohol-containing solution and mineral slabs are planted on liquid nails.

Polyfoam and expanded polystyrene

These two types of insulation have a fairly high thermal insulation characteristics. They are durable and absolutely not afraid of moisture. But both of these materials are tough; you cannot wrap anything in them. Therefore, for complex surfaces this option is not suitable.

In terms of fire safety, they are exactly the same. Both polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam melt easily and burn well, and during combustion they emit harmful and toxic compounds. So it is impossible to mount them in fire hazardous places or on hot pipes.

As for the differences between polystyrene foam and polystyrene foam, both of these heaters have the same basis. But the foam is less dense, therefore, not as strong and rigid as polystyrene foam. Although polystyrene has one indisputable and important advantage, its price is an order of magnitude lower than that of a competitor.

I believe that if you need inexpensive insulation for ventilation pipes in the attic, then polystyrene is a worthy and quite acceptable option. Expanded polystyrene is certainly strong, but in the attic this strength does not play any role, but why pay more if this makes little sense.

Do-it-yourself foam insulation for ventilation pipes is even easier to equip. For round pipes, ready-made cocoons are sold. These segments consist of two or four semicircular sectors, which are interconnected according to the tenon-groove principle. They can be covered with foil or go without it, in a dry attic it does not really matter. The segments on the pipe are laid with a shift according to the principle of masonry.

You only need to tightly connect them together and pull off the bandage.   Although in this case, I prefer to use liquid nails or any other glue for installation. Foam insulation of square and rectangular ventilation ducts is carried out according to the same scheme as the installation of mineral mats.

Polyethylene foam

If you are looking for the easiest and cheapest way to insulate ventilation, then foamed polyethylene is for you, in some sources this material is called penofol. In appearance, it looks like ordinary foam rubber, but with a larger structure. On the market, you probably saw such gray foam tubes of different diameters, so this is one of the options for such a heater.

You pick up a “wrapper” of the appropriate diameter on your pipe. Each such braid is already cut lengthwise, so putting it on the pipe will be easy. In order for penofol to hold, it must be wrapped in several places with tape and that's it.

In addition, penofol is sold in the form of a wide web up to 10 mm thick. Such a “blanket” can be wrapped around any non-standard part of the ventilation duct and fixed at the end with construction or ordinary adhesive tape. The same web can be covered with foil. This material is more expensive, but the thermal insulation effect is an order of magnitude higher.

Recently, another model of foamed polyethylene has appeared on the market. It is well suited for insulation of ventilation.

Such a fabric differs from existing versions by the presence of a self-adhesive surface on one of the sides. The instruction is elementary, removed the protective film and pasted it on the ventilation pipe or duct. If a thick coating is required, penofol is wrapped in several layers.

A few important points

At the moment, insulation of attic floors with special construction foam is widespread. The pleasure is certainly not cheap, but the effect is very decent. Thus, ventilation pipes can be insulated, but it is better to entrust it to professionals. Because there, in addition to the foam itself, you need special equipment, plus strict adherence to technology.

And you don’t need to try to “blow out” the surface of the duct using ordinary foam, not counting the high cost of this project, polyurethane foam   in the open air it will stand for a maximum of a year, after which it will begin to crumble. After all, this convenient building material is intended for slightly different purposes.

And it’s not at all worth wrapping the ventilation pipes with old rags and cotton mattresses. Ordinary fabric or cotton wool is gradually saturated with moisture and there will be practically no sense from this venture, unless the external condensate is absorbed into these rags.

Conclusion

As you can see, the independent insulation of ventilation pipes, both in the attic and in any other room, is not transcendental. And if desired, a good owner will be able to cope with this task. The photo and video in this article show the installation options for such insulation. If you have something to add or have questions, write in the comments, I will try to help.

If you want to express gratitude, add clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!

Arrangement of high-quality thermal insulation of the external and internal surfaces of residential buildings is given special attention. At the same time, thermal insulation of ventilation pipes and chimneys is carried out only in exceptional cases. Do I need to insulate the ventilation pipe on the roof? This question is of interest to the owners of private households, where an autonomous heating system for the house is provided, there is a chimney and forced ventilation.

Professional builders say that as a result of reducing the thermal conductivity of chimneys, ventilation pipes, their service life is significantly increased. To independently carry out all the construction processes associated with the insulation of the ventilation pipes of the chimneys will not be difficult. This does not require any special knowledge of skills, it is enough just to choose the right quality material, make a little effort.

The need for insulation

The main negative reasons affecting the duration of a brick chimney pipe are smoke or moisture. This is especially evident in the cold period of time, when there is a sharp difference in temperature conditions.

Condensation protruding on the walls of the pipe tightly clogs all the surfaces of a brick chimney having small cracks. The consequence of a sharp drop in temperature is the freezing of moisture, the formation of ice. As you know, water expands during freezing, so there is pressure from the inside on the structural material of the masonry. Undergoing constant negative impact, the chimney is destroyed.

In addition, there is another danger. The consequence of fuel combustion is a number of oxides, on the basis of which solutions of sulfuric or carbonic acid are obtained. Combustion waste together with condensate settles on the walls of the chimney pipe, destroys brick, metal surfaces.

Advantages of an insulated chimney:

• no condensation forms on the pipe walls;
• the probability of fire of floors is zero;
• the amount of tar, soot decreases.

Is it necessary to insulate the ventilation pipe? Definitely needed! The design warmed by special material looks more attractive, it is easier to look after it.

The choice of high-quality thermal insulation

Manufacturers offer a wide range of insulation materials for ventilation pipes. Each species has certain features, advantages. When choosing the most suitable thermal insulation option, the following conditions must be taken into account:

• thermal insulation density;
• thermal conductivity of the coating;
• structural material of the chimney;
• temperature climatic conditions;
• fire safety of the material;
• moisture permeability of insulation;
• permissible loads, installation conditions.

The most commonly used are broken brick, glass wool, fibrous insulation, slag concrete slabs.

Fiberglass and mineral wool are fireproof. This quality completely eliminates the possibility of self-ignition of the material. In addition, the thermal insulation does not emit substances harmful to human life, and tolerates the aggressive influence of the atmosphere.

Different methods of thermal insulation

Today, there are several options for insulating a pipe on the roof.

The most common method of arranging a chimney is carried out using glass wool or mineral wool, preference should be given to materials produced in the form of plates. In the process, it is necessary to take into account the high vapor permeability of thermal insulation. Insulation of pipes based on fibrous materials has a limited service life, it is necessary to equip a protective hydrocoating.

If the chimney to be insulated is made of brick, you can plaster the surface of the pipe. For this, a special slag-lime mixture is used. In the course of further operation, it is necessary to regularly inspect, if necessary, repair the plastered surfaces of the pipe. Otherwise, burning soot may get into the formed cavities or cracks from the chimney. Overlapping, roofing will suffer from this. One of the main advantages of this method is the relatively low cost of insulation material, ease of installation.

How to insulate a pipe from asbestos on the roof? One of the most reliable methods of thermal insulation is the use of broken brick chips or granular backfill. The created layer retains heat well, prevents the formation of condensate products. The material is inexpensive, but the need for additional waterproofing. In addition, you will need to create a solid frame.

Stages of construction work

After choosing the appropriate insulation material, you can begin to work on the thermal insulation of the chimney.

Attention! Any kind of chimney insulation must be carried out taking into account all building codes and requirements.

Creating thermal insulation of the pipe, you must leave the necessary indent (about 5 cm) between the brick chimney, insulating material. The segment of insulation material must be laid so that it occupies about 40 cm on the roof of the attic. Care must be taken to ensure reliable tightness of all joints. For carrying out insulation work, special adhesives with refractory qualities, adhesive tape are used.

High-quality insulation of the outer surfaces of the brick chimney is carried out according to a certain scheme:

Upon completion of all construction work, the thermal insulation cake is decorated with a facing material, which at the same time is a protection against external negative influences and a wonderful decorative element.

Conclusion

It should be noted that in the absence of the necessary experience, it is better to entrust all work related to the insulation of chimneys and ventilation pipes to professionals. But if you are completely confident in your abilities, then warming can be done independently. The main thing is to do everything carefully, do not leave gaps on the pipe, otherwise all the work will be in vain. It is from the consistent and correct implementation of all processes that the lifetime and quality of the chimney work depend.

It happens that the newly created ventilation system in a private house in the summer works flawlessly, pleases with efficiency and presentability. However, with the advent of winter, the landlord suddenly discovers that a small amount of ice appears on the outside of the air duct. It is not difficult to guess that this is a signal for action, otherwise the pipe will begin to collapse after a relatively short period of time. As a result, a serious material resource will be required to eliminate the problem. And, if you react on time, you just need to buy a heater for ventilation, which you can fix yourself without much effort.

What will happen if you do not warm

The appearance of frost and ice on the outer surfaces of the ventilation pipe indicates that condensation accumulates inside the channel, which is fraught with:

• rust on a galvanized pipe;
• depressurization of the ventilation system;
• reducing the area of \u200b\u200bthe duct part of the duct;
• a decrease in the quality of air exchange;
• moisture penetration into the middle of wall structures and floors between floors, etc.

In short, poor ventilation in the winter will lead to physical deterioration of the entire building. The more moisture will form on the walls of the ventilation passages, the greater the difference between the temperature indicators of the air flows moving through the pipes and the air outside (on the street). Hence the positive answer to the question, is it necessary to insulate a ventilation exhaust pipe in a private house?

Solving a set of tasks with the help of insulation

The ventilation “kit” includes a list of equipment for pumping and removing air currents that maintain the necessary microclimate characteristics indoors. This also includes air ducts: transport air "arteries" passing from the side of the street and indoors.

In order for the air channels to have the necessary strength indicator, the required cross-country ability, their proper insulation is required. For this, standards are being adopted that ensure sanitary and epidemiological stability in residential buildings. Do not neglect the requirements of building rules and regulations regarding heating, the organization of ventilation and air conditioning, as well as the use of thermal insulation and protection of buildings from heat loss.

Insulation of ventilation in a private house solves the following tasks in the complex:

• does not allow moisture to precipitate on the surfaces of ventilation structures;
• increases the resistance of structures to fire;
• helps to reduce heat loss;
• “Dampens” the high generating frequencies of sound and vibrational vibrations.

Selection criteria for insulation for ventilation

You need to know what and how to insulate the pipes for ventilation. The advantage when choosing is given to the indicator of thermal resistance of the material. The main role of the insulation is to maximize the temperature on the surface of the pipe to the amount of air leaving it. In this way, condensation can be avoided. For this purpose, materials based on mineral fiber (stone and mineral wool, fiberglass), foam elastomers, and also polyacrylates are used: polystyrene - a product of polymerization of styrene, polyurethane, etc.

Insulation based on metal and glass filaments obtained from inorganic components is supplied to the distribution network in the form of plates or rigid (semi-rigid) rolled materials. The choice is simplified by a wide range of heaters with different densities, prices and thermal insulation characteristics. The indisputable advantage of mineral wool insulation in its susceptibility to decay and fire resistance.

Attention! If you do not know how to insulate the ventilation pipe in the attic, especially if it is not heated, use the special sections from mineral wool for external cladding specifically for pipes. At the same time, the inner surfaces of the sleeves are insulated with fiberglass treated with special impregnation.

Arguments for indoor and outdoor insulation

Insulated pipes for ventilation are either cladding from the inside, or external insulation. Each method is characterized ambiguously.

Interior decoration:

• it is more difficult to carry out work inside the duct, but the insulation itself is protected from external temperature, mechanical stress;
• laying the layer inside will reduce the useful working section of the duct, which requires preliminary work to increase it;
• the interior should be airtight and vapor tight so as not to absorb moisture from the air;
• the insulation surface should not be rough, so as not to interfere with the movement of air through the pipe.

External pipe protection is easier to install, but also only in a vapor-tight version. At the same time, it is necessary to provide for how to insulate the exhaust pipe of the ventilation, which rises above the living room, and what kind of hydrobarrier to perform. The outer containment should protect the exhaust structures from mechanical damage. An important requirement for insulation is incombustibility, as with the appearance of open flame and contact with oxygen, the degree of ignition of the insulation increases significantly. External insulation does not affect the size of the internal section of the ventilation duct and does not require its expansion. Yes, and pathogens (viruses, bacteria), which often occupy inside the wall of the ducts and, being isolated, are protected from adverse conditions, do not take root in the insulation layer from the outside.

Pipe insulation: work procedure

When insulation is insulated with a polystyrene shell:

• clarification of the size of the ventilation pipe, in particular, the inner diameter;
• making cuts with a knife (can be a saw);
• coverage of fragments of the cylinder (shell) of the pipe, their displacement between themselves by a couple of centimeters;
• closing with effort by locking mating "crest-groove" of the parts on the sides.

The design (shell) is easily installed and dismantled in case of work with the pipe.

Work on the insulation of foamed polyethylene in the form of a finished sheath of the ventilation pipe is reduced to the following:

• taking the necessary measurements of the pipe: so that the insulation tightly fits the surface of the duct;
• finding a special seam on the capsule and separating it along this seam;
• fixing the shell on the insulated pipe;
• insulation of joints and seams by glue or tape.

Protection from fireproof polypropylene or polyurethane foam is carried out as follows:

• sizes are determined;
• semi-cylindrical segments are cut from a whole workpiece with a margin on the cover layer;
• a capsule is formed from the cut fragments around the pipe;
• the resulting joints are sealed with bandages.

If the ventilation opening in the house is in the shape of a rectangle:

• the roll or slab insulation required for thickness is selected (for example, basalt fiber);
• it is cut and cut into fragments in size, which are conveniently assembled when facing;
• using steel wire, pre-calcined, the pieces are held together;
• seams are hermetically sealed with strips of foil with an adhesive layer applied to it.

Thermal insulation for ventilation by any of these methods, for all positive aspects, has one weak point - “cold bridges”. It is important to prevent violations of the technology of work and the prerequisites for their formation during the installation process. For this, the joints between the ventilation ducts and the structures of the house are especially carefully insulated, otherwise the effect expected from insulation will decrease.

Why is the ventilation pipes insulated in the attic or above the roof level? What insulation for ventilation is better to use? Is it difficult to do this job with your own hands?

Let's try to figure it out.

Why is it necessary

The key word is condensate. Without insulation, it will inevitably form on the inner surface of the ventilation duct and flow down the inner walls, flowing through leaking joints into the main walls and ceilings. The consequences are obvious: wetting of the walls and ceiling, the appearance of mold and their gradual destruction.

The effect of condensate on the ventilation duct itself depends on what material it is made of:

• Galvanization can be damaged if the protective anticorrosion layer is broken. Which, however, is inevitable when cutting a sheet.
• Polyvinyl chloride and corrugated aluminum pipes carry contact with moisture without any consequences.

Another nuisance associated with moisture condensation is the gradual freezing of hoarfrost on the inner walls of the ventilation duct outside a warm room. After several weeks of operation in severe frosts, the pipe lumen can drop from 100 - 150 millimeters to zero.

Where does condensate come from?

His appearance has two reasons.

1. Human activity is associated with excessive moisture. When washing dishes, cooking, washing, even just when breathing, the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor.

However: in industrial premises this item is much less relevant, however, insulation of exhaust ventilation is still required. Cause? See point two.

1. Meteorologists have long used the concept of relative humidity. The higher the air temperature, the more water vapor it can hold.
     For a 100 percent relative humidity, the maximum amount of water that can be contained in the air in a vapor state is taken.
     However, it is worth changing the temperature - and with the same amount of steam in the air, the relative humidity will change.
   With significant cooling, it can exceed 100%, after which the excess water will inevitably begin to condense on a surface with a low temperature. In our case, on the inner surface of the ventilation duct.

A special case

In production, often there is a need for forced ventilation with a high air flow rate. In particular, to remove harmful volatile production products, sawdust, shavings, etc.

The noise of air and what it carries in some cases becomes a serious problem. In factory premises, ventilation insulation often pursues the goal of not so much condensate control as banal noise insulation. The methods, however, apply the same.

Where to insulate

In which places do you need insulation for ventilation pipes?

A simple solution

The simple answer to this question is obvious: where sharp and substantial cooling of the air flow is possible.

• If the exhaust ventilation is removed through the main wall, the pipe is passed through a thermally insulated sleeve and insulated up to the deflector.
• In a private house, insulated ventilation pipes go through a cold attic and are discharged through gables or roofing. Warming again starts from the point where the ventilation duct is noticeably cooled (see also the article).

Fresh air ventilation stands apart. Here, the possibility of moisture condensation on the outer walls of the supply duct depends on its length and location.

If necessary, these pipes can be insulated in the same ways as exhaust pipes, however, the influx of cold air in itself can create some discomfort; Adjustable ventilation flaps can freeze at all.

One solution to this problem is an insulated valve for ventilation. Probably, in the imagination of the reader there was a ventilation grille with a layer of thermal insulation? There it was.

The insulated ventilation valve is a solution for large rooms, primarily for office, warehouse and industrial purposes. It really is an adjustable louver that allows you to restrict the air flow and ... if necessary, heat it using tubular heaters.

Adjustment can be carried out manually - by a system of traction and lever, or using a simple electric drive. The live section of the valve in the fully open state can be up to 3.5 m2, the power of the heating elements up to 8 kW.

The function of the heating elements, however, is not to supply warm air to the room. With a live valve cross section of 3.5 m2, 8 kilowatts of thermal energy is a drop in the ocean. Heating elements only heat the valve flaps before changing their position to avoid icing and breakage.

Difficult decision

In some cases, an accurate calculation is desirable: with a long ventilation, the cost of insulation will be significant, and it is better to be sure of their necessity.

The key concept is the dew point. This is the temperature at which condensate droplets begin to form in air with a certain relative humidity.

A simple measurement of the relative humidity in the room and the surface temperature in different sections of the ventilation duct will give exact boundaries of the area that needs to be insulated.

Please note: it is better to slightly shift the boundary of the insulation toward a warm room.
  Just in case of extremely strong and prolonged frosts.

Materials

And finally, the cherished question: how to insulate the ventilation pipe? Let's arrange a short review of modern heaters that can be successfully used for ventilation ducts.

Requirements

Let's start by formulating our wishes.

• Thermal insulation qualities will, of course, be a priority characteristic of a heater.
• Fire safety. In case of fire, the insulated ventilation pipe should not become a highway for flame propagation.
• If possible, the price should not be sky-high.

Disclaimer: we leave out of our attention the insulation of ventilation ducts from the inside.
  Instructions for its use involve the complete dismantling of the ventilation duct, which is not always realistic; in addition, the useful ventilation section will be markedly reduced.

Mineral wool

Advantages:

• Unbeatable Cheapness. Any other insulation will cost more.

• Absolute fire safety.

Disadvantages:

• Pretty time-consuming installation. The ventilation duct is wrapped in a layer of mineral wool; then it is wrapped in foil (which is permissible only in the interior) or protected by galvanization. Outside, the structure is pulled together with bandages.
• The need to protect the respiratory system and eyes when working with material. Anyone who has ever worked with mineral wool (or glass wool, which differs only in the thickness of the fibers) has probably retained the most unpleasant memories of it.
• The material cakes over time. There are gaps in the insulation.
• Humidification leads to a loss of thermal insulation qualities.

A part of the disadvantages is deprived of a ready-made solution based on mineral wool - a warmed corrugation for ventilation, which is a two-layer sleeve made of aluminum foil reinforced with steel wire. However, it involves laying ventilation from scratch.

Styrofoam

Ready-made detachable shell made of dense polystyrene (expanded polystyrene) in many respects is more convenient.

Advantages:

• The warming process is not associated with a health risk and is relatively simple. How to insulate the ventilation pipe with a foam shell? Just put on the ventilation two halves of detachable thermal insulation and squeeze them so that the thorn-groove connection is fixed.

Useful: with a large length of the insulated ventilation duct, the halves of the shell are placed with mutual displacement, connecting with the next section of insulation.

• The material provides excellent thermal insulation and practically does not change its heat-insulating properties over time, regardless of humidity fluctuations.
• Polyfoam is cheap. It is because of its cheapness that it is the main candidate among heaters, if you plan to warm the loggia or the facade of a private house (see the article for more details).

Disadvantages:

• Polyfoam burns perfectly with the release of toxic combustion products.
• The shell is easy to use only on straight sections of ducts.

Polyurethane foam, polypropylene foam

The shell can be made not only of foam. Two other foamed plastics are similar in method of use to foam insulation.

Polyurethane foam shell.

Polyethylene foam

On sale, this material can be found in the form of split tubes of various diameters. They put on a ventilation pipe - and, in fact, the work on thermal insulation is completed.

The material is cheap and not afraid of moisture, mechanical influences of moderate strength and rodents.

However, in cases where it is necessary to insulate ventilation in a cold climatic zone, you can pay attention to two other varieties of insulation based on foamed polyethylene.

• Penofol and its analogues are polyethylene foam coated with a layer of aluminum foil. In our case, it is useful in that the insulated pipe will collect less dust: the porous surface of the polyethylene foam is prone to accumulate pollution.
• Self-adhesive insulation based on the same polyethylene foam is equipped with a sticky layer that simplifies operation. If you have ever done insulation plastic windows or steel doors with a rubber or foam seal, you have already encountered a method of fixing it: simply remove the protective glossy paper and press the material to the surface (see also article

  The material is very convenient for insulation of square or rectangular pipes.

  The thickness of the insulation can reach 10 millimeters; if necessary, it can be laid on ventilation pipes in several layers.

  Conclusion

  Heat "width \u003d" 640 ″ height \u003d "360 ″ frameborder \u003d" 0 ″ allowfullscreen \u003d "allowfullscreen"\u003e

  Conclusion

  What kind of insulation to choose is up to you. The author's sympathies are given to foil materials based on foamed polyethylene, but this is more a matter of habit. In the video presented in this article, you will find additional information on this topic.