Pros and cons of polyurethane foam
Benefits
Judging by the reviews and technical properties of polyurethane foam, there are a number of advantages that this material has for insulation:
- When processing the surface with polyurethane foam for its insulation, seams and cracks are not formed. As a result, the heat loss coefficient is much lower than that of boards made of extruded polystyrene or other similar material.
- Polyurethane foam for insulation, judging by the reviews of both experts and ordinary owners of buildings with such a treatment, provides excellent sound insulation.
- In most cases, a polyurethane foam layer of 50 mm is sufficient to provide high-quality thermal insulation.
- The transportation of the substance is much cheaper than the slabs. It's all about the compactness of both the installation and the material.
- PPU can be used at temperatures from -150 to +220 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it can be used in construction anywhere in the world. Moreover, scientists are actively using this substance in the creation of aerospace technologies.
- The use of the material allows you to significantly strengthen the roof.
- The high thermal inertness allows the polyurethane foam for insulation to retain heat indoors even in the strongest winds. This is evidenced by numerous reviews of home owners from cold regions.
- Polyurethane foam has a low water absorption coefficient. It is not surprising that it is often used to create reliable waterproofing. Due to this property, the substance has found wide application in roofing.
- When applying polyurethane foam, special equipment is used. An important part of it is the gun, with which you can adjust the spraying speed. This greatly speeds up the installation and makes it more economical, at least as the reviews say.
- The substance has high heat resistance and biological neutrality. It is safe both for the environment and for humans, but spraying must be carried out with a mask and goggles. Otherwise, there can be serious consequences. What you can see from the reviews.
- The service life of polyurethane foam for insulation can reach 50 years.
According to reviews and expert opinions, PU foam insulation has many advantages. If we talk about those that gave it a key advantage in the market, it is the speed of installation and ease of transportation.
Separately, it is necessary to talk about the benefits that industrial facilities receive. Take grain storage and vegetable storage, for example. These objects are often attacked by rodents and insects. But the biological properties of polyurethane allow it to be an insurmountable obstacle for the former and for the latter.
disadvantages
Unfortunately, despite the more than outstanding advantages, polyurethane foam insulation has its drawbacks:
- The material is vulnerable to UV rays. Under their action, accelerated destruction of the structure is observed. However, you can find out about this from the reviews.
- It is not recommended to use polyurethane when it is necessary to insulate a roof consisting of a profiled sheet or metal tile. The fact is that due to the lack of a gap, condensation begins to form. As a result, the roof surface is destroyed. But the reviews on this issue are largely contradictory.
- The price of the material itself is not that low. Moreover, for its spraying, you will need to rent or purchase special equipment.
At first glance, the disadvantages of polyurethane foam, which is used for insulation, are much less than advantages. But it's not that simple. Judging by the reviews, most of the disadvantages of this substance are leveled out or quite simply eliminated.
Take, for example, rapid degradability under ultraviolet light. It is enough to take paint and apply it on polyurethane for insulation, so that the life of the substance will last for several decades. Moreover, there are other alternative methods of protection. Suffice it to recall the plaster.
Now about the price. If calculated in cubes, then polyurethane foam for insulation is required much less than the same extruded polystyrene. On average, the savings are about 20 percent. If you think about reducing the cost of transporting and hiring workers, then the level of savings will be even higher.
The fact is that if you use polyurethane foam for insulation, then judging by the reviews with an area of 400 square meters, you can handle it in about 8 hours. If you process it with extruded polystyrene plates, you need at least three days. This is taking into account that about seven workers with the appropriate qualifications will work for you.
That is how much, if you look at the reviews, you need workers to get the job done as soon as possible. In turn, one person can handle the spraying of polyurethane foam for insulation. This is also evidenced by reviews.
Scope of application
Polyurethane foam, whatever form it has, can be applied by one single method - spraying. The main feature of any liquid insulation, and polyurethane foam in particular, is the quick performance of all operations. When compared with slab, roll insulation, we can say that polyurethane foam does not take time at all. Additional efforts are not expended on it associated with the installation of the supporting frame or gluing the insulation.
Thermal insulation of a one-story and multi-story building
Any structures can be insulated with polyurethane foam: frame, brick, block, panel, wooden. The main thing is that they do not experience serious mechanical stress. It can be used to insulate the interior and exterior walls of facades.
IMPORTANT! If the facade is insulated, which is made of wood, brick or concrete, then it is necessary to create an additional frame for the cladding. A facade panel or other similar cladding material can be attached to it.
It is important that polyurethane adheres well to the surface. This is very important, especially if there are slanted elements.
Due to this property, polyurethane insulation is very often performed on the roofs of houses, especially when the attic floor of the attic is equipped.
Thermal insulation of objects of industrial and technical types
The method of applying insulation is one of its main advantages. It is much more convenient to apply a layer of insulation by spraying than to fix or install it. This is especially true for buildings and structures that are large in shape and size.
The material is often used to cover the interior walls of industrial refrigerated rooms in which it is necessary to maintain a high temperature. The lower limit for the use of polyurethane foam is 130 degrees Celsius.
Polyurethane foam is a material that does not have any restrictions on its use. It can be used to insulate lagged floors, but with the proviso that the heat-insulating layer will be between the beams without experiencing compressive loads.
Thermal insulation of pipes
Polyurethane foam is also used in technical lines - pipes suitable for moving various liquids, gases and vapors.Insulating pipes with this material is a quick and high-quality solution to the problem, while saving space for any object that needs insulation.
Many pipes, ventilation shafts and elements of production lines are insulated with polyurethane foam, which is the main element. This material is able to withstand extreme temperature changes. The main limitation is the ability to apply to large diameter pipes.
The material has a rigid shape, so it can fill any cavity. Today, polyurethane foam is the only insulation used to create an insulating layer in the interior of hollow concrete and brick walls while maintaining the integrity of their structure.
Thermal insulation of frame houses
Today, the insulation of a frame house with polyurethane foam is the choice of most construction organizations, as evidenced by the reviews of many users. The wall of many frame houses consists of timber formwork, which is filled with insulation. The use of this technology allows you to quickly build a comfortable home.
In addition, during the construction of frame houses, the external walls are insulated. This allows you to significantly speed up the process and get high-quality thermal insulation, which will serve for more than one year, keeping heat.
Technical characteristics of polyurethane foam
Insulation of PPU, judging by the reviews, has both its pluses and minuses. Fortunately, all of these can be eliminated if the correct actions are taken. But for this to be possible, it is necessary to understand in detail the technical properties of the material.
All polyurethane can be roughly divided into hard and soft. For construction work, in most cases, the first is used, judging by the reviews. It is excellent for insulation and at the same time is resistant to mechanical influences of various kinds.
The important technical properties of the material, judging by the reviews, include corrosion resistance. Moreover, polyurethane foam does not allow water to pass through and is able to withstand the influence of an aggressive chemical environment.
It is necessary to learn about the thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam for insulation from specialized literature, and not from reviews. This parameter directly depends on the size of the cells that make up the main structure of the substance.
Attention! The thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam ranges from 0.02 to 0.04 W / m.
This is a good indicator if you need to insulate a room. This is evidenced by numerous reviews. It is enough to look at expanded clay to understand how high the PPU indicators are. The thermal conductivity of expanded clay is about 0.14 W / m. For foam glass, it is even higher. Even mineral wool cannot be compared to polyurethane foam.
The ability to absorb sound depends on several parameters:
- elasticity,
- bandwidth,
- thickness.
Damping properties should be mentioned separately. This information is also confirmed by the reviews of professionals who have been insulating rooms and houses with polyurethane foam for many years.
Advice! You consider PPU semi-elastic type to be the best for noise protection.
Separately, it is necessary to talk about the properties of polyurethane foam, which are manifested in contact with chemicals. Polyurethane foam, if you believe the reviews of experts, cannot destroy even caustic chemical reagents. Moreover, it easily transfers the influence of gasoline, oil, plasticizers, alcohol and acid.
Another important property of polyurethane foam, based on reviews, is the protection of metal from corrosion. It is enough to apply polyurethane foam to the metal, and you will receive not only high-quality insulation, but also protect the building from destruction.
An important property of polyurethane foam for insulation, judging by the reviews, is low moisture absorption. The performance of this material is impressive. For a day, the structure will not stretch more than three percent of moisture. This is a good indicator.
Attention! The higher the density of polyurethane foam for insulation, the less its water absorption. However, you can find out about this from the reviews.
Features of roof insulation
Polyurethane foam is widely used for finishing the roofing system, because thanks to spraying, the material adheres perfectly even on an inclined surface, repeating complex reliefs and shapes. Insulation with polyurethane foam of the roof allows you to achieve high thermal insulation, while a thinner layer of material is required, which will well protect the surface from cold. Due to its durability and good performance of noise and heat insulation, PU foam will be a good solution for any roofing system.
Warmer, even warmer ...
The quality of home insulation has been and remains an urgent problem. When choosing a heater, we try to learn in detail about its performance, technical characteristics and method of application.
It is no secret that close attention is paid to the most promising, from the point of view of the consumer, building materials and technologies. Polyurethane is no exception. What attracts home insulation with polyurethane? Being the deserved leader in the segment of insulation, polyurethane foam is a universal monolithic material that provides seamless spraying.
Work surfaces on which it is possible to apply polyurethane foam can be of any complexity, shape, the presence of irregularities and joints. The monolithic surface of the insulation with foamed polyurethane will safely close any existing gaps and voids. The material is absolutely clean from the point of view of environmental friendliness and is resistant to decay and the appearance of bacteria.
This pot life of polyurethane is due to its excellent thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.022-0.028 W / mK. Therefore, the title "best" is justified by the practice of use and application.
