Today in the construction of houses is widely used modern insulation material - ecowool. The disadvantages of ecowool for many years are considered by leading experts in this field. Not everyone has a positive attitude to the quality of ecowool as an insulating material. That is why, before using this thermal insulation material, it is necessary to carefully consider its main characteristics and properties.
Composition of ecowool insulation and its main properties
The main components in the production of ecowool are:
#1. Waste paper and cardboard industry materials, which include:
- - residues in the manufacture of corrugated packaging;
- - defective products that appear during the publication of print media;
- - Most of the waste and defective parts for the production of raw cardboard products.
#2. Waste paper of newspaper or paper type, which is characterized by a lower quality of raw materials, due to increased susceptibility to contamination. And also the presence of heterogeneity and diversity of material.
The total composition of ecowool:
- within 80% consists of recycled cellulose;
- 12% is boric acid, which has a special antiseptic property aimed at protecting against the effects of fungal microorganisms and preventing the development of bacteria;
- sodium tetraborate is not more than 8% of the total mass of the material and is a strong flame retardant with an insecticidal property. The main task of which is to reduce the level of combustibility and flammability.
Recently, ecowool is widely used in the construction of various structures - for insulation of residential premises, warehouses, retail premises and non-residential public buildings. The most optimal use of this heat-insulating material in rooms with a high level of humidity, where condensate can often occur.
Components used in the production of ecowool.
Ecowool disadvantages
Unfortunately, today it is not possible to meet building materials in the markets with the absence of any negative qualities. Many of them have features that look like a disadvantage when viewed from the point of view of direct use for certain purposes. The disadvantages of ecowool are as follows:
- 1. It has good thermal insulation properties, but after a while they significantly decrease and thermal conductivity increases, which is directly influenced by certain factors:
- during operation, ecowool is significantly reduced in volume - within 20% of the total mass. In order to avoid material settling, many experts advise laying insulation with a slight excess of 20 - 25%, which will fully cover the reduced amount of ecowool in the future.
- Ecowool absorbs a fairly large amount of moisture - in the range from 9 to 15%, where one percent of moisture is accumulated during the year. With each increase in humidity by one percent, the level of thermal conductivity increases from one to two and a half percent. Therefore, the thermal insulation layer should be ventilated and be able to transfer this moisture to the atmosphere.
- 2. For the installation of ecowool it is necessary to have special equipment - modern professional pneumatic inflatable devices that carry out the installation of ecowool with high quality.This equipment helps to adhere to certain standards in density and produces a uniform injection volume, in order to prevent insulation shrinkage in the future.
- 3. In order to avoid reducing the level of thermal insulation of the room, for proper installation, the help of highly qualified specialists with good experience in working with ecowool is required. It is worth noting that ecowool is quite picky about the professional skills of the person who is engaged in its installation.
- 4. It is important to know that when carrying out a dry type of installation, ecowool forms dust, and using a wet application method it dries out for a long time. Depending on the presence of atmospheric conditions at the place of construction work and the thickness of the layer of application of the material, ecowool will dry in the range from 48 to 72 hours, and in some cases longer. This is a big drawback in the installation of installation, since often much less time is allocated for repair work.
But it is the wet laying method that gives a better result due to the uniform compaction of ecowool, which ensures a high level of sound and heat insulation of the building.
- 5. If we compare ecowool with polystyrene foam slabs, its rigidity is much lower, which makes it impossible to use this material for frameless independent thermal insulation during the installation of floor screeds.
- 6. In the event that work was carried out to insulate structures of a vertical type with a density below the norm, which is 65 kilograms per square meter, then there may be a risk of shrinkage with the presence of uninsulated cavities.
- 7. Experts strongly do not recommend the use of ecowool at close range to sources of open fire, chimneys and chimneys. The effect of high temperature on the insulating material may lead to its gradual smoldering. For additional ecowool protection, special fences made of asbestos-cement slabs and basalt fire-resistant mats with a foil surface reflecting heat should be adapted.
Long-tested glass wool and mineral wool must also be protected from direct sources of fire hazardous structures using special non-flammable and non-combustible materials.
Video: Ecowool burning and sound insulation test
The main positive characteristics of ecowool
+ 1. High level of sound insulation - with a layer thickness of fifteen millimeters, up to 9 dB is absorbed. sound. For this reason, this material is in great demand as the maximum sound insulation of airports, music studios and stadiums.
+ 2. To warm the premises, a small amount of ecowool is required - with a calculation of 28 to 65 kilograms per cubic meter.
+ 3. It does not contain toxic and toxic substances. But before using this thermal insulation material, it is necessary to inquire from the manufacturer about which flame retardant was used in its production. Borax or borax is considered to be of the highest quality, and the presence of ammonium sulfates with boric acid can cause a strong unpleasant odor. As a rule, a heater with such a composition quickly loses its fire-fighting properties.
+ 4. Ecowool is easily blown into the most inaccessible places.
+ 5. It is a fairly convenient seamless material that can significantly save time in winter on heating.
+ 6. Affordable value of the product with high quality.
+ 7. It does not contain substances harmful to humans that cause allergic diseases or skin diseases.
