Roof insulation: which one to choose?

In a private house or cottage, a large amount of heat escapes into the atmosphere through the roof and windows, but there is a way to insulate the roof so that energy losses are minimal. Of course, it is difficult to immediately find the best roof insulation, but we will try to do it in this article.

So what needs to be done to properly organize the insulation of the roof? What should you pay attention to?

The word "insulation" itself does not mean that hip roof warms up, but says that it retains heat. In order for the roof to keep heat, it is necessary to insulate the attic.

To your attention! If the attic is not residential, then the roof should not be insulated. In this case, it is necessary to insulate the attic floor.If the attic is residential (it is an attic), then it is necessary to insulate the pitched roof.

Attics differ from other rooms in the house in that from different sides they are limited to surfaces of different structures:

1. roof slopes;
2. attic floor;
3. gable walls.

All of these structures are insulated in different ways. In this article, we will consider only the methods and materials for insulating slopes. gable roof.

The choice of insulation material

For the correct choice of thermal insulation material, please note that:

• the insulation material must retain its properties for a sufficiently long time so that you do not have to think about major repairs of the roof for as long as possible;
• roof insulation should be environmentally friendly and non-toxic;
• it must be waterproof and fireproof;
• the insulation should not have an unpleasant odor, otherwise this smell will eventually seep into the attic;
• one of the mandatory properties of the insulation is the ability to maintain its geometric parameters for a long time, otherwise over time it will slide down the roof, exposing the upper part for frost;
• the insulation should not be hygroscopic - the accumulation of moisture inside it will lead to an increase in thermal conductivity and a deterioration in thermal insulation properties;
• in Russian conditions, an important parameter is the frost resistance of the insulation.

Advice! One of the modern materials that fully satisfies all of the above conditions is URSA pitched roof insulation (URSA).

URSA insulation is made from spatula fiberglass using a special URSA Spannfilz technology.The geometric stability of this insulation is such that it does not require renewal for the entire life of the roof structure.

URSA insulation is a mat 150 mm thick, 1200x4200 mm in size. It is sold rolled into a dense roll and sealed in a dense film.

After opening the package, it is necessary to lay the insulation mat on the floor and wait a few minutes for it to straighten out to its normal thickness.

Next, for laying the mat is cut. If the rafters are installed in exactly 600 mm increments, then the mat is cut lengthwise into two equal halves. Otherwise, the mat is cut into individual slabs across so that the length of the slab is 20-30 mm longer than the distance between the rafters.

Then the cut plates with a slight compression are installed between the rafters and then held without additional fastening due to the high elasticity of the material.

To your attention! Due to the ease of installation, URSA insulation allows you to quickly insulate a sloping roof by one person.

Other materials for roof insulation can also be used as a heat insulator. In the practice of Russian builders, ordinary glass wool is still very popular as a heater.

However, it has several serious drawbacks, due to which I do not recommend using it for warming a pitched roof.

• Firstly, glass wool is easily deformed and loses its shape over time;
• Secondly, glass wool is perfectly saturated with moisture, which significantly reduces its insulating properties;
• Thirdly, glass wool is not an environmentally friendly material.

Another common material used as a heater for such a design as a four-pitched attic is mineral wool boards. These slabs are the result of special processing of basalt rocks.

Unlike glass wool, they do not absorb moisture and keep their shape perfectly, so they can be recommended as roof insulation along with URSA insulation.

Roof insulation technologies

The technology of roof insulation provides for three methods of insulation, in which the rafter system is the frame:

1. Insulation is placed between the rafters;
2. The insulation is laid on the rafters;
3. The insulation is placed under the rafters.

The most common and easiest way to insulate a roof is to place the insulation between the rafters. You should pay attention not only to the choice of the insulation itself, but also the correctness of its installation.

In case of improper installation of the roofing pie, the truss system can simply rot and the roof of the house will simply collapse on your head.

Why is this happening? The insulation itself can accumulate moisture inside itself, and in contact with the rafters it transfers this moisture to the rafter system itself, as a result of which the wooden structure begins to rot.

Here are the main mistakes made during the installation of roofing insulation, which lead to damage to the truss system.

To your attention! Waterproofing is not installed on the roofing insulation.

1. Waterproofing installed but not fixed. This leads to the appearance of "cold gaps", as the insulation itself is displaced.
2. When installing the insulation, no gap is left for ventilation.Since there is no ventilation, condensation forms, it impregnates the insulation itself, and this again leads to rotting of the wooden slings themselves. Because of this, there will be an unpleasant smell in the attic room.
3. During installation, a vapor barrier was not installed.

How to properly insulate the roof of the house? It is necessary to follow a certain sequence when insulating the roof. The roof insulation scheme is not complicated, you just need to know what is laid behind what and follow certain rules.

1. The step between the rafters should be measured.
2. According to previous measurements, measure the insulation with a small gap.
3. Install waterproofing.
4. We lay the insulation between the rafters. The insulation, due to the gaps left by us, must fit snugly against the wooden structures and hold itself between the rafters. It is necessary to lay the material for roof insulation from the bottom up. Insulation should be installed with as few seams as possible. In no case should you leave gaps, as precious heat will escape through them. Do not forget the ventilation distance between the waterproofing and the insulation, it must be at least 2 centimeters. Keep in mind that most insulation can expand over time by 10-30%.
5. The gap when cutting the insulation should not be left too large so that sagging of the insulation does not appear. If sagging has appeared, then it is necessary to compact the sheet, by this we will not allow the appearance of "bridges" of cold.
6. We cover the entire surface with a vapor barrier. And do not confuse the inner surface of the vapor barrier with the outer. The vapor barrier is designed in such a way that it does not allow moisture to enter the insulation, while taking it out of it. We attach the vapor barrier with a construction stapler to the rafters.If it is necessary to overlap, make it 15 cm in size. We fix the vapor barrier seams with a special sealing tape.
7. We fix the insulation with wooden planks or bars across the rafters - a counter-lattice. These planks will be the basis for the interior decoration of the attic.

We hope that this article has clearly shown that the process of insulating a mansard roof is not so complicated that the owner of the house, who knows how to hold the simplest tools in his hands, could not handle it.

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