Penoplex: what is it, properties, characteristics, application

Choosing a heater is not an easy task. Some of them are afraid of getting wet (stone wool), others are difficult to work with (glass wool), others have not yet found wide application (foamed glass). What remains is polystyrene. He is scolded for unnaturalness and flammability, but in terms of technical characteristics, he is among the leaders. Moreover, extruded polystyrene foam (EPS), although it costs more, it tolerates mechanical loads better than ordinary foam. One of the manufacturers, Penoplex, produces XPS of various densities and purposes. Its products are quite popular – it is one of the most famous brands in the country. 

What is Penoplex and its area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbuse

Penoplex (sometimes written “Penoplex”) is a heat-insulating material produced by the company of the same name.

The PENOPLEX company is a major Russian manufacturer of polymer-based building, decorative and finishing materials. The company began its activity in 1998 with the launch of the first production line in Russia for the production of heat-insulating materials from extruded polystyrene foam under the PENOPLEX® trademark.

The PENOPLEX company produces extruded polystyrene foam (EPS or XPS). This material is used as a heater. From a cheaper analogue – expanded polystyrene (polystyrene foam, PPS or PPS) – it differs in greater density, due to which it better tolerates mechanical loads. Another distinguishing feature is lower vapor permeability. Rather, he almost does not conduct steam. And the main trump card is the best thermal performance. Penoplex 20 mm thick in terms of heat preservation is equivalent to almost double the thickness of mineral wool and 37 cm brickwork.

These characteristics determine the area of ​​​​use of Penoplex. It is recommended for warming those areas where resistance to stress is important, and low vapor permeability is one of the requirements. Specifically, Penoplex is recommended to use:

• For floor insulation:
  •  under the screed, on it, as an intermediate layer;
  • when arranging the floor on logs (with some reservations);
  • heat-insulating layer under a heat-insulated floor (water or electric).
• When arranging a blind area around the house.
• Insulation of the basement of the house (if it is non-residential).
• On rooftops (ideal for flat roofs, green roofs, the rest you have to be careful because it does not emit much steam).
• Paths, platforms for gazebos.
• Warming of septic tanks, wells, etc.

Another area of ​​use is the thermal insulation of facades or internal walls. But here it must be understood that due to the fact that Penoplex practically does not conduct moisture, additional measures will be needed to ensure that vapors do not get inside the wall. Plus, a well-thought-out ventilation system is needed to normalize the humidity in the house. And, in addition, you need to choose the thickness of the insulation so that the dew point is inside the insulation, but not in the wall.

If you prefer “breathing” walls, natural regulation of humidity – for this case, Penoplex is unsuitable for wall insulation. It does not go under ventilated facades either. There, just the task is to remove moisture from the insulation due to the movement of air in the ventilation gap. This material is not able to provide, since moisture simply does not get inside the Penoplex.

Types, characteristics, properties

Penoplex is available in several categories:

• Comfort. For insulation of walls, balconies, loggias.
• Foundation.
• Pitched roof.
• Wall.

As you can see, the manufacturer clearly delimits the scope of the material. With a common technology, they differ in density. The most dense – for the foundation and floor, as they must withstand considerable loads for a long time. The manufacturer claims that the service life of Penoplex Foundation is up to 50 years.

Design differences

Some of the types of Penoplex have structural differences:

• Plates Penoplex Wall have a rough surface, stripes are applied to the surface of the plate by a milling cutter. All this improves adhesion to the wall and / or finishing materials.
• Penoplex Comfort is distinguished by an L-shaped edge, which guarantees the absence of through seams during installation.
• Penoplex Roofing has a U-shaped edge, which increases the reliability of the connection.

This is what concerns external differences. Next, consider the technical specifications. First, let’s pay attention to the common ones for all species, then to what distinguishes them.

General characteristics

Since the production technology of all types of Penoplex is similar, they have many of the same characteristics:

• Water absorption is very low:
  • when immersed in water for a day, not more than 0,4% of the volume;
  • when immersed for 28 days 0,5% of the volume.
• Resistance to fire – G4. The material is flammable and therefore should not be used where there is a risk of heating above 80°C.
  

• Thermal conductivity coefficient 0,032 W/(m×°K). This is 9 times lower than that of Rockwool mineral wool mats (0,30 (m×°K)), which is considered one of the best in its group.
• Specific heat capacity 1,45 kJ/(kg.°С). Low heat capacity – it takes little time to heat up after, for example, freezing.
• Sound insulation of the partition (GKL-PENOPLEKS® 50 mm-GKL) – 41 dB. EPPU is not a very good sound insulator. Most of this bundle falls on the GCR.
• When used in floor construction, structure-borne sound insulation is 23 dB. When laying XPS of sufficient thickness on the floor, sounds (including percussion) will become less clear.
  

• Vapor permeability – 0,005 mg / (m.ch.Pa). Vapor permeability is very low. That is, moisture almost does not pass through it in the vapor state.
• Temperature range -70°C to +70°C.

As you can see, according to temperature indicators, any type of Penoplex can be used in any part of the country – from south to north. Moreover, if it is left to “winter” in an unprotected form, nothing will happen to the material. This is not the merit of Penoplex, but a general property of extruded polystyrene foam.

What distinguishes different types

The manufacturer divided the types of Penoplex into areas of use. Their properties are optimal for a specific application. For example, the increased density of XPS, required for a screed, will not be needed when it is mounted on a plinth. Taking into account the fact that the price differs significantly, it does not make sense to use the Foundation brand for other purposes. But the difference in locks, other things being equal, can be neglected. This is about ease of installation. Although, and this is important.

As can be seen from the table, Penoplex for the foundation and roof is more dense, durable, and better tolerates bending loads. Designed for walls and the “Comfort” brand are less durable, since their area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbapplication does not require resistance to mechanical stress.

Low vapor permeability – good or evil?

As you know, the same property of a material in one situation can be considered as a plus, in another – as a minus. This is exactly the case with the low vapor conductivity that extruded polystyrene foam extrudes. And he does not conduct steam in one direction. Moisture does not penetrate from one side or the other. This is what distinguishes it from vapor barrier membranes, which can have one-sided conductivity.

Where steam impermeability is needed

With proper installation (without gaps and cracks) with gluing of joints, XPS does not require the use of vapor barrier membranes. He hardly misses a couple. Neither liquid nor gaseous. So the use of membranes and waterproofing is unnecessary. When used in a floor cake, this is great, because moisture usually comes from the ground. When using expanded polystyrene, it does not penetrate either by capillary or in the form of steam. In this case, this is definitely a plus.

These properties play a “plus” when using extruded polystyrene foam in the blind area, under the tracks, etc. In addition to protecting against freezing, it does not get wet. This allows, with a competent approach, to get rid of frost heaving and, for example, to make, for example, not a deep-laid strip foundation, but a shallow-depth strip or a Swedish slab.

The use of EPPS in a flat roofing pie is also optimal – leaks are minimized, heat also almost does not go away. When used on pitched roofs, it is already worth considering. The fact that Penoplex Roof does not let moisture into the attic space is good. But it will be possible to remove excess moisture from the attic only with the help of very good ventilation, which includes not only dormer windows. You will need additional elements on the ridge, in the plane of the roof. In general, given the cost of Penoplex, this is not always reasonable.

On the walls: yes or no?

Wall insulation with Penoplex is only permissible if you agree to make an effective ventilation system that will regulate the humidity in the house. In this case, there are two options:

• Insulate the EPS walls from the inside. With this solution, moisture practically does not get into the enclosing structures (into the material from which the walls are made) due to just the low vapor permeability of the material. In this case, the Penoplex layer for walls may be of small thickness. Specifically, it must be considered, since it depends on the material and thickness of the walls, the region of residence. But, with such insulation, it is necessary to select the exterior finish of the facade so that moisture is not trapped inside the wall. Ventilated facades are most suitable for this purpose.
  

• Glue the eps on the outside. But at the same time, it is still necessary to make an effective vapor barrier indoors. It is needed so that moisture does not get into the walls. Since the EPS is outside, it will not come out. So that moisture does not accumulate in the wall, and a vapor barrier is required. In this case, the thickness of Penoplex will be large. So large that the dew point is not in the wall, but in the thickness of the insulation. That is, in this case, it will be necessary to insulate the EPS walls with a thickness of 100 mm or more.

As you can see, there are options for using extruded polystyrene foam for wall insulation, but they are far from the best. For all that, the material itself is good, but it is not suitable for this purpose.

And we must also take into account that the second option is only for non-hygroscopic materials. Such a scheme is very undesirable for wooden, frame buildings, poorly suited for foam blocks. The fact is that no matter how good the vapor barrier is, some of the moisture will still get into the walls. If the material is non-hygroscopic, during the dry season, moisture will gradually be removed from the wall. With hygroscopic materials, this process is more complicated. As a result, the tree rots, the foam block walls “bloom”.

Dimensions and weight, quantity calculation

Penoflex thermal insulation boards can be of different thickness, so the package can have different sizes, it can contain a different number of sheets. It should also be noted that the dimensions of the plates are indicated without spikes / locks.

There are two methods for calculating the number of packages: using the volume or area of ​​the package:

• You know the insulated area, find the area of ​​the insulation of the required thickness in the package and divide the insulated area by this value. For example, it is necessary to insulate 15 squares, 40 mm thick plates will be used. The area of ​​the insulation in the package is 6,24 m². We consider: 15 / 6,24 u2,4d XNUMX packages.
• To calculate by volume, we multiply the insulated area by the thickness, we get the required volume. Further, by analogy with the example above, we divide the figure found by the volume of one package. We get the number of packages of insulation. Let’s calculate for the same case: 15 m² * 0,04 m = 0,6 m³. According to the table, one package of this material has a volume of 0,2493 m³. we find the number of packages: 0,6 / 0,2493 = 2,4 packages.

If the number of packages is not integer (most likely it will be), some surplus is formed. If the surplus turns out to be large (as in the example, more than half of the plates turn out to be unnecessary) and you will have nowhere to use it, check if the seller sells incomplete packages. In this case, the calculation will be a little more complicated. You should estimate how many plates you need in addition to whole packages. For this:

• Find the area covered by whole packages. For example, this is: 2 pack * 6,24 m² = 12,48 m².
• Since we need to insulate 15 squares, we subtract the found one from this figure: 15 m² – 12,48 m² = 2,52 m². This is the area for which you should buy plates.
• The area of ​​one Penoflex heat-insulating plate is 0,6932 m². If the remainder is divided by this figure, we get the required number of additional sheets of insulation: 2,52 m² / 0,6932 m² = 3,63 pcs. It turns out that we will need 4 plates in addition to two packages.

With such an accurate calculation, it is better to take a small margin – one or two plates. In case somewhere they made a mistake in measurements or calculations, somewhere the edges were wrinkled and other unforeseen cases.

Mounting technology

When laying on horizontal surfaces – floors, flat roofs – the plates are simply laid on a flat surface. The surface should be without sharp drops, the maximum deviation is 2-3%. This requirement must be met so that voids do not form. When laying, we monitor the joints, it is advisable to glue them (you can use tape) or fill them with the same foam / glue on which the plates are attached.

If two layers of thermal insulation are laid, it is positioned so that the XPS boards of the second row overlap the seams of the lower one. They also say that the slabs are laid with alternating seams or “in a row”.

When mounting on vertical surfaces, a double mount is used:

• Glue or glue-foam is applied to the plane.
• Additionally fixed with dowels-umbrellas.

According to the technology of mounting plate insulation on facades, dowel-umbrellas are installed at the junction of two sheets (any two sheets) and in the plane of the sheet – two more additional fasteners. That is, there are at least 8 fasteners per sheet (indicated in red in the figure). More is possible. Less – no. Unless, of course, you want the insulation with the finish to come off. If the winds in the region are strong, it is better to put more. For insulation inside, you can put less (see diagrams below).

During installation, on the extreme plates and around the openings, we install fasteners more often: three or four elements per plate. In order to keep the insulation rigidly in the corners of the openings, a mesh is attached to it before plastering. It is attached at an angle of about 45 °, fastening the joint. Under such conditions, there will be no problems with finishing inside or outside.

If plaster, facade tiles, finishing stone and other heavy materials are subsequently applied to Penoplex, before starting installation, care must be taken to improve the adhesion of the material to the wall and to the finish. Even if you mount Penoplex Wall with stripes, it is better to add roughness to the plate with a metal brush. And from both sides. If the wall is smooth, it also does not interfere with adding roughness – for better adhesion.

To work with Penoplex, a special adhesive mixture is recommended: Ceresit ST 84, illbruck PU 010, Titanium 753, Ceresit CT-85, Kreisel 210 and 220, Baumit ProContact, STO Baukleber, Soudal Soudabond, Penosil Fix and Go, Den Braven, Krass.