Masonry
A masonry wall is a particularly poor thermal barrier. A typical masonry cavity wall (4-in face brick on the exterior, an air space,
Figure 3-12 Frame wall construction. |
4- in concrete block, an air space, and a layer of gypsum wall board) has a thermal resistance equal to approximately 1 in of rigid insulation. Exterior opaque masonry walls should have maximum U — value of 0.11, requiring insulation rated at R-7 or greater. This can be accomplished in the following ways:
1. Place a layer of preformed rigid insulation between the exterior face brick (or other finishing material) and the concrete block during construction (Figure 3-13). Another method is to leave the space empty and then fill it with a foam insulation before capping the wall.
RIGID INSULATION PREFORMED OR SPRAYED Figure 3-13 Masonry wall construction with insulation installed on the outside portion. |
RIGID INSULATION PREFORMED OR SPRAYED Figure 3-14 Masonry wall construction with insulation installed on the inside portion. |
2. If no air space exists between the exterior face brick or other exterior finish and the concrete block, it will be necessary to add a layer of suitable insulating material (rated R-7 or better) on the inside surface of the block (Figure 3-14). The insulating material can be rigid insulation attached to furring strips or preformed rigid insulation secured in place with adhesives. An interior wall finish is then applied over the insulating material.
If the wall is constructed entirely of concrete, apply preformed rigid insulation to either side by adhesive bonding and cover the layer of insulation with a wall-finish material (Figure 3-15). The insulation must be rated R-7 or better.
Figure 3-15 Concrete slab construction. |
FOAMED-IN-PLACE INSULATION Figure 3-16 Metal sections used for load-bearing walls and certain walls in residential construction. |
Posted in Audel HVAC Fundamentals Volume 1 Heating Systems, Furnaces, and Boilers