For effective energy saving, it is not enough just to insulate the bath, you also need to cover it with a reflective material that will return about 95% of the outgoing heat. This will save on fuel and shorten the heating process. The main thing is to correctly perform the cladding. Content:
- Using foil in the bath
- Foil varieties
- Foil selection criteria
- Bathhouse frame cladding
- Sheathing of brick and frame baths
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of insulating bath rooms with foil, since the aluminum, on the basis of which the material is made, perfectly reflects heat and returns it to the room. But it is important to correctly install the foil in order to use its beneficial properties to the maximum.
Features of using foil in a bath
Foil in a bath works on the principle of reflecting the heat generated by the stove and presented in the form of infrared rays, which our body perceives as heat. The reflective aluminum coating does not absorb these rays, but rather reflects back. Due to the tightness of the material, an even longer retention of heat inside the bath is ensured.
There is an opinion that a log house can be insulated exclusively with this material, without using additional heaters. However, on one condition - if the gaps between the joints are reliably poured. Then the reflective surface will really increase the heat saving inside the steam room.
Brick and frame structures need additional insulation with mineral or synthetic material. Some of them are still covered with a foil layer during production. These include Ecoteplin (has a double-sided aluminum coating), Thermostop, Isover, Ursa.
The material is popular due to its excellent performance characteristics, among which are:
- Stability … The foil does not deform when exposed to high temperatures.
- Security … When heated, toxic substances are not released, and therefore the material can be used to sheathe the steam room.
- Vapor tightness … The foil acts as a vapor and hydro protection of the insulation, which increases its service life.
- Reflective properties … Due to the reflection of 95% of the heat, it is retained in the room for a long time, which is very important for a bath.
- Reduced heating time and energy costs … The steam room heats up quickly and uses relatively less energy.
In addition, condensation does not form on the walls of the steam room, and therefore the finishing coating serves for a long time and does not lose its original appearance.
Varieties of foil for bath cladding
Depending on the purpose and additives, several types of material are distinguished:
- Plain foil … It is a sheet of aluminum with a thickness of 30 to 300 microns. It has the widest range of permissible temperatures, and therefore is most often used in steam rooms. Price - from 450 rubles per roll (10 square meters).
- Foil paper … Durable aluminum coated cellulose paper. The working temperature is -50 + 120 degrees, therefore it is recommended to use it in auxiliary rooms. It is conveniently cut out and is suitable for covering in hard-to-reach places. The cost of such material starts from 30 rubles per square meter.
- Foil-fabric … A material that combines fiberglass and aluminum foil. There are several subspecies with a denser structure - Folgoizol and Foil-canvas. It has excellent heat and waterproof properties, but it is vapor permeable. Price - from 70 rubles per square meter.
The most acceptable option for the inner lining of the bath is considered to be aluminum foil.
Criteria for choosing a foil for bath cladding
The foil is sold in rolls of three to five sheets, depending on the thickness.
When choosing a foil for a bath, follow our tips:
- When choosing a regular foil, you need to pay attention to the thickness of the aluminum layer. This parameter can be set from 0, 007 to 0, 2 mm. The thicker the layer, the better the vapor permeability, of course.
- The reflector must contain more than 99.5% aluminum.
- Marking "M" means that the foil is annealed (soft). The presence of the letter "T" indicates that the material is not fired (hardness).
- Choose certified products from trusted manufacturers. Poor quality material is very easily damaged during use.
In addition, it is worth stocking up in advance with metallized tape for gluing joints and fasteners - galvanized nails, self-tapping screws, construction staples.
Sheathing of the log house with foil
The log house is insulated by caulking, and it does not need additional insulation. But foil sheathing is a necessary procedure, as it will help reduce heat loss. In this case, the heat-reflecting material is attached directly to the log or plank walls, and from above it is closed with a finishing coating, which is most often used as a lining made of hardwood.
We carry out work in the following sequence:
- Attach the aluminum foil sheets with the reflective coating inward with a 20 cm overlap using small galvanized nails.
- Make sure to maintain the integrity of the material. In case of damage, you can glue these places with tape.
- We glue the joints with metallized tape, ensuring tightness.
- We fill from rails with a cross section of 5 cm2 lathing in the direction opposite to the installation of the lining.
- On top of the foil, we attach the finishing material to the crate.
- During the installation of the lining, we monitor the observance of the air gap between the reflector and the finish.
Please note that this process must be performed after the final shrinkage of the log house and its secondary caulking.
Foil cladding of brick and frame baths
In frame baths and brick buildings, it is customary to attach the foil to a layer of heat-insulating material, which will repel and direct back the heat that the foil has let through.
In order to correctly organize thermal insulation in brick and frame structures, you need to know how to properly sheathe a bath with foil:
- Before installing the foil, we equip a crate of strips with a thickness of 5-10 cm on the wall and ceiling (it depends on the expected thickness of the insulation).
- We put slab or roll insulation in the recesses between the individual elements of the frame on the ceiling. The best option is mineral wool. To prevent the elements from falling immediately, you can fix them with temporary slats.
- We fix the blocks of the heat insulator to the walls. If desired, you can attach glassine over the insulation.
- We fix the aluminum foil on top with an overlap of 20-25 cm, first on the ceiling with an approach to the walls, then on the walls with an approach to the floor.
- We carefully glue the joints with metallized tape, paying special attention to the corners of the room to create a completely sealed coating.
- On top of the foil, we stuff slats on the walls with a thickness of 2-4 cm, on the ceiling - 5 cm.
- We cover the foil with a layer of finishing material, leaving the ventilation corridor to the thickness of the batten for air convection.
The material is attached to all surfaces. Do not neglect the lining of the ceiling, because it is through it that the maximum heat loss occurs, since the highest temperature is observed at the top.
Please also note that the foil-coated heat reflector is used not only in the steam room, but also in auxiliary rooms. How to sheathe a bath with foil - look at the video:
It is possible to reliably block the paths of heat escape from the steam room using a foil-clad heat reflector. General recommendations and instructions will help you understand the question of how to fix the foil to the bath correctly in order to ensure effective energy saving. The work is easy to perform independently, taking into account the peculiarities of the technological process.
