Introduction to the issue of durability and revitalization of existing
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| ETICS falls off the gable wall |
The longer the ETICS exists on the wall the more various damages can be detected on its surface including such as loosening or tearing off and even falling off parts of the insulation on the gable walls in buildings constructed in the prefabricated modular construction panel method (prefabricated concrete slabs).
The Building Research Institute instruction No 334/2002 estimates the ETICS durability for not less than 30 years provided regular inspections and immediate repairs are carried out. The real durability is actually the derivative of the project quality, quality of the materials used and, above all, the quality of work.
The spontaneous, vehement actions of insulating buildings made from prefabricated panels observed in the 80s, with the aim of compensating for significant disadvantages of this technology, was not always carried out in the proper way. The main fault was using insulation panels of insufficient thickness followed by mistakes in work execution due to lack of knowledge and experience of the contractors.
Professional literature, quite rarely as for the significance of the issue, provides for more detailed solutions to this widespread problem of ETICS revitalization. Also not too frequent are the manufacturers of TIS (Thermal Insulation Systems) eager to undertake the sensitive problem of unavoidable repairs of their systems.
The assumption that, in the case of significant damages of the ETICS, the systems will be removed and replaced with new ones, may face a very severe, economic barrier. Particularly in the case of individual home owners or less wealthy administrations of a housing cooperative, not to mention strict, environmental regulations incurring costs of EPS, adhesive etc waste utilization.Concluding the brief treatment of the ETICS revitalization issues, it seems very important to emphasize the urgent need for developing a whole system of ETICS revitalization supported by appropriate regulations and directives containing details, concerning on the one hand the methods and time of carrying out such revitalization, and on the other, enabling optimizing the life span of such thermal insulation systems.
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| An example of helplessness and desperate attempts to save the building's facade insulated with ETICS | |
We are offering the owners of buildings insulated in the 80s and 90s, technological solutions enabling not only effective and reliable revitalization of the existing thermal insulation, but also enabling meeting the requirements of new, very strict building energy saving standards resulting in the possibility of being granted the Energy Performance Certificate.
We are confident that the RENOVADEX technology, comprising numerous innovative and patented solutions ,may very effectively, solve the unavoidable problems we will have to face very soon. Such is the unfortunate logic of the running time, also in the case of maintaining buildings with ETICS.
Postscriptum.
The author of this study, at the same time the inventor of the RENOVADEX technological solutions, has been dealing with the building thermal insulation issues for over 20 years now.
In cooperation with many designers he introduced numerous innovative technical and material solutions implemented in hundreds of insulated facades both in Poland and abroad. During many years, they proved to be successful technical and utility solutions.
Uploading this unique website devoted to major repairs, refurbishment and revitalization of ETICS, we hope that it may inspire experienced experts and scientists to develop new technologies to be implemented in repairing existing thermal insulation systems – there are thousands of such buildings insulated withing the vast program of thermoinsulating, ranging from individual home owners to housing cooperatives.
The problem is obvious and calls for upgrading the already existing or developing new technologies enabling carrying out major repairs extending the life span of the facades by next tens of years.
We are aware of the fact that we are perhaps walking a few steps ahead, but isn't it worth being wise before, rather than afterwards...?
Adam GrylewiczNovember 2009
