Revitalizing and repairing thermally insulated facades

The external walls insulated with ETICS are those elements of a building which are most exposed to harsh weather conditions. It is then natural, that the thermal insulation systematically wears out in time. 

The ETICS is a relatively young, insulating technology – in Western Europe it has been used for over 40 years, while in Poland it started becoming popular only about 20 years ago.

Due to obvious reasons, in the early period of insulating buildings, it wasn't necessary to worry about the problem of facade repairs or even maintenance. However, as time elapsed, more and more frequent damages and defects emerged on the surface of the facades.

The extent of this phenomenon became so vast, that now it requires careful attention to a much higher degree. The basic problem to be solved is to determine the reasons of such damages and to develop ways of repairing them. Until now this knowledge was scarce and rarely available.

Generally the damages may be classified as of mechanical, biological, design and technological origins:

• Mechanical damages – may occur in various forms and usually due to impacts with hard and heavy objects, may be vast and reach as deep as the building wall right through the plaster, reinforcement and the EPS panels. These damages depend on the culture of the building exploitation, but when they appear, they usually require immediate attention and prompt action.

• Biological damages – may bee seen on the facade surface in the form of greenish, irregular stain clusters. Usually they emerge on walls facing North or shaded with surrounding trees and, most frequently, on acrylic plasters.

• Design and technological defects – result from lack of clear instructions for the contractor:

executive errors and mistakes – these damages occur mostly due to contractors' ignorance as regards instructions and guidelines stipulated in the technical documentation.

The Building Research Institute's instruction No 334/2002 - „Bezspoinowy system ocieplania ścian zewnętrznych budynków” (ETICS), determines the life span of insulation systems for a period not shorter than 30 years, provided periodical maintenance is carried out and minor damages repaired. This long life span does not concern the plaster for which it has been estimated to not less than 5 years, as this is the weakest element in the system. During this period no traces of cracking, scratching or loosening of the plaster should occur. Furthermore the instruction states that the user of the building is obliged to regularly inspect the facade and carry out necessary repairs. These repairs must be carried out by contractors familiar with the ETICS system supplier's technologies.