Important tips for insulating metal surfaces
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Metal surfaces are widely used in buildings, but they are usually exposed to various types of damage and hazards. To prevent some damage to metal surfaces, materials called insulation are used. Insulation is used to reduce heat loss in various building equipment, including pipes and ducts. In addition to these, insulation is also used to prevent sound and noise transmission as well as moisture penetration. Due to the very high heat during transmission, the possibility of decay, rust, and energy waste is very high in metal surfaces. The decay of these surfaces can lead to other system failures that increase your costs. In this article, we intend to familiarize you with the insulation of metal surfaces, its types, and related tips. Stay with us.
Insulation of metal surfaces
Metal surfaces are used in many building components. Therefore, proper and systematic maintenance of them can have a significant impact on costs. Metal surfaces can easily corrode, rot, or rust. Therefore, insulation should be applied to metal surfaces quickly. Insulating these surfaces leads to a large percentage of cost reduction. Of course, you should be aware that if insulation is not done properly, not only will costs not be reduced, but you will also have to set aside costs for repairs and removal of rotting metal pipes.
Another problem that may arise from improper insulation is the bursting and decay of pipes and building installations. For example, if you insulate with fiberglass before priming metal pipes, the pipes will quickly rot. If your metal pipes are in a calcareous bed, neglecting insulation can also cause you serious damage.
- Anodizing
Anodizing is a process in which a thick oxide layer is formed on the metal. This process is an effective method of creating insulation on various metals due to its high speed. It is worth noting that this method has a tremendous effect on aluminum metal. This process is also carried out by immersing aluminum in an electrolyte tank and cathode. In this way, as the electrolyte current passes through the aluminum, an oxide layer is formed on it. This simple method of insulating metal surfaces, while maintaining the durability and durability of the insulation, ensures that the protective oxide layer does not cause any problems or damage to the metal section because it does not have the ability to decompose metals. The only disadvantage of this method is that it can be used for a limited number of ferrous metals.
- Galvanizing
Galvanized sheet is actually a steel sheet that has been placed in a molten pool of zinc (Zn) and its surface has been covered with a layer of this metal. Due to this process, galvanized steel is more resistant to rust and decay than regular steel. Galvanized sheets have a wide variety of colors and can have a useful life of up to 30 years. Galvanized is so resistant that even if the metal layer on its surface is destroyed, it will still not rust.
Metal surfaces are widely used in buildings, but they are often exposed to various types of damage and hazards. To prevent damage to metal surfaces, they are insulated. Insulation is used to reduce heat loss in various building equipment, including pipes and ducts. In addition, insulation is used to prevent sound and noise transmission as well as moisture penetration.
As you know, galvanized sheets have various uses in the industry. But their most common use is in construction and gable roofs. One of the measures for insulating galvanized sheets is sealing to create resistance to water and moisture. The steps for sealing galvanized sheets are as follows: first, you must make its surface completely clean and smooth and make sure that there is no excess material between the roof and the material. In the next step, you must dry the gable roof on which galvanized sheets have been used. Now it is time to add the sealing material to the roof and allow it to dry well. After completing this step, your roof is sealed.
Tools needed to seal galvanized sheet metal on a gable roof:
- eyebrow.
- Flushing
- Mastic glue
- Roofing screw
- eyebrow.
A gutter or gutter is a galvanized product that is used to direct and guide snow and rain water from a gable roof.
In general, we have two types of reputation:
- London embers (round embers, wick embers, or hidden embers)
- Box-shaped eaves (rectangular eaves or square eaves)
- Mastic glue
Mastic adhesive is a type of liquid adhesive that is used to insulate and seal galvanized sheets. With mastic adhesive, you can seal the places where the head screws have been drilled and fill the seams and lines of the sheets with mastic adhesive. Of course, the head screws, because they are two washers, are in turn considered a type of insulation to protect against moisture. But by doing this and adding mastic adhesive to it, more security is provided.
Mastic glue is very similar to aquarium glue and is also used with an aquarium glue gun. Of course, the positive feature of mastic glue is that it is resistant to sunlight, heat, and cold and does not rot over time.
- Plating
- Powder coating
- Paint coating
Types of insulation for different surfaces
You should familiarize yourself with the different types of insulation so that you can make the best choice for your desired equipment. If you want to learn more about this, refer to the article What is Insulation and Its Types. Insulators generally come in many different types, but here we will only discuss some models related to the topic:
- Moisture insulation
Moisture barriers are usually used in cases where two walls are next to each other. Moisture barriers are most commonly used in construction facilities and, as the name suggests, prevent moisture from penetrating between two walls. Moisture barriers are often made from paper, burlap, rubber, and plastic materials that are coated with bitumen.
Moisture-proof insulation is very light and adds almost no extra weight to the building. This type of insulation prevents moisture from entering the interior of the building and completely seals the surface. Another advantage of moisture-proof insulation is that it can hold a large amount of water and is completely fireproof.
- Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is actually used to prevent energy and heat loss. Heat is transferred in three ways: radiation, convection, and conduction. Thermal insulation is also produced in three different types to prevent heat loss. Thermal insulation uses materials that are completely resistant to heat, and their most common use is in insulating hot water pipes, engine room boilers, water heaters, packages, and hot air furnaces.
- Thermal conductivity insulation
Glass wool, rock wool, mineral wool, and prefabricated insulation are among the thermally conductive insulations that are produced by conduction to prevent heat loss.
View of the building’s roof insulation
- Thermal convection insulation
Insulations that fall into this category were created to prevent convective heat transfer.
- Radiation insulation
Radiant insulation blocks and reflects the rays that transmit heat. To create radiant insulation, simply add aluminum cladding to rock wool, glass wool, and mineral wool.
- Blanket insulation
There are other types of insulation that are made from materials such as wood wool, slag wool, rock wool, glass wool, and animal wool, and are cut and used in various thicknesses and sizes.
Blanket insulation is most often used to insulate pipes and tanks such as water heaters.
- Piece insulation
In the gap between the walls and the back of the materials, an insulation called piece insulation is used. This type of insulation is completely similar to blanket insulation in terms of materials and construction materials, but with the difference that it is shorter than them. Some insulation in this category includes a paper coating that covers the pieces in the form of a strip on two edges.
- Nano polymer insulation
One of the newest types of insulation is nano-polymer insulation, which, like previous models, was created to prevent energy and heat loss. This type of insulation has more advantages than other models, including high flexibility in variable temperature ranges, easy installation, reasonable price, and non-flammability.
Nanopolymer insulations are used in various parts of the building, such as metal and non-metal surfaces, mosaics, asphalt, concrete, and insulation. We will briefly describe some other applications of this type of insulation in the following:
- Kitchen walls and floors
- Bathroom and toilet floors
- Inner walls of concrete and metal tanks
- Bridge hulls and columns against water and sedimentary salts
- Insulation of metal parts
- Insulating the external surfaces of water pipes
Nano-polymer insulations are also very environmentally friendly and effectively prevent water and moisture from seeping through pipes.