ᐅ Brick exterior wall with external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS)

Created on: 19 Jan 2009 14:05
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Gast100
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Gast100
19 Jan 2009 14:05
We are planning to build a house. The company we chose uses solid construction. They build the exterior walls with bricks combined with an external thermal insulation composite system.

For this, they use lightweight bricks with a wall thickness of 24 cm (9.5 inches). On top of that, a highly vapor-permeable external insulation system is applied. Polystyrene insulation boards are glued to the brick wall.

According to the company, this method provides the best thermal insulation value, or a better insulation value than building a 36 cm (14 inches) thick brick wall.

Does anyone have experience with this type of insulation?

Friends of ours are concerned that the insulation boards will make the walls too airtight and cause moisture, which could lead to mold.

The company says that even insulated walls can breathe, and regardless, ventilation is necessary in every house.

Thank you very much for your opinions.
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Lily
20 Jan 2009 07:35
Hello,
I just read your post and want to reassure you that we have a similar wall and have never had any issues with mold or anything like that. On the contrary, the indoor climate is really great, and thanks to the good insulation, we only need to heat very little. Last year, we didn’t have to start heating properly until mid-November.
Best regards
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Lily
20 Jan 2009 07:49
Hello Guest100,
I can understand your concerns about the insulation, and if someone doesn’t ventilate well, mold can indeed become an issue. This can happen during the first year in a new house. You really need to heat and ventilate a lot to ensure the wall dries properly.
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Lily
20 Jan 2009 07:59
Hello,
you will see how comfortably warm it is in a house like this. I live in a mid-terrace house and I pay only 50 euros for heating costs per month, no joke!!! I only start heating when the outside temperature drops below 10°C (50°F); it’s only then that the indoor temperature falls below 20°C (68°F).
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Lily
20 Jan 2009 08:09
Hello,
as others have already mentioned, this is not a problem as long as you ventilate well. What no one has mentioned yet is that you need to make sure there are no thermal bridges. So the external wall insulation should ideally not be interrupted, which basically applies to any hole drilled from the outside into the wall.
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Lily
20 Jan 2009 08:17
Friends of mine live in a well-insulated house and they are already having mold problems. But I believe they don’t open the windows often enough because it always smells stale and musty in there. If they ventilated better, it would probably not be an issue.
Best regards