Underfloor system improves thermal efficiency
Construction industry expanded polystyrene products supplier, Automa Building Products (ABP), offers a patented thermal underfloor system (Tufs) to manage thermal efficiency, moisture protection, economic labour use and speed of installation. This environment-friendly floor system softens the blow of rising energy and building costs.
"The underfloor section of any building is critical because this area acts as a thermal heat soak and draws heat generated from inside the structure into the ground. Thermal insulation is becoming increasingly important in this country as energy and building costs escalate and climate change becomes a reality," says Automa Building Products director Craig Paton-Ash.
"Tufs is a flexible thermal underfloor insulation system, which every building should have right from the start. This expanded polystyrene system (EPS) is designed to prevent underfloor cold from penetrating rooms and keeps heat generated inside buildings from being dissipated into the ground," he says.
"The prime function of this system is to insulate ground floor concrete slabs, but this expanded polystyrene membrane also acts as a moisture-proof barrier, replacing the continuous sheet plastic normally used. Tufs saves energy, moderates building temperatures, and is almost 15 % less expensive than traditional ground-floor concrete slabs," Paton-Ash says.
The Tufs system is a 40-mm thick-tongued and grooved, expanded polystyrene sheet that is glued together and placed beneath cast concrete floor slabs, replacing from 20 mm to 25 mm of concrete thickness. The plastic sheeting normally required for waterproofing is not necessary because the polystyrene acts as an insulator and as a damp-proof membrane.
As less concrete needs to be restrained, the steel mesh in the Tufs floor system can be reduced from the traditional Ref 193 mesh to the Ref 100 mesh. These panels are 1,2 m2 by 1,2 m2 sheets that are laid from the inner edge of the brickwork over the compacted area, starting from a corner. These Tufs sheets can be cut with a hand saw or knife to fit precisely the walled area. There is no wastage as offcuts can be used in other installations.
The normal electrical ducting is run in the concrete top section of the floor system, but if larger piping is required, it can be cut into the EPS sheets. The concrete is then poured to complete the composite floor construction and the surface is finished conventionally.
ABP offers expanded polystyrene building systems from insulated wall blocks, to underfloor and in-roof insulating systems, as well as a full range of decorative products. |
