Insulation

The 7 characteristics of stone wool

Fire safety

Have you seen video illustration of how quickly a Christmas tree can ignite - maybe you and your family have even experienced it?

Christmas tree fires are just one of many examples of the danger you and other residents risk ending up in. 3 minutes is sometimes all it takes from ignition until an entire room is on fire.

Thermal properties

The Danish winter is typically a cold and wet game and here the unique properties of stone wool really come into their own.

Rockwool insulation keeps your home warm in winter and cool enough in summer. The wool's air pockets simply help to retain the warm air in cold climates, while keeping it out when the weather offers sun and summer. Not only does stone wool help ensure the good indoor climate, and thus your and your family's health and well-being, there are also resources to save on your wallet by virtue of limited heat or cold loss, at the same time the CO2 footprint is reduced – and it is worth taking into account in a world with increased focus on green transition.

Sound characteristics

Have the neighbour's little people just learned to speed off on their own two feet through the living rooms? Preserved, the child's development is life-affirming - to a certain point. And many people also think it is nice to have life in the streets, whereas traffic noise in the long run can challenge our stress threshold. 

Noise is not really to be joked about – it can even cost lives due to sleep disturbances, increased heart rate and blood pressure and, in the worst case, lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and weaken us cognitively. Also in this regard, rockwool insulation makes a significant difference with its sound-absorbing properties. In fact, it reduces noise from the upper floor by as much as 8 times. In short, the acoustic influence of stone wool consists in converting the air particles, i.e. the movement that sound creates, into a very small increase in temperature. It simply "absorbs" the sound.

Durability

Few of us come to the dream house sleeping, but we've got news for you: administration and maintenance cost up to 5 times as much as building new. So even though the settler budget may seem prohibitive, the money for quality materials such as rockwool is well spent and noticeably increases the life of the construction project.

Durability aspects of Rockwool worth mentioning include:

• Performance over 55 years

• Keeps shape and strength regardless of conditions – compression, impact or temperature and humidity changes do not change the properties of stone wool insulation

• Does not sink over time and therefore lasts year after year, minimizing maintenance costs

• Stone wool can be recycled even in renovation and demolition for the benefit of the environment and the wallet

Aesthetic

People's comfort and motivation can be positively influenced by the aesthetics around us – this applies both at work and privately.

Although stone wool may not sound super sexy, Rockwool has managed to make the material beautiful and with an amazing adaptability, which is why it is also used, for example, for façade cladding. Its flexible shape and performance in terms of thermal capability, sound attenuation and fire safety all combine to create a harmonious setting for your home – and then its many, many years of recyclability just add the finishing touch to construction.

Recycling

Would you like to help put an end to the overuse of the planet's resources? In that case, you make a sustainable choice with Rockwool as the insulation material.

A world in progress equals a lot, and unfortunately often unnecessary, waste, which is why Rockwool has established a return scheme that ensures surplus and offcuts of stone wool and other residual products are recycled, just as the company utilizes surplus heat for district heating. 

Water resistance

Building in Denmark can be a challenge due to the unstable weather.

However, Rockwool stone wool has the advantage of being water-repellent, and even if it has been lying on a rain-soaked construction site, only the few outer millimeters will be wet. It absorbs water only if it is pressed into the material and restores its original insulation ability as soon as the pressure ceases.  As it is inorganic and diffusion open, condensation will not be able to occur, which is your assurance that mold, fungus and rot do not form in the construction. 

What type of batts is right for your insulation project?

Rockwool Industrial Batts 80

If drainage, hot water or gas pipes are located in a niche, you will advantageously choose Industribatts 80 for sound insulation. This gives you fire insulation BS 60 and sound insulation (Rw) is measured at 41 dB(A). Click here for recommendations for safe passage of multiple pipes.

In the case of penetrations in decks and walls, greater demands are placed on fire resistance. Industrial batts 80 are suitable for large vertical and horizontal tanks and containers below 250 degrees. Operating temperatures above 250 degrees should only be used BrandBATTS, (RTI product), CONLIT Fire Mat Alu. Spacers are mounted around the perimeter of the tank for supporting sheet cladding and insulation. When insulating tank tops, the structure is finished with a plate jacket, while the construction must be dimensioned in each case if the insulation is to be load-bearing between the spacers. 

It is normal procedure to insulate with several layers in the case of power plant boilers. Towards the warm side insulate with layers of BrandBATTS (RTI product) or CONLIT Fire Mat Alu and on the outside with INDUSTRIBATTS 50 or 80. The maximum limit temperature of the INDUSTRIBATTS 50 is 250°C. Often the operating temperature is around 500°C and the insulation should therefore be carefully fastened either with expanded metal at the extreme before placing locking pieces or before bending the struts. The critical temperature between the layers must be calculated.  The boiler wall is often 40-60 m or higher. The warm air in the insulation will therefore build up a large upward drive pressure, which causes a sharp increase in practical heat loss compared to the calculated. Therefore, place a convection barrier of e.g. aluminum foil per .max. 2 m.

Rockwool Industrial Batts Black

If you need to heat insulate or sound dampen ventilation ducts, Rockwool Industribatts Black is the ideal choice and can also be used for interior cladding in ventilation units, boiler cabinets, etc.

It is a dimensionally stable slab of stone wool and which, thanks to the glass cloth on one side, can withstand wind speeds of up to 20 m/sec. The maximum application temperature of the wool side is 250º, while the coated side can withstand 200º.

This product provides exceptional sound absorption in both 20, 30 and 50 mm thickness and is available in packs of 16, 10 and 6 respectively. 

Rockwool Slatted mats with paper or aluminum foil. In our range of Rockwool for Plumbing Insulation, you will find slatted mats in several sizes covered with either kraft paper or aluminum foil. Both consist of moisture- and water-repellent stone wool slats, which by means of the fiber direction of the stone wool ensure a both pliable and pressure-strong product.  Both the paper version and the reinforced aluminium version are suitable for curved and flat surfaces and provide heat and condensation insulation of pipes, ventilation ducts and containers with a maximum application temperature of 250º on the wool side and 80º on the coated. The aluminum version is fire class A2. 

Pladebat

Heat, as you may know, rises upwards, making the attic one of the most important places to provide good insulation.

Pladebatts is the obvious choice when you need to insulate attics and especially in older houses there are significant savings to be made on the heating bill with thorough post-insulation. If you as a private individual have thrown yourself into the construction of a detached house or villa, pladebatts are quite easy to handle and are delivered in different sizes depending on your needs. Rockwoolbatts provide sublime sound insulation and can be used, for example, for building walls in a home theater.

Pipe insulation

Would you like to avoid heat loss on the pipes in the utility room? With Rockwool universal pipe bowls, you can easily insulate your hot water pipes and achieve lower energy consumption.

The pipe bowls are extremely flexible and end tightly – even at bends.  Channel insulation made easy For optimal fire insulation of round ventilation ducts, Rockwool Conlit Fire Mat is available, while for square ducts, Conlit Fire Boards are used. The Conlit series also consists of adhesive and sealant as well as aluminum tape, which you will also find on this page. 

Insulation of copper pipes

For insulation of copper pipes, we have a wide range of UV-resistant polyethylene jackets, which are available in lengths of 1 meter and in respectively 1", 1/2", 1/4", 3/4", 5/8" and 7/8". The caps are closed with a few grips around the tube and glued with associated overlapping tape. 

Quality insulation is something everyone can go for district heating is a major expense item in most homes and buildings. On the other hand, the cost of insulation has quickly been recouped and is particularly noticeable in older settlements, where requirements and knowledge were not the same as today.

At Rockwool, insulation has become an accessible task even without extensive craftsmanship experience. However, a good rule to remember here from us at bels.dk is to insulate the attic either in early spring or autumn, as the heat under the roof can be unbearable. Write to info@bels.dk or send us pictures of your upcoming insulation project and we can provide a good overall offer.