Insulation is hugely important when it comes to maintaining the correct climate inside agricultural structures such as poultry houses, piggeries, cowsheds and various storage buildings: it helps to reduce operating costs while increasing production, ensures general animal health, creates a more comfortable working environment and lowers input costs. Livestock buildings that are intended for breeding animals – specifically piggeries, cowsheds and poultry houses – have to meet certain temperature standards in order for animals to live in them. Keeping an appropriate temperature independently of external weather conditions is also recommended for agricultural buildings that are intended for storing food, such as cold storage or fruit and vegetable warehouses. Low temperatures help to keep food products fresh for longer, which directly translates into profitability.
To fully grasp the importance of insulation, it’s vital to understand the principles of heat flow.
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- There is a difference between heat and temperature. When you feel hot air coming off a heater, you feel heat, not temperature. The thermometer simply indicates the degree or level of heat in an area at that particular moment.
- Heat always flows from a hot area towards a cold area. Thus the natural direction of heat flow will be from the high-temperature side of a wall or ceiling towards the colder side.
- Insulation does not stop heat flow – it slows it down. The poorer the insulation material is in conducting heat, and the thicker it is, the more “resistance” it will offer to the natural flow of heat. This resistance is measured in terms of the R-value: the higher the R-value of a specific material, the better it insulates.
- Warm air holds more moisture than cold air. The moisture-holding capacity of air roughly doubles with each 11°C rise in temperature. This principle explains why walls and ceilings can become wet and even drip. Livestock will add heat and moisture vapour to the surrounding air. When warm, moisture-laden air in such an environment comes in contact with a cool surface – such as a poorly insulated wall
or ceiling, or a cold window or foundation – the air will cool and will no longer be able to hold as much water vapour. This causes condensation or “sweating”. If the surface is cold enough, this condensate can freeze. Good insulation prevents condensation by keeping inside surfaces warm – i.e. above the “dew point” or saturation temperature of the air.
Keeping all of the above in mind, Summit XPS insulation board – with its 100% closed cell structure – will provide protection against moisture, making the surfaces on which it is used effectively waterproof.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT INSULATION FOR YOUR NEEDS
The insulation that best suits your needs will depend on the relative importance of various
factors in your application. Summit XPS insulation:
- Is easy to install
- Has low input costs
- Can be used to insulate ceilings and cavity walls, as well as for underfloor insulation
- Is fire resistant, with B/B1/2/H&V (SP & USP) certification>o B = Combustible
o B1 = No flame spread
o 2 = Building occupancy class
o H&V = Horizontal and vertical
o SP = Sprinklers tested
o USP = Sprinklers untested<
Summit XPS is not poisonous and has no nutritional value, which means it can be used in buildings intended for housing animals. However, if the insulation is exposed and likely to come into contact with the animals, we recommend covering it to reduce the likelihood of
physical damage.
According to Daneel Pretorius, the Summit Category Manager at Swartland, you need to look at the comparative effectiveness of different options when choosing an insulation material. The effectiveness depends on the physical characteristics of the material, as well as on the way in which the material will be installed. In the real world – and especially in the tricky environment of livestock production – you should also consider various technical issues. Insulation material should repel moisture, and should be dry during installation.
Once installed, the material should not be allowed to take up moisture (this makes it vermin-proof). In addition, insulation material should be used in accordance with occupancy classification with no flame spread, and should be durable and easy to apply, presenting a high mechanical resistance and requiring little maintenance.
