SATE, Insulation System

It may be that you still do not know what SATE means or have never seen a thermal insulation system on the outside of the facade, but it is a way of insulating a facade that has been made in other countries for many years, but it has been known in Spain just for a few years now. SATE is also known as ETICS, which stands for "External Thermal Insulation Composite System". It is about putting an insulating material on the facade and a finishing mortar on said material. We are going to see in this article the advantages of this system, the possible drawbacks and how to solve them, and each of the parts that make up the system.

ADVANTAGES OF SATE
The first advantage that should be noted is that it is continuous isolation. To understand what this means, we are going to compare it with the traditional way of insulating, with the best-known system of the double partition with insulation inside.

When we make a double partition inside, we place the insulation from the floor to the ceiling of each floor, leaving the slab itself without insulation, so we are leaving a strip without insulation that affects the efficiency of the insulation and, instead, it enables the formation of humidity by condensation. If, on the other hand, the insulation is from the outside, the insulation is continuous throughout the facade.

Another obvious advantage of SATE is that we do not lose valuable space inside the house. Obviously, in order to grow the facade on the outside, we must have the permits for this purpose.

SATE SYSTEM LAYERS
Although the details may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, basically any EIS system consists of several layers; let's see them ordered from the inside out.

Insulating
The first layer of the system is the insulation. The most used is expanded polystyrene, although it can also be mineral wool or even another type of insulation.

The insulation is glued to the facade with a specific mortar and anchored with fixings known as spikes.

Mesh-reinforced mortar
The second layer is a specific mortar for this use, which most, if not all, manufacturers assemble with a mesh.

Finish
The finish is usually a mortar with different types of finish and colours. There are even manufacturers that have developed systems to place ceramic.

Profiles
The profiles of the SATE system are critical: there are starting profiles, which are placed in the lower part to level the system, finishing profiles, profiles for meeting with carpentry, etc.