Knight Wall Systems Unveils Thermal-Isolating Wall Bracket For Rain Screens
Deer Park, WA - Knight Wall Systems announces it has launched a new, proprietary thermal isolation system, called ThermaStop™, for use with its self-leveling and continuous-insulation rain screens, according to company president Doug Knight.
ThermaStop is positioned between the wall and the wall brackets of a Knight rain screen and significantly reduces thermal bridging at that point of contact by isolating the bracket from the wall, a particular area of the building envelope that can potentially contribute to heat loss and gain.
“Our thermal models indicate that the use of ThermaStop in rain-screen construction delivers an increase of effective R-value on an average of 35-70 percent over conventional aluminum-brackets and continuous furring strips respectively,” Knight said. “And the more insulation that’s used, the better the isolator performs.”
A four-piece system constructed of Galvalume-coated steel brackets with a highly durable polyacetal plastic base and 1/8-inch plastic washer, ThermaStop reduces the contact between the wall and the rain screen, with only a ribbed area of the isolator’s base touching the wall. There is no metal-on-metal contact at all, Knight said, which is the key to its effectiveness. All metal fasteners are isolated. “Metal conducts heat. When you break that contact, the heat or cold transfer is significantly reduced,” he said. “It’s almost like breaking an electrical circuit.”
Knight’s ThermaStop takes up a smaller footprint than the more common aluminum wall brackets, and steel does not conduct heat nearly as well as aluminum, Knight said, all lending to its increased thermal performance.
About Knight Wall Systems Inc.
Knight Wall Systems Inc. is a subsidiary of Knight Construction and Supply Inc., in business since 1968, serving commercial, industrial and institutional customers throughout the Pacific Northwest. The firm has more than 100 employees at its eastern Washington headquarters and manufacturing facility. For more information, visit www.knightwallsystems.com.