Thermal insulation products - Assessment of the susceptibility to mould growth - Laboratory test method

This document describes a laboratory test method to determine the susceptibility of thermal insulation products used for construction against mould growth under specified climatic conditions.
The method is applicable to both factory-made products and in situ formed products. Factory-made products include panels, mats and rolls.
NOTE   In situ formed products are usually those that are delivered loose and installed by blowing-in, pouring, or spraying-on, eventually using water and/or binder, whether or not they are also treated using additives.
The test is carried out with one of the conditions described in Table 1.
This test method determines the susceptibility of a thermal insulation material to mould growth, but it does not determine the suitability for use in a given design (wall, roof, etc.).
This method does not predict the resistance of an insulation product to water damage.

Wärmedämmstoffe - Bewertung der Anfälligkeit für Schimmelpilzwachstum - Laborprüfverfahren

Dieses Dokument beschreibt ein Laborprüfverfahren zur Bewertung des Widerstands von Wärmedämmprodukten gegen Schimmelbildung, die unter festgelegten klimatischen Bedingungen für den Bau verwendet werden.
Das Verfahren ist sowohl für fabrikmäßig hergestellte Produkte als auch für an der Verwendungsstelle hergestellte Produkte anwendbar. Fabrikmäßig hergestellte Produkte umfassen Platten, Matten und Rollen.
ANMERKUNG   An der Verwendungsstelle hergestellte Produkte sind in der Regel solche, die lose geliefert und durch Einblasen, Schütten oder Aufsprühen, gegebenenfalls unter Verwendung von Wasser und/oder Bindemittel, eingebaut werden, unabhängig davon, ob sie auch mit Zusatzstoffen behandelt werden oder nicht.
Die Prüfung wird unter einer der in Tabelle 1 beschriebenen Bedingungen durchgeführt.
Dieses Prüfverfahren bestimmt den Widerstand eines Wärmedämmstoffs gegen Schimmelbildung, jedoch nicht die Eignung für die Verwendung in einer bestimmten Auslegung (Wand, Dach usw.).
Dieses Verfahren trifft keine Aussage über die Beständigkeit eines Dämmproduktes gegen Wasserschaden.

Méthode d'essai de laboratoire - Évaluation de la résistance des produits isolants thermiques au développement de moisissures

Le présent document décrit une méthode d’essai de laboratoire pour déterminer la résistance des produits isolants thermiques utilisés pour la construction vis-à-vis du développement de moisissures dans des conditions climatiques spécifiées.
La méthode est applicable à la fois aux produits manufacturés et aux produits formés en place. Les produits manufacturés incluent les panneaux, mats et rouleaux. Les produits formés en place sont généralement ceux qui sont livrés en vrac et mis en oeuvre par soufflage, versement ou projection, en utilisant de l’eau et/ou un liant, qu’ils soient ou non également traités à l’aide d’additifs.
Selon le fabricant de l’isolant, l’essai est réalisé dans l’une des conditions indiquées dans le Tableau 1. Cette condition est liée aux scénarios les plus défavorables sélectionnés à partir de conditions hygrothermiques réelles qui reflètent les conditions d’utilisation finale auxquelles sont soumis les produits isolants, et à la durée réduite de l’essai portant sur les moisissures.
Cette méthode d’essai détermine la résistance d’un matériau isolant thermique au développement de moisissures, mais elle ne détermine pas son aptitude à l’emploi dans une configuration donnée (mur, toit, etc.).
Cette méthode ne prédit pas la résistance d’un produit isolant à une exposition à l’eau accidentelle résultant de la saturation du produit (dégât des eaux).

Toplotnoizolacijski izdelki - Vrednotenje odpornosti proti razvoju plesni - Laboratorijska preskusna metoda

General Information

Status
Not Published
Publication Date
01-Nov-2023
Current Stage
5020 - Submission to Vote - Formal Approval
Start Date
13-Jul-2023
Due Date
09-Nov-2022
Completion Date
13-Jul-2023

Buy Standard

Draft
prEN 17886:2022 - BARVE
English language
19 pages
sale 10% off
Preview
sale 10% off
Preview
e-Library read for
1 day

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
01-oktober-2022
Laboratorijska preskusna metoda - Vrednotenje odpornosti toplotnoizolacijskih
izdelkov proti razvoju plesni
Laboratory test method - assessment of the susceptibility of thermal insulation products
to mould growth
Bewertung des Widerstands von Wärmedämmprodukten gegen Schimmelbildung
Évaluation de la résistance des produits d'isolation contre le développement des
moisissures
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 17886
ICS:
91.120.10 Toplotna izolacija stavb Thermal insulation of
buildings
oSIST prEN 17886:2022 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022


DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 17886
NORME EUROPÉENNE

EUROPÄISCHE NORM

July 2022
ICS 91.120.10
English Version

Laboratory test method - assessment of the susceptibility
of thermal insulation products to mould growth
Évaluation de la résistance des produits d'isolation Bewertung des Widerstands von
contre le développement des moisissures Wärmedämmprodukten gegen Schimmelbildung
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 88.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.


EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2022 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 17886:2022 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Principle . 6
5 Test materials and apparatus . 6
5.1 Fungal species . 6
5.2 Products and reagents . 6
5.3 Apparatus . 7
6 Sampling of the insulating products. 7
7 Insulating product specimens . 8
7.1 Number of test specimens . 8
7.2 Preparation of the test specimens . 8
7.3 Observation of the test specimens when delivered . 8
8 Control specimens . 8
9 Procedure. 9
9.1 Sterilization by ionizing radiation . 9
9.2 Inoculation . 9
9.2.1 Preparation of the spore suspension . 9
9.2.2 Determining the viability of the spores inoculated at the beginning of the test . 10
9.2.3 Inoculation of the insulation specimens and of the control specimens . 10
9.3 Estimation of the number of colony-forming units (CFU) in the test specimens . 10
9.4 Determination of the moisture content of test specimens . 11
10 Incubation . 11
11 Examination of the test specimens after incubation . 12
11.1 Visual surface examination . 12
11.2 Quantitative analysis (determination of CFU) . 12
12 Validity of the test . 13
13 Exploitation of results . 13
14 Interpretation of results . 13
15 Report . 13
Annex A (informative) Guidelines for the visual assessment of mould growth on insulation
specimens – at the end of the mould test . 15
Annex B (informative) Mould test method – Guidelines to interpret the test results . 18

2

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 17886:2022) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 88 “Thermal
insulating materials and products”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
3

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
Introduction
Insulation materials used in buildings can be subjected to high humidity either periodically or
permanently and thus be affected by mould growth.
The main factor that affect the growth of mould is an increased availability of moisture on the surface of
materials. In buildings, this results typically from condensation of water vapour and/or an unintended
increase of material moisture content through building defects, etc.
4

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
1 Scope
This document describes a laboratory test method to determine the susceptibility of thermal insulation
products used for construction against mould growth under specified climatic conditions.
The method is applicable to both factory-made products and in situ formed products. Factory-made
products include panels, mats, and rolls. In situ formed products are usually those that are delivered
loose and installed by blowing-in, poring, or spraying-on, using water and/or binder, whether or not
they are also treated using additives.
Depending on the insulation manufacturer, the test is carried out with one of the conditions in Table 1.
This condition is linked to worst case scenarios selected from real hygrothermal conditions that reflect
the end use conditions experienced by insulation products, and to short test duration for mould test.
This test method determines the susceptibility of a thermal insulation material to mould growth, but
does not determine the suitability for use in a given design (wall, roof, etc.).
This method does not predict the resistance of an insulation product to accidental water exposure
resulting in saturation of the product (water damage).
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN ISO 846:2019, Plastics - Evaluation of the action of microorganisms (ISO 846:2019)
EN ISO 3696, Water for analytical laboratory use - Specification and test methods (ISO 3696)
EN ISO 7218, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - General requirements and guidance for
microbiological examinations (ISO 7218)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
colony-forming unit
CFU
unit used in microbiology which estimates the number of bacteria or fungal cells in a sample which are
viable; cell or aggregate of cells which gives rise to a single colony (a population of the cells visible to
the naked eye) in a semi-solid growth medium
3.2
test specimen
sample made specially for the test from the insulation product
5

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
3.3
mould growth
presence of either mycelium, germinated spores or fruiting bodies
4 Principle
The test specimens are prepared from insulating material test samples and are sterilized, then
inoculated with a defined quantity of fungal spores. The samples are then incubated under specific
conditions of temperature and relative humidity. At the end of the test, the fungal growth is assessed by
visual observation and, where appropriate, by determining the number of CFU present. The presence or
absence of fungal growth makes it possible to rule on the intrinsic characteristic of susceptibility of the
tested product.
5 Test materials and apparatus
5.1 Fungal species
The fungal species referred to in normative documents shall be used to inoculate the insulating product
to be tested. The fungal species shall have been obtained from official culture collections (reference
stocks).
Because of the handling of biological agents, it is recommended to use personal protective equipment
and/or proceed with caution using appropriate equipment such as a microbiological safety cabinet.
Compulsory fungal strains:
— Aspergillus niger (MNHN 48-521, or DSM 1957)
— Trichoderma viride (MNHN 88-3354 or IHEM 4146)
— Penicillium funiculosum (MNHN 56-1527 or DSM 1944)
— Chaetomium globosum (ATCC 6205)
— Paecilomyces variotii (MNHN LCP 79-3210 or DSM 1961)
— Aspergillus versicolor (ATCC 11730)
This test may be done with additional fungal strains. In this case it shall be done with an additional
separate set of test specimens.
5.2 Products and reagents
The following products and reagents shall be used:
— Culture medium:
— Malt powder (2 % w/w) and agar (2 % w/w) to be prepared in water quality 3.
— Solvents and thinners:
— Water quality 3 in accordance with EN ISO 3696.
— Wetting agent such as Tween 80.
— Binder-free glass fibre pre-filters that do not contain any cellulose, 70 mm in diameter.
6

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
5.3 Apparatus
The following apparatus shall be used:
— Climate chamber with controlled temperature and relative humidity maintained (mean values
recorded) at either:
— 28 °C ± 2 °C and 95 % ± 4 %; or
— 28 °C ± 2 °C and 85 % ± 4 %; or
— 20 °C ± 2 °C and 85 % ± 4 %; or
— 14 °C ± 2 °C and 95 % ± 4 %.
— Conditioning chamber or drying oven at 70 °C ± 3 °C.
— Sterile Petri dishes.
4 3
— Atomiser capable of providing 1,5 × 10 spores / cm .
— Stomacher (optional) and sterile bags.
— Nylon-based filter with a pore size of 20 µm to allow the preparation of the spore suspension.
— Autoclave.
— Microscope or binocular magnifier at both 20 × and 50 × magnification.
— Material specifically used for the preparation of the spore suspension to be sprayed:
— Glass beads 3 to 5 mm in diameter;
— Centrifuge or filtration unit;
— Counting chamber. The Malassez cell or a chamber with a Thoma ruling (0,1 mm depth) is
appropriate for counting fungal spores.
— Microbiological safety cabinet.
6 Sampling of the insulating products
For loose-fill insulating products, three manufacturing batches of products are required. The samples
shall be taken from those three batches. For insulating products made of boards or rolls, three
boards/rolls coming from three different manufacturing batches are required.
7

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
7 Insulating product specimens
7.1 Number of test specimens
Three series of specimens from the insulating product to be tested shall be prepared:
— Series 1 (S1): 3 specimens dedicated to the assessment of the quantity of viable spores settled at
the beginning of the test (Time T0), the day of inoculation (one test specimen from each batch).
— Series 2 (S2): 9 specimens (three test specimens from each batch) dedicated to the visual
inspection and, where appropriate, to the assessment of the quantity of CFU – at the end of the test-
after 4 weeks (Time T4 weeks) or 8 weeks (Time T8 weeks) incubation (according to the test
condition in Table 1).
— Series 3 (S3): 3 specimens (one test specimen from each batch) dedicated to the determination of
the water absorption by the test specimens at the end of the test – after 4 weeks or 8 weeks
incubation (according to the test condition in Table 1).
7.2 Preparation of the test specimens
For insulation products made of rolls or boards, the specimens shall be cut preferably from the surface
2
away from the edge. The area of each test specimen shall be at least 20 cm and its thickness shall range
between 8 and 10 mm. During preparation, the material shall not be damaged, to ensure that its
structure and density are maintained.
For loose-fill insulating products, enough material shall be used to be gently tamped down to obtain the
smoothest surface possible. This will facilitate microscopic examination. The area of each test specimen
2
shall be at least 20 cm and its thickness shall range between 8 and 10 mm.
For final products such as the External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS), a thickness
exceeding 10 mm may be tested. The size and the volume of all the test specimens shall be the same.
This method may be applied to wet-sprayed insulation products and insulation products sprayed with a
binder using conditions that are relevant to the water or binder content representative of their
installation.
If insulation materials are not homogeneous and have surface layers, both “materials” shall be tested
(surface layer + matrix).
7.3 Observation of the test specimens when delivered
The insulation test specimens shall be inspected with the naked eye and through the microscope
(× 50 magnification minimum) so as to make sure that no fungi have grown after delivery and before
the start of the test.
At this stage, any material likely to have been the subject of fungal growth shall not be tested.
8 Control specimens
Control specimens are prepared using three binder-free glass fibre pre-filters (5.2).
The glass fibre pre-filters are sterilized by gamma radiation (9.1).
The following solution is prepared and sterilized for 30 min ± 2 min at 115 °C ± 1 °C in the autoclave.
The solution’s composition is detailed in EN ISO 846:2019, 5.2.3.1.
8

---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
oSIST prEN 17886:2022
prEN 17886:2022 (E)
NaNO 2,0 g
3
KH PO 0,7 g
2 4
K HPO 0,3 g
2 4
KCI 0,5 g
MgSO ⋅ 7H O 0,5 g
4 2
FeSO ⋅ 7H O 0,01 g
4 2
Glucose 30 g
H O 1 000 ml
2
After sterilization, a specified amount of solution is put on each control specimen (9.2.3).
Once the solution is put on the control specimens, they are dried on a rack and then used in the test in
sterile Petri dishes.
9 Procedure
9.1 Sterilization by ionizing radiation
The insulation product specimens to be tested S1, S2 and S3 and the control specimens (glass fibre pre-
filters- before the addition of the solution described in Clause 8) shall be sterilized. The specimens are
placed in individual bags made from polyethylene. The bags are then closed by heat-welding, and then
sterilized by ionizing radiation (25kGy to 50kGy from a 60 Co source or 50 kGy to 100 kGy using a
particle accelerator).
9.2 Inoculation
9.2.1 Preparation of the spore suspension
Follow each stage described below carefully for each fungal strain, and separately, as follows.
The strains described in 5.1 are first grown on malt (2 % w/w) agar (2 % w/w) for 1 to 4 weeks of
culture at 22°C to 28 °C ± 2 °C.
Sterile water quality 3 (10 mL in addition to 0,05 % (w/v) wetting agent and NaCl at 0,9 % (w/v)) is to
be added to each Petri dish containing a fungal culture and agitated lightly using a sterile inoculating
loop. The resulting suspension of spores and h
...

Questions, Comments and Discussion

Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.