External thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) are now a standard feature in new buildings and are increasingly being used in renovations. The advantages speak for themselves, as insulated external walls increase the energy efficiency of buildings while lowering maintenance costs and contributing to climate-neutral housing. With fischer’s TherMax stand-off installation system, fixtures can be securely fastened to ETICS with almost no thermal loss. To fasten fixtures without thermal bridges, fischer offers the FID II, FID II Plus, FID-R and FID-Z insulation fixings. 

Carpenters and other tradespeople are receiving more and more assignments involving facades with ETICS. But when attaching any fixtures, the fastening must not cause any thermal bridges in the facade and be fastened to the anchor substrate behind the insulation, depending on the load.

Marquees, French balcony rails, air conditioning units, satellite dishes and numerous other fixtures – the fischer TherMax variants with M12 and M16 threaded rods allow heavy loads to be fastened in a compliant manner to insulated external walls, front faces of ceilings or in rear-ventilated curtain facades with insulation thicknesses of 62 to 290 mm while ensuring thermal isolation. The plastic cone interrupts the thermal bridge between the fixture and the internal fastening, thus achieving energy optimisation. No specialist tools are required for the installation, and TherMax includes any necessary individual parts. The anchor rod can be individually adapted after the drill hole is created. Next, the plaster and thermal insulation are milled with the entire TherMax. A special fischer milling blade, which is simply placed on the cone, can be used for particularly stubborn plaster. After cleaning the drill hole, a suitable fischer injection mortar (such as FIS V Plus) is injected into the drill hole before the TherMax is inserted with a slight twisting motion. An anchor sleeve must be inserted beforehand in perforated brick. The TherMax can still be adjusted after the injection mortar’s curing time, allowing anchor plates and consoles to be adjusted. Afterwards, the annular gap between the plaster and the anti-cold cone is sealed with fischer’s Multi MS sealant and adhesive and the console or fixture is fastened with a hex nut to permanently and securely anchor the attachments. 

TherMax 8 and 10 variants are suitable for securely fastening medium-heavy objects such as fixtures, lights, awnings, letter boxes and lightning conductors. They “bridge” insulation with thicknesses of 45 mm to 240 mm. The product consists of the fischer Universal nylon plug (UX 10 or UX 12), a zinc-plated stock screw (M 8 or M 10) and a glass-fibre reinforced plastic cone. The annular gap around the fischer TherMax is sealed with a sealant adhesive and a special cap. The plugs can be installed quickly without the need for any specialist tools. Minus tolerances in the wall structure of up to 20 mm are easily bridged and compensated. There is also no need to cut spacer sleeves to size in order to fit on-site conditions, for instance. TherMax 8 and 10 fixings for various applications provide a diverse range of connection options: 4.5 mm to 6 mm chipboard screws, 6.3 mm sheet metal screws, as well as metric screws M6, M8 and M10. In wood substructures, fischer TherMax 8 and 10 can be inserted directly without plugs.

fischer also offers innovative insulation fixings to fasten lightweight to medium fixtures directly in ETICS. Variants of the latest FID II /FID II Plus generation can be used in ETICS with all kinds of common insulation types and superstructures (mineral wool, expanded and extruded polystyrene (EPS/XPS), wood fibre, polyurethane rigid foam (PU)). Because the fixing is placed directly in the insulation through the plaster, no thermal bridges are created while attaching any fixtures. 

Parcel boxes, charging points for electric vehicles or window shutter holders – FID II Plus provides an added advantage with its load-bearing capacity and its ideal combination with a chemical additive component. Combined with the insulation fixings, fischer’s Fill&Fix liquid plug or fischer 1K PU foam increase load values by up to 100 %. The chemical component is injected into the screw opening, connecting with the insulation through the openings along the shaft of the plug. Meanwhile, fischer’s FID II insulation fixing is ideal for fastening lightweight fixtures such as external lighting, motion sensors, house numbers or doorbells to ETICS.

Thanks to the combined centring, milling and cutting function of the plug tip, the plugs can be screwed in with precision before providing a flush fit in the insulation without damaging the surface. Thanks to their special tip geometry, the plugs can be screwed into plaster with strengths of up to 10 mm, making the process simpler and faster. Pre-drilling is recommended when working with thicker plaster layers. The process requires minimal effort. Using conventional screws with diameters of 4.5 to 6 mm (FID II Plus) or 3.5 to 4.5 mm (FID II) enables flexible processing. The insulation fixings can be installed into ETICS with speed and ease using a standard cordless screwdriver. Their TX 40 bit adapter provides a powerful drive. When using the FID II Plus as a system together with fischer Fill&Fix or fischer 1K PU foam, the curing time of the chemical component must be observed before the screw can be inserted. Following the pre-positioned installation, the plugs can be additionally sealed with a sealing compound, protecting the fastening point against moisture.

The special geometry beneath the head of the plugs provides a clean setting result. With its low head diameter, the FID II also provides an optimised appearance, meaning the plug rim is not visible even when installing slim fixtures. Made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic, the new products ensure maximum stability in ETICS, including pressure-resistant insulation materials such as wood fibre. 

FID-R is ideal for installing rainwater pipes to ETICS without thermal bridges. The plug can be installed with standard tools thanks to its TX drive. Its accompanying cover and nut are applied on its threaded pin in order to seal the FID-R and prevent rainwater from penetrating. The pipe bracket is then screwed onto this fixing, which the rainwater pipe can be attached to. With the fischer zinc die-cast FID-Z insulation fixing, thin metal sheets can be fastened to plastered ETICS facades made of polystyrene, mineral wool, softwood fibres and polyurethane. Its special tip geometry is inserted directly into the sheet in the facade without requiring any pre-drilling. The optimised thread geometry ensures the screw can be evenly inserted, resulting in a neat setting result. Fixtures such as cross-cutting strips or splash guards can be attached with speed and ease using the insulation screw. The sealing washer on the screw head seals the drill hole against weather influences.