Which aerated concrete to choose for a private house, D300 or D500? Durability against thermal insulation (sorry, I didn't think about it before).

Probably, the time has already passed when many treated the construction of aerated concrete with great caution (they tried to crush it, wet it and freeze it, to check... 🤦‍♂️).But despite the fact that houses from this material are being built more and more often, questions remain ...

Friends, a big hello to everyone. When I first erected aerated concrete walls, many people told me that the density of my D400 blocks was too low and not designed for the construction of load-bearing walls.

"D500, or better D600. Only with such a density can you sleep peacefully, and you are not afraid that the walls will collapse. " - thought so, and I think many people think so.

It's been a couple of years ...

My house feels great (although for many this is not an argument), and on the Internet, I increasingly come across examples of one-story construction from a block with a density of as much as D300.

So where is the truth? After all, every person wants strong, warm and durable walls. Let's figure out which side to take.

❗❗❗ But first, you need to immediately understand one truth: there is no such material that would satisfy absolutely all the requirements. Therefore, when making a choice, you always need to build on a specific situation.

✅ Durability.

In addition to the fear that the walls will crumble under the weight of the ceiling and roof, there are more everyday things.

✔ Many people really refuse aerated concrete of lower density due to the fact that you cannot hang anything heavy on such walls (such as a TV, or some kind of cabinet). Although all this has long been refuted by practice.

Now there is a huge selection of fasteners, for these tasks, the main thing is to choose it correctly. For example, I attached a console and four meters of a chimney to my walls with a density of D400. Everything is holding up perfectly.

And in a wall with a density of D300, I'm sure it will go the same way. The main quantity and quality of fasteners.

✔ Another issue is the number of storeys of the building and the weight of the structures.

• If you decide to build a house with 3 floors, and even with concrete floors, then of course you cannot do without blocks with a high density (D500, 600).
• But if the house is on one floor, and with a wooden floor, then you can use the D300 density, everything will withstand (there are many examples in the vastness of the network).

"But why? Let it be stronger, so that for sure "- so many argue. There is a weighty argument.

✅ Thermal efficiency.

This is the second and very important point. Aerated concrete wall with a density of D300 will be much warmer, walls with the same thickness, but with a density of D500.

❗❗❗ And here the question of the ratio "Strength - Thermal efficiency" just arises.

If I do not need excessive strength (as in one-story construction), then I can choose a sufficient indicator, but win in thermal efficiency. It is blocks with a density of D300 that solve these problems.

• In this case, the total mass of the house will be less.
• And you can make a simple one-layer wall, without any additional insulation.

✅ Organization of workflow.

Not many people think about this, especially if the work is done by hired force.

Having dragged 24 pallets of aerated concrete with my own hands, I fully understood this:

• The lower the density, the lighter the block and the easier the work.
• This makes processing easier. The D300 block is sawn and sharpened much easier than the D500 block.
• Insulation works are added to everything on the block with high density. And this is another separate story ...

And even if all this work is not done by yourself, but rather to hire workers, then the difference in the cost of work with the D300 and D500 blocks will be, respectively, different.

So I figured out the question, and I felt sad 😒 ...

After all, my choice of aerated concrete D400 turns out to be something average, to not the most suitable. If we return everything back, then for my one-story house, I would no doubt choose blocks with a density D300, would save energy in work, did not think about further insulation, and received a significant amount of money in money benefit. So now what...

We move on and rejoice at what we have 😎.

Friends, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments. Write your opinion and share your experience on this issue. This is always helpful.

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