Thermal insulation of expanded clay house: questions and answers

Modern construction market offers a variety of ways of warming of a private house. Our portal has already talked about the most common types of heatersSuch as kamennaya- and ecowool, extruded polystyrene, etc. We also wrote about profitable to build energy-efficient house.

Can a concrete block as a heater in the wall to compete with modern heaters; how and where to apply it as a heater; is there any economic benefit from the use of this material - turn to the experience FORUMHOUSE users.

What is the concrete block

Expanded clay - it is a porous granular material is lightweight. For its production is commonly used fusible clays. It undergoes rapid heating up to 1000-1300 ° C during 25-40 minutes in a heat chamber. During this process, the raw material "effervescence" and "swells". Due to this there are voids during solidification of the material in granules which pores are formed, enclosed in a shell of clay.

Expanded clay - an environmentally friendly and durable material, which is widely used in construction.

Field of application of the material depends on its density and fractions of crushed stone sizes. Namely:

• 0-5 - the so-called expanded clay sand;
• 5-10;
• 10-20;
• 20-40.

Brand can vary from 200 to 800 kg / m3 (depending on the bulk density).

Top-selling brands:

• M350
• M600

The higher the density, the more durable material and the worse its insulating qualities as insulation. In addition to the density and thermal conductivity, it is necessary to pay attention towater absorption of expanded clay.This figure largely determines the durability and possible applications of insulation. Simply put, afraid or not water the material, ie, how much moisture will absorb (as a percentage of its dry weight), being placed in moisture saturation medium. On average, the water absorption of the material (depending on the production technology at the plant) is from 8 to
20%.

How to choose and use a concrete block

Most often, the idea to buy a concrete block comes to its use as bulk insulation floor insulation, intercommunication rummaged, external walls in the so-called the well masonry.

Three layer Kolodeznaya masonry - is when the primary carrier between the inner wall (folded from foamed or aerated) and the outer brickwork layer is filled expanded clay. Also, the material used as filler in the production of lightweight concretes.

Everyone who planned to build a house of foam blocks, it is helpful to read the article, which tells about features and principles of selection foam.

Despite the fact that the insulation in the building has been used for a long time, its properties and methods of application goes to a lot of different speculations and rumors. Some builders have criticized this material, believing that it is subject to strong vlagonakopleniyu. Others consider it ideal for the independent developer. Here are comments from the participants of our portal:

Schmuck (User FORUMHOUSE):

Itself came out the following experiment - at me in the street stood two years expanded clay in bags. I recently opened a bag and saw that there was nothing left - the balls have become damp dust.

user343 (User FORUMHOUSE ):

Any building material, whether it be concrete block, brick, foamed and aerated concrete, etc. incorrect use, installation, storage and use, will lose its quality.

I think I just caught "underdone". Somehow I had to collect concrete block, which lay on the ground 30-40 years. Granules even moss thickets. I sifted it off the ground, after which the entire pellet was more than fragments.

Material properties directly depend on the feedstock quality and on whether compliance making expanded clay, plant all stages of production. Hence: different manufacturers expanded clay of the same fraction and density may be different from each other.

Therefore, you can buy as a "pig in a poke", and relatively inexpensive, but high-quality product that when used correctly show all of your positive qualities.

To select this material, first you need to decide for what purpose it is needed, and that they will be warm.

bagdanova (User FORUMHOUSE):

I need it as the insulation for the walls and as a filler for lightweight concrete. Here I wondered which faction to choose.

According to forumchanin with the nickname soniikot, as a filler for lightweight concrete is better to take fractions 5-10 or 10-20, as The higher bulk strength, the higher the brand expanded clay.

Particular brand is chosen depending on what is required of wall materials. Also, the user of our portal tips before you buy a concrete block in the meshes, to study reviews on the Internet about the plant and its suppliers. It happens that the negligent sellers, offering expanded clay cheap, mixed in bags or mud weight wrong buyers.

Where to buy expanded clay

On FORUMHOUSE often ask how to choose the material. To get a comprehensive answer from experienced builders, it is necessary to specify in what area of ​​the Russian Federation to be built, for the house that is being built, on which project. This will help you understand what and where insulation is applied.

The general rule is useful for all: Product characteristics (density, grade, frost, etc.) must comply with the published specifications, which are available on the website manufacturer. Upon delivery must bring "honest" cubes and kilograms rather than "air". It is worth paying attention to where you buy expanded clay - price from intermediaries and directly to the manufacturer's company will be markedly different; also see how long the manufacturer works on the market, what his equipment. It is not necessary to throw all their forces out to buy cheap concrete block, listen to the opinions of those who have built, and look for a manufacturer that is well-proven.

Is it profitable to warming of expanded clay

Choosing a concrete block as a heater wall or floor, wondering whether the frame walls stand with insulation of expanded clay Russian frosts, you need to immediately calculate the economic feasibility this venture. All the matter in its thermal conductivity.

Consider the following examples:

OlegLvovich (User FORUMHOUSE):

Depending on the density, thermal conductivity (lambda) expanded clay ranges from 0.11 to 0.23 W / (m * ° C). At a density of 400 kg / m3 its thermal conductivity will be 0.15 W / (m * ° C). Insulation thickness 0.15 / 0.15 W / (m * ° C) = heat transfer resistance R = 1. Next: 1 * 0.05 W / (m * ° C) (coefficient of thermal conductivity (lambda) polystyrene PPP) = 0.05 m.

Hence: 5 cm corresponds polystyrene PSB-25 brand of heat engineering characteristics 15cm expanded clay density 400 kg / m3.

If you take a concrete block and a comparison / rock wool, the comparison will again not in favor of the former. If you take the average values(Low heat conduction coefficient keramzita depending on its density - 0.1-0.14 W / (m * ° C), and rock wool - 0.04 W / (m * ° C), then to obtain a comparable effect for thermal protection, limestone required about 120 mm to 50 mm stone wool. Will increase the thickness of the layer of expanded clay.

44alex (User FORUMHOUSE):

I thought about the fact that in the basement of a UWB instead of the extruded polystyrene used expanded clay.

Validating has made calculations and found that such a change is unlikely to be justified. The fact is that although the price is lower than the price of expanded clay Epps about three times, its thermal conductivity five times (and even higher) more. Therefore, it will be laid layer is not less than 0.5 m, and in combination with a floor heating system - 0.7-0.8 m.

Although the price per 1 cu. m of expanded clay is less than the price of 1 cu. m Epps, but due to increasing layer bedding, limestone require 4-5 times more. Those. the price of an equivalent layer of insulation material before us be much more expensive than Epps, 2-2.5 times that will bring to naught all the benefits from its use.

This article tells about the all the features of UWB foundation.

If we are talking about a wooden house, then to his warm expanded clay, it is necessary to build a strong foundation (as granules weigh more than rock wool), think about how to put a scattering of pellets, so that they do not fall out, and etc.

At the same expanded clay in bags price may be grossly different in different regions; as if the point of sale makes it two different materials: "keramzit Moscow" and "concrete block area."

Therefore, for each specific case of warming the house expanded clay requires a separate calculation on the basis of climatic zone, the degree of heat loss at home, should also take into account the duration of the heating season and the cost of expanded clay. At the forum, there are examples of how to competently approach to the warming house this material and remain in the win.

Spiker99 (User FORUMHOUSE):

I have a house 8x8 meters, built of aerated concrete density D600, block sizes 625h300h200. Long chose, than a warm cottage. After going through several heaters, he stopped for filling expanded clay as environmentally clean and relatively budget pictures.

Thermal insulation of expanded clay walls. The layer thickness.

An interesting approach to the implementation of the thermal insulation of the house. The construction site - Kirov region. The walls of the house are made in the form of a three-layer masonry. Between aerated concrete blocks and the outer clutch of silica brick filled expanded clay, backfill layer is not thick - 15 cm. He shed the cement milk. Heated area - 50 sq. m. The second floor closed. The house is heated by three electric convectors, with a total capacity of 4 kW. Food cooked on a hotplate, + 2 in the building are a total cylinder displacement volume of 150 l. Total: heating costs in December amounted to 1.5 thousand. rub. at the rate of 2 rubles. 7 kopecks. per 1 kWh. Spending on home insulation, including the delivery of and the work - about 77 thousand. rub.

Insulated blind area of ​​expanded clay

Builders, using this material, familiar with the expression "expanded clay in the ground does not work." That is, in the structures below ground level (especially soil moisture saturation and high GWL) keramzite insulant do nothing. If we ignore this rule, he "will drink" water and loses all its positive qualities.

The more interesting the way in which we considered material can be used as a substitute for extruded polystyrene in the construction of insulated blind area.

Traks (User FORUMHOUSE):

Applied in the blind area of ​​concrete block as a means of studying the frost. Used keramzit marks M450 fractions 5-20. The fragility of this material is very conditional. You have to buy high-quality material, comply with stacking technology, and all problems will be solved.

The essence of the method successfully tried out forumchanin, is as follows. Because "Bury" expanded clay in the ground - a hopeless exercise, so that he could "work", it must be isolated from the external environment, ie, - waterproofed. And that was done. Cake blind area (when considered from bottom to top layers) has the following structure:

• priming;
• coarse sand, compacted mechanically;
• expanded clay, "wrapped" in a profiled drainage membrane 2x20 m;
• geogrid;
• rubble.

Width backfill - 1.2 m, the layer thickness is about 15-20 cm.

The topics can be found FORUMHOUSE, how to insulate the walls expanded clay houseand whether it is necessary to insulate the foundation of expanded clay.

Homebrew will be useful topics with detailed description construction of a house on monolithic technology keramsitAs well as a detailed report, how to build a house of lightweight expanded clay.

In our video reel owners cabin in the woods tell us why they are as wall material chosen claydite.

Discuss the article and read other materials devoted to country life you can on the websiteFORUMHOUSE.

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