Insulation of walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks. How to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside Insulation and cladding of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks

When constructing houses from expanded clay concrete, the walls are created from two layers of the described material. Often this is not enough to keep the house warm in the winter. That is why it is important to properly insulate the building. In order for walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks to reliably retain heat in a room, it is necessary to properly insulate it, taking into account the characteristics of the specific structure and the materials used.

Why is it worth insulating?

Expanded clay concrete is characterized by high strength and durability, so it is excellent for creating residential buildings. It is worth noting that the thermal conductivity of the described material is 3 times lower than the thermal conductivity of brick. But it is worth remembering that it is necessary to insulate expanded clay concrete house walls. This is due to several reasons:

1. To give expanded clay strength, the material is created very dense, so heat passes through it quite quickly. Because of this, expanded clay concrete walls must be insulated from the outside.
2. Walls made of the described material are easily destroyed under the influence of external factors. To protect the material, it is worth cladding and insulating the building from the outside. Often, facing bricks are used for this.

It is worth remembering that insulating walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks will not only help maintain more comfortable conditions in the house, but will also extend its service life, as it protects against condensation in the walls.

What materials should be used for insulation?

Before carrying out work on wall insulation, it is necessary to plaster the surface on both sides. This also helps keep the house warm. Insulation of expanded clay concrete buildings occurs using the following materials:

1. Mineral wool. Many builders purchase this particular insulation, since it is not flammable and is made from environmentally friendly components. But when choosing this material, it is worth remembering that during insulation it is necessary to correctly create a waterproofing barrier. If this is not done, mineral wool will begin to deteriorate under the influence of moisture.
2. Styrofoam. This material is lightweight and low cost. It is quite easy to fix polystyrene foam without the help of professional builders. It is worth noting that it is easily damaged by rodents and loses its properties when exposed to moisture. But when you create a reliable waterproofing barrier, you don’t have to worry about its destruction.
3. Penoplex. This material can be installed quite simply with your own hands. At the same time, it is resistant to moisture and consists of environmentally friendly components.

How to insulate a house with mineral wool

All work on insulating a house made of expanded clay concrete thermal comfort blocks occurs as follows:

It is worth noting that polystyrene foam is not recommended due to the fact that it is a vapor-proof material, which can result in condensation on the walls. Installation of such material is carried out in the same way as fixing sheets of mineral wool. In order to properly insulate a building, before carrying out work it is worth finding out about the thermal conductivity of a particular structure.

Which method of external thermal insulation to choose?

When creating houses from expanded clay concrete, insulation is carried out in three ways:

• in-wall insulation;
• ventilated facade;
• thermal insulation using the “wet” method.

To understand which of the presented methods is more preferable, it is worth considering the features of each of them.

A ventilated facade is a method in which a frame is constructed, covered with facing material. In this case, the created structure carries an additional load on the wall. Due to the increased weight of the structure, using this method is not recommended.

In-wall insulation involves fixing a layer of insulation to the outside and covering it with decorative material. This method is quite common, but it is worth noting that a fairly large amount of money must be spent on its implementation.

Wet insulation has the following advantages:

• helps create a protective layer that helps prevent weathering of expanded clay concrete blocks;
• does not create a large load on the walls of the building;
• allows you to choose one of many shades of the facade;
• When using this method, a small amount of money is spent.

It is worth noting that partitions in a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks are not insulated.

Selecting the type of insulation depending on the characteristics of the structure

If the façade of the house is not finished with anything, you can line the walls with bricks, having first secured the insulation. The effectiveness of this insulation method is quite high. But it is worth noting that this method is used infrequently. This is due to the cost of materials and time spent on cladding.

Also, buildings made of expanded clay concrete are often insulated in a similar way, but instead of brick, other facing materials are used. An example is metal siding. Polystyrene foam often acts as insulation.

Another possible situation is that a house made of expanded clay concrete is already finished with brick, but without a layer of insulation. In this case, you can treat the structure with polyurethane foam.

To do this, holes are first created in the wall through which the polyurethane mixture is supplied. After this, the material fills the cracks and hardens. The use of such material has many advantages. This material cannot be damaged by rodents and is not susceptible to moisture. But it is worth remembering that such material has a high cost. Because of this, many home owners abandon the described method in favor of cheaper options.

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How to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks - Proraboff.rf

The technology for constructing walls made of expanded clay concrete usually involves laying them in two blocks. As a result, the thickness of the walls does not exceed 40 cm. This is completely insufficient to provide high-quality thermal insulation. Therefore, owners have to spend a lot of money on heating their homes or endure less than optimal conditions in the winter.

Why thermally insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete?

It cannot be denied that expanded clay concrete blocks have many advantages. One of the most serious is strength. Expanded clay concrete allows you to build reliable and durable buildings without spending too much money. But in terms of thermal insulation characteristics, this material does not perform well.

If you install additional thermal insulation, you can significantly save on heating costs and reduce the thickness of the walls. It is advisable that materials with a thickness of at least 10 cm be used for insulation. The simplest method is to attach ordinary polystyrene foam to the façade side. But it is important to check that there are no seams between the sheet materials.

How to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete

Along with such an advantage as strength, expanded clay concrete blocks also show frost resistance and the ability to repel water. Due to this, you can use different options for creating a thermal insulation layer. But in order for the insulation to still be of high quality and durable, no matter how it is created, the thermal insulation material must be protected from the outside with a vapor barrier. It is especially important that insulation materials that can intensively absorb moisture are covered with vapor barrier materials. If there is a decent vapor barrier, the danger of reducing their thermal insulation characteristics will disappear.

What situations are possible

There are two options for constructing expanded clay concrete masonry, which seriously affect thermal insulation measures. It is worth considering them so that you can choose the most successful method of insulating a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks.

1. There is no external cladding of the facade

We are talking about a situation where we are dealing only with a wall made of expanded clay concrete blocks 40 cm thick. There are no facing materials on the outside. In this case, you can increase the thermal insulation capabilities of the walls by laying brick cladding. Then it will be possible to place insulation between the expanded clay concrete walls and the brickwork.

Although the effectiveness of this insulation approach is very high, it is still rarely used. This is primarily due to the high cost of facing materials. It will not be possible to build brickwork yourself, and this forces the owners to incur additional costs. Therefore, they often turn to another method of thermal insulation of expanded clay concrete walls without external cladding.

A good option is laying insulation followed by installation of facing panels. The latter can be lining, plastic or metal siding, and so on. Foam plastic is quite suitable as insulation. But it needs to be laid in two layers, if the thickness of each is 5 cm. The foam is placed so that the seams of the second layer do not coincide with the seams of the first layer.

Once the insulation is in place, the siding is installed. Vertical guide profiles forming the frame must be laid under it. In addition to polystyrene foam, mineral wool and other basalt insulation materials can be used as thermal insulation materials. But such a thermal insulation layer must be protected with a vapor barrier.

And there is another insulation method that can be implemented in this case. It consists in the fact that the glued slab insulation is covered with decorative plaster. By slab insulation we mean polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or penoplex. They are easy to glue to the surface, then secured with dowels in the form of mushrooms.

2. The facade is additionally lined with facing bricks

Most often, buyers of unfinished houses face this situation. In this case, the walls made of expanded clay concrete are additionally lined with brick. But there is no insulation in the layer between the materials. Then you can try treating the walls with polyurethane foam. The procedure begins with making holes in the wall. A polyurethane mixture is supplied through them, which then expands and fills all the cracks.

The use of polyurethane foam is associated with a large number of advantages. This material is not afraid of rodents, copes with moisture, and cannot be affected by mold. The only difficulty is that this kind of material is expensive. Its laying should be entrusted to professionals who have special equipment. This also forces you to make additional expenses.

How to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete

If the owner has chosen a method of performing thermal insulation, he will need to select a suitable insulation. An expanded clay concrete house can be protected from the cold by a variety of thermal insulation materials. These are considered the most successful.

1. Mineral wool

The most serious advantage of mineral wool is environmental friendliness. When insulating a house made of expanded clay concrete from the outside, this material is especially suitable. It is able to counteract the spread of fire and prevent heat loss. The most important thing is that during the thermal insulation work, the mineral wool is also covered with a vapor barrier.

2. Polystyrene foam when insulating the facade

The main advantage of polystyrene foam as a thermal insulation material is its low cost. But this insulation can burn and is often spoiled by insects. If you use polystyrene foam, you must cover the thermal insulation layer with a reinforced mesh. Then birds, small animals and other pests will not get to the insulation.

3. Penoplex as a material for insulation

To some extent, penoplex is similar to polystyrene foam. But it is more durable, copes well with moisture, is not interesting for insects, and it is very easy to install penoplex. There are no significant gaps left between adjacent slabs of such material. Experts believe that penoplex is best used to insulate the facade of a house made of expanded clay concrete.

Internal insulation of a building made of expanded clay blocks

Construction specialists agree that insulating an expanded clay concrete house from the inside is not a very correct decision. The main reason to think this way is the risk of condensation on the walls of the building. This happens due to a shift in the dew point. Another obvious problem is that the expanded clay concrete walls will freeze.

It follows from this that for internal insulation it is better to use some dense material that has a high vapor barrier. To ensure insulation and protection of expanded clay concrete walls from the inside, professionals advise using ordinary plaster. Both gypsum and cement mortar are suitable. But there are still differences between these materials.

1. Gypsum plaster. Its weight is less, and its thermal insulation capabilities are higher. But an obvious disadvantage should be considered the low adhesion of gypsum plaster and expanded clay concrete. Therefore, the owner will first have to carefully prepare the surface.

2. Cement-sand plaster. It is well suited for insulating walls made of expanded clay blocks, since it has exactly the same composition as this material. In addition, cement-sand plaster adheres so well that it seals all the cracks present in the walls.

Using the most successful technology for insulating a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks, the owner is sure to get an excellent result. He just has to remember that high-quality insulation requires a careful approach. By choosing the wrong material or installing it incorrectly, the owner risks worsening the overall condition of the house and reducing its service life.

Choosing insulation for expanded clay block video

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Insulation of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside

Of course, insulating an expanded clay concrete house requires increased attention from the one who performs such work - first of all, attention should be paid to the thickness of the walls, which are made at forty centimeters - in two blocks, respectively. Before the start of construction, people try to figure everything out and ask themselves: is it necessary to insulate the expanded clay concrete blocks of walls from the outside?

There is another option, when the structure has already been erected, but in this case a lot of financial resources are wasted on heating. In this case, the owners begin to think about optimizing external insulation. Next, it will be shown in detail how insulation of expanded clay concrete walls should occur and what materials are best to use. Let's try to look at all kinds of insulation options in this publication.

How important is insulation?

Is insulation as important as they write about it everywhere on the Internet? There is a lot of information on the Internet - it is no secret that not everything needs to be paid attention to. The vast majority of data, as a rule, relate to the topic and partially reveal it.

First of all, you need to choose the right insulation for expanded clay concrete walls - this is the basis, since success will directly depend on this.

Insulation of a wall made of expanded clay concrete blocks should take place gradually - you should not force things or try to quickly find a replacement for this material.

It is safe to say that in this case, more money will be spent - this is facilitated by an increase in density of approximately ten centimeters.

An alternative to insulating expanded clay concrete walls from the outside is the correct use of budget options. The most common and, at the same time, budget option is laying foam plastic on the outside of the building - indeed, this may be an exception to the rule, but in this aspect, maintaining tightness is not even discussed. There is still free space between the sheets of insulation - foam the seams and holes with polyurethane foam.

Are there differences in the characteristics and thermal conductivity of different wall materials?

Possibilities for wall insulation

Naturally. Nowadays, the world of building materials is updated almost daily - the insulation of a house made of expanded clay blocks from the outside is a good example of this. Technologies for insulating expanded clay concrete blocks of walls from the outside differ in different countries - for example, in Spain everything will be done far differently than in the Russian Federation.

Modern insulation of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks is distinguished by increased reliability and durability in operation.

Additional advantages include resistance to frost temperatures and water resistance. It is thanks to these characteristics that developers, even in apartment buildings, purchase such blocks in large quantities.

Which insulation to choose?

How to insulate expanded clay concrete blocks of walls from the outside with mineral wool, polystyrene foam or penoplex?

Professionals say that of all the above three options, it is advisable to choose mineral wool. This material not only optimizes the insulation of a house made of expanded clay blocks from the outside, but is also completely safe for human health, since it contains exclusively environmentally friendly components.

Fire safety is also very important - the material does not burn and is perfectly able to withstand heat and external loads. If you decide to go with mineral wool, then try to cover all the necessary places with a vapor barrier, protecting them from moisture and getting wet.

When insulating walls using polystyrene foam, you must be sure to remember the so-called “unpleasant surprises” - over time, rodents can grow in such material.

Fire hazard and moisture absorption are other disadvantages that often determine the choice of builders in favor of the same mineral wool.

A well-ventilated facade should always be covered with a grille - this is necessary in order to completely eliminate even the theoretical possibility of small animals and birds getting into the insulation. In addition to the low cost of the material, which was mentioned above, its advantages are simple installation and light weight.

The density and strength of penoplex, in comparison with expanded polystyrene, is much higher. The slabs contain locks that minimize the formation of unnecessary gaps. Penoplex itself is lightweight and easy to install.

We humbly believe that this is the best option for high-quality insulation of the walls of almost any home.

onfasad.ru

Features of insulating walls made of expanded clay concrete

It is important to ensure proper thermal insulation of the house. This will prevent premature destruction of supporting structures and reduce heating costs. The building materials market now offers many products for creating wall fencing. They all have different thermal insulation properties. Next, we consider the question of whether insulation of expanded clay concrete external walls is necessary and how to carry it out.

Characteristics of the material from the point of view of thermal engineering

The thermal conductivity of a material strongly depends on its density. Among expanded clay balls the following classification can be given:

Comparative characteristics of the thermal insulation properties of various materials

• construction materials - density 1200 - 1800 kg/m3;
• structural and thermal insulation - density 500-1000 kg/m3.

The thermal conductivity of structural materials is comparable to ordinary ceramic bricks, therefore, according to thermal engineering, the wall must have a sufficiently large thickness. Structural and thermal insulation types have characteristics similar to “warm” porous ceramics. In this case, the thickness of the walls of the house is smaller, but for private housing construction it can be further reduced through the use of effective insulation materials.

Materials for thermal insulation

Manufacturers now offer a fairly large range of thermal insulators. To protect walls you can use:

• mineral wool (slabs and mats);
• Styrofoam;
• extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex);
• polyurethane foam;
• ecowool;
• “warm” plaster.

The most common of these methods are mineral wool and expanded polystyrene (foam plastic and penoplex). Their thermal insulation characteristics are approximately equal.

Thermal calculation

When purchasing blocks, the manufacturer must always indicate their properties. The calculation determines the thickness; to perform it, a characteristic such as thermal conductivity will be required. There are two ways to perform this calculation:

• "manually";
• using special programs.

It is not difficult to perform an independent calculation, but for a person who does not have a construction education, it can cause difficulties. It is best to use the simple Teremok program, which works in two modes:

• calculating the thickness of one of the layers of the wall structure;
• checking the heat transfer resistance if the thickness has already been selected.

To work with the software, you will need the following initial data:

• thermal conductivity of expanded clay concrete blocks;
• block width;
• thermal conductivity of insulation;
• insulation thickness (not needed if working with the program in the first mode).

Having selected the values, you can begin insulating the walls of the house.

Work production technology

First of all, you need to determine which side to fasten the material on. Insulating a wall made of expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside is the most competent solution. Work can also be carried out from the inside, but only if fixing the heat insulator from the outside will cause great inconvenience and lead to increased labor and financial costs.

The process of protecting walls with insulation depends on its type. For different materials, the technology has slight differences, so it is worth considering each of them separately.

Mineral wool

Mineral wool is attached to a pre-installed frame. The work should be done in the following order:

• cleaning the wall surface;
• fastening vapor barrier;
• frame installation;
• installation of insulation;
• waterproofing;
• finishing of the facade with provision of an air-ventilated layer, at least 5 cm thick.

The layer is needed to remove condensation from the insulation, which loses its properties when wet.

Foam plastic and penoplex

The fastening of materials is carried out in the same way. The order of the layers is the same as in the previous case, the only difference is that the installation of a frame and the presence of a ventilated layer are not required. Penoplex is resistant to moisture, so you can do without a vapor barrier. Fastening the outside wall of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks is carried out simultaneously in two ways:

• on special glue for polystyrene foam;
• on dowels.

First you should cut the sheets, then try them on for size. After this, glue is applied to the material. You need to glue the polystyrene foam with a bandage so that there are no long vertical seams. Once the gluing is completed, the thermal insulation on the outside of the house is additionally fixed with plastic dowels. How to insulate an apartment on the ground floor

Which basalt insulation is better to choose for a frame house?

Master of Architecture, graduated from Samara State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. 11 years of experience in design and construction.

It is important to ensure proper thermal insulation of the house. This will prevent premature destruction of supporting structures and reduce heating costs. The building materials market now offers many products for creating wall fencing. They all have different thermal insulation properties. Next, we consider the question of whether insulation of expanded clay concrete external walls is necessary and how to carry it out.

Characteristics of the material from the point of view of thermal engineering

The thermal conductivity of a material strongly depends on its density. Among expanded clay balls the following classification can be given:

• construction materials – density 1200 – 1800 kg/m3;
• structural and thermal insulation – density 500-1000 kg/m3.

The thermal conductivity of structural materials is comparable to ordinary ceramic bricks, therefore, according to thermal engineering, the wall must have a sufficiently large thickness. Structural and thermal insulation types have characteristics similar to “warm” porous ceramics. In this case, the thickness of the walls of the house is smaller, but for private housing construction it can be further reduced through the use of effective insulation materials.

Materials for thermal insulation

Manufacturers now offer a fairly large range of thermal insulators. To protect walls you can use:

• mineral wool (slabs and mats);
• Styrofoam;
• extruded polystyrene foam (penoplex);
• polyurethane foam;
• ecowool;
• “warm” plaster.

The most common of these methods are mineral wool and expanded polystyrene (foam plastic and penoplex). Their thermal insulation characteristics are approximately equal.

Thermal calculation

When purchasing blocks, the manufacturer must always indicate their properties. The calculation determines the thickness; to perform it, a characteristic such as thermal conductivity will be required. There are two ways to perform this calculation:

• "manually";
• using special programs.

It is not difficult to perform an independent calculation, but for a person who does not have a construction education, it can cause difficulties. It is best to use the simple Teremok program, which works in two modes:

• calculating the thickness of one of the layers of the wall structure;
• checking the heat transfer resistance if the thickness has already been selected.

To work with the software, you will need the following initial data:

• thermal conductivity of expanded clay concrete blocks;
• block width;
• thermal conductivity of insulation;
• insulation thickness (not needed if working with the program in the first mode).

Having selected the values, you can begin insulating the walls of the house.

Work production technology

First of all, you need to determine which side to fasten the material on. Insulating a wall made of expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside is the most competent solution. Work can also be carried out from the inside, but only if fixing the heat insulator from the outside will cause great inconvenience and lead to increased labor and financial costs.

The process of protecting walls with insulation depends on its type. For different materials, the technology has slight differences, so it is worth considering each of them separately.

Mineral wool is attached to a pre-installed frame. The work should be done in the following order:

• cleaning the wall surface;
• fastening vapor barrier;
• frame installation;
• installation of insulation;
• waterproofing;
• finishing of the facade with provision of an air-ventilated layer, at least 5 cm thick.

The layer is needed to remove condensation from the insulation, which loses its properties when wet.

Foam plastic and penoplex

The fastening of materials is carried out in the same way. The order of the layers is the same as in the previous case, the only difference is that the installation of a frame and the presence of a ventilated layer are not required. Penoplex is resistant to moisture, so you can do without a vapor barrier. Fastening the outside wall of a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks is carried out simultaneously in two ways:

• on special glue for polystyrene foam;
• on dowels.

First you should cut the sheets, then try them on for size. After this, glue is applied to the material. You need to glue the polystyrene foam with a bandage so that there are no long vertical seams. Once gluing is completed, the thermal insulation on the outside of the house is additionally secured with plastic dowels.

Very often, the construction of country houses is made from expanded clay concrete, and the walls are laid in 2 blocks with a total thickness of 400 mm. At the initial stage, many are puzzled by the problem of whether it is necessary to do insulation, how exactly - from the outside or from the inside? If you miss this moment, then in the future it will be much more expensive to carry out the corresponding work, and, probably, the question will already be raised about how to do this as affordably as possible.

A special feature of expanded clay concrete blocks is their reliability and strength. At the same time, the material is quite “cold”. Without insulating your home, you will have to pay hefty heating bills. It is best to choose thermal insulation of at least 100mm, for which polystyrene foam is ideal. They are allowed to process walls both outside and inside. It is imperative to ensure the tightness of the finish by treating the joints with polyurethane foam.

https://youtu.be/q1SFNmlFkOg

Video No. 1. Insulation of expanded clay concrete

What is the best way to insulate a house?

The choice in favor of expanded clay concrete blocks justifies itself in operation, since a more affordable, durable and reliable material, perhaps, cannot be found. Let us add that in terms of water resistance and frost resistance it has no equal components. Actually, due to this, it enjoys great interest from construction companies.

Next, let's look at different options for insulating walls outside, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of the choice, the outer part of the insulator is always covered with a vapor barrier film, which prevents the absorption of moisture by the insulation and allows you to retain heat in the house.

Choosing cladding

Consider the case where the thickness of the walls of the house is 400mm, without external brickwork. An excellent option for insulating the outside can be cladding, when the insulation is located between expanded clay and brick. The method is not particularly popular due to its high cost, high price of materials, and complexity of the work, although it is considered effective. For those who plan to do everything with their own hands, we immediately warn that without experience and the necessary knowledge, it will not be possible to carry out high-quality work.

An alternative would be to cover the outside of the expanded clay concrete wall with siding or PVC panels that protect the insulation. A worthy option would be to lay 50mm polystyrene foam in 2 rows, and you should try to lay them in a checkerboard pattern, with overlapping joints. The fixation of the sanding is done on prepared vertical guides mounted in the walls. It is allowed to use rolled basalt insulation with vapor barrier protection.

A good choice is insulation in the form of slabs, be it penoplex or expanded polystyrene (more about them below), which in the final phase of construction is subjected to decorative treatment with plaster on the outside of the insulator. The corresponding components are fixed with glue or fungi. On the outside, a reinforcing mesh is installed and puttied.

We use polyurethane foam

Now let’s look at the differences between insulating a house wall with a thickness of 400 mm and facing masonry. Very often, people who bought an unfinished home made of expanded clay concrete blocks face a problem. Usually in the space between the wall and the cladding there is only a 50mm layer of air. The main task is to insulate the interior of the building façade.

The simplest and fastest way out of this situation can be polyurethane foam, which in a liquid state can easily fill the entire internal space. The component is supplied through pre-prepared holes in the walls. It is in some way similar to polyurethane foam, which expands after hardening, filling all joints, cracks and gaps as efficiently and tightly as possible.

It is noteworthy that the insulation performed does not attract the attention of rodents and is absolutely not afraid of precipitation. This means that the house will always be warm and cozy, and the service life of the materials will be as long as possible.

The only downside here is the relatively high price of the method, and besides, it will most likely not be possible to do the work correctly on your own.

Other insulation materials

The problem is greatly simplified by the timely installation of a heat insulator between the walls, even at the construction stage of the building, with mineral wool, penoplex or expanded polystyrene being the ideal choice.

One effective option is to use foam plastic. It is worth understanding that it is attractive to rodents, burns easily and quickly deteriorates when it gets wet. In the case of a ventilated facade, it is always recommended to install a grille at the extreme points to prevent birds and animals from entering the space. The price of the material and the ease of its installation also look interesting.

Processing expanded clay concrete blocks will be a more reliable and expensive method. mineral wool, which is a reliable, environmentally friendly and harmless material to human health. In addition, it burns poorly and retains heat well. A prerequisite for installing mineral wool is its vapor barrier, since moisture ingress on it significantly reduces its positive properties.

Insulation will be an innovative method penoplex– a stronger, more durable and dense component. It is not interesting to rodents, does not require protection from moisture, and does not pose a danger to the environment. Due to the locking system, the possibility of cracks and loose fit of the insulator plates is eliminated.

Conclusion

As you can see, the methods and materials for insulating houses built from expanded clay concrete slabs are more than enough to create a comfortable and optimal internal atmosphere.

Expanded clay concrete is a modern and very easy-to-use building material for country houses. Building an expanded clay concrete house is not at all difficult. Such a building will be no less reliable than a brick one, and all the work will cost much less.

Expanded clay (burnt clay) and a mixture of cement and sand are used to make blocks. The clay filler makes artificial stones light and completely harmless to the human body and the environment. The structures turn out to be dry and well-breathable, since they are completely vapor permeable.

A mixture of concrete and expanded clay does not absorb moisture as well as foam concrete with similar properties. And moisture resistance directly affects thermal insulation abilities. Compared to brickwork, the thermal conductivity is one and a half times lower, and compared to foam concrete - almost two times lower (of course, walls of the same thickness are compared). In the construction of one- and low-story houses, expanded clay concrete has been successfully used for several decades.

The size of one block is 7 times larger than bricks, but at the same time it has a mass 2.5 times less. Therefore, the work is completed quite quickly, and even a novice mason can handle it. Professionals can lay approximately 3 cubic meters of expanded clay concrete per day. Brick construction is on average three times slower.

Due to the size of expanded clay concrete blocks, cement mortar is also required significantly less than for laying bricks. Depending on the installation method, the thickness of expanded clay block walls can be different. When building low-rise (one- or two-story) houses in the southern regions, you can make walls no more than half a meter thick, but, however, only if the exterior is finished with insulation and plaster or facing stone.

For northern areas, where cold winters are a constant phenomenon, the walls should be thicker. For residential buildings, the optimal thickness is 80 centimeters. If the premises are non-residential and there is no heating in it, then a thickness of 20 centimeters and sheathing with insulation is quite suitable.

Due to the high strength of expanded clay concrete, multi-story buildings can be erected from it, but, however, this will require additional reinforcement with steel rods.

An expanded clay concrete wall does not have a very attractive appearance, so even if external insulation was not planned, you should still think about cladding the outside. After all, this will also have practical benefits, since, despite the low hygroscopicity, the wall will certainly begin to crack and gradually collapse from temperature changes and freezing water in a couple of years.

Is it necessary to insulate the outside of an expanded clay concrete house?

At the moment, the construction of houses from expanded clay concrete blocks is gaining popularity. Let's try to figure out if this material is so good. Expanded clay concrete blocks have good thermal insulation, relatively inexpensive cost and low weight.

The use of expanded clay concrete blocks as the main building material of your home is completely justified, however, despite all the worthy characteristics of this material, it is worth paying special attention to the insulation of the house from the outside.

Let's say frankly that the house needs additional external insulation, even if the expanded clay concrete blocks were laid in two rows. This is most relevant for areas where the temperature is predominantly low. If you do not pay special attention to insulation, cracks may appear in the house, even if the quality of the blocks meets all standards.

In addition, finishing the outside of the house protects it from environmental factors, guarantees thermal insulation, waterproofing and soundproofing of the walls. If you only insulate a house from the inside, condensation will form between the insulation and the wall material, and this will, over time, lead to significant damage to the expanded clay concrete blocks.

Let's look at the most common methods of insulation.

Brick cladding

This method is very effective, since brick has high thermal conductivity, but entails quite high costs due to the considerable cost of this material.

Insulation with mineral wool

This method is certainly suitable for those regions where the weather is cold throughout the year. Cotton wool weighs a little, is inexpensive, easy to install, and at the same time provides excellent insulation. Additionally, you can install vapor-tight insulation with aluminum foil, then you will definitely not be afraid of any frost.

Foam insulation

This material is lightweight and can be used to insulate any building. Polystyrene foam is the most inexpensive material among modern insulation materials.

We decided that it is worthwhile to insulate a house made of expanded clay concrete blocks from the outside. Let us pay attention to additional aspects of this issue. It is important to pay attention to the protection of the insulation you choose from mechanical and atmospheric influences from the outside. For this, brick cladding is used, which we wrote about earlier, as well as such equally common materials as artificial stone, facade tiles, siding or plaster.

Artificial stone has a fairly reasonable cost, a huge selection of shades, but its characteristic disadvantage is its short service life.

Facade tiles are frost- and heat-resistant, and their cost is lower than that of some other facing materials.

Siding is also a fairly durable material that is resistant to rotting, retains its original appearance, and is resistant to mechanical stress. The great advantage of this material is its low cost, ease of installation, and low repair and maintenance costs.

Lining is a thin cladding board made of wood, the characteristics of which directly depend on the type of wood. It should be noted that the wooden material itself increases the thermal insulation characteristics and looks beautiful from the outside.

It is obvious that insulation of an expanded clay concrete house from the outside is necessary in each specific case, because this material loses its properties over time. What kind of insulation to choose, how to decorate the outside of the house, is up to you to decide, guided by your financial capabilities, the climatic conditions in which you live, and aesthetic preferences.

Insulating walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks, the thickness of which does not exceed 0.4 m (standard masonry of 2 blocks), helps to reduce heating costs and increase the comfort of the home.

When building a house yourself, this operation is included in the project, allowing you to reduce the consumption of all materials involved in the construction of the wall and calculate their ideal ratio.

Block capabilities

One of the components of the calculation for choosing a material for insulating expanded clay concrete walls is the thermal resistance of the blocks themselves, which may differ depending on the composition of the raw materials and the manufacturing standard.

Building materials with a density of up to 1000 kg/m³ are of the structural-thermal-insulating type, therefore, if the wall made of porous ceramics is sufficiently thick, it is enough to protect it with a finishing layer. Structural blocks have a higher density (1200 kg/m³) and load-bearing capacity, but due to this they have higher thermal conductivity.

In areas with warm winters this may not be a big deal, but in cold climates it is not practical to build very thick external walls using expanded clay concrete alone, so 2 x or 3 x ply structures are used.

Examples of masonry schemes of 1 - 3 layers look like this:

External thermal insulation not only affects the dimensions of the structure, but also protects the material from temperature changes (heating - freezing cycles), and, therefore, increases its service life.

Insulation technique

Calculation of thermal insulation begins with the choice of the type of material that is affordable and installation technology in specific conditions. The location of the insulation inside or outside a residential building is essential.

Different operating conditions set different requirements for environmental safety, fire safety, resistance to excess humidity, and mechanical strength.

Thermal insulation materials for construction work are available in 3 types:

• rolled (mats);
• slabs;
• liquid (sprayed and form a continuous coating after hardening).

Each type is installed using its own technology, requires its own auxiliary materials, and varying degrees of surface preparation.

Soft

Mineral mats or other rolled insulation require a lathing that will hold the cut pieces in place.

Given the high degree of water absorption, it is necessary to protect it with vapor barrier films and install waterproofing against direct water ingress.

The advantages include the ability to repeat the shape of the base, non-flammability, and low cost.

For internal insulation, glass wool is used in non-residential premises or under a sealed protective layer (plaster, plywood sheets with foamed joints).

Solid

A universal solution for insulating walls made of expanded clay concrete blocks outside and inside the house are rigid slabs, which can be easily cut if necessary.

Available in this form:

• basalt (stone) wool;
• Styrofoam;
• expanded polystyrene;
• penoplex (extruded polystyrene foam);
• penoizol.

The slabs can be mounted either in the frame of the sheathing (with a tight fit to the timber) or end-to-end with a continuous belt using an adhesive composition.

When paired with lathing, such an indicator as the density of the material is not critical, but when plaster is applied on top of the continuous insulation, the requirements for this parameter increase.

So, for example, for foam plastic the density should be about 25 kg/m³, for basalt wool - from 85 kg/m³.

Liquid

By spraying using special equipment, 2-component polyurethane foam, penoizol, and ecowool are applied. Due to the closed cellular structure, polyurethane foam (unlike penoizol) does not allow moisture and air to pass through.

Liquid insulation can be applied to substrates of any complexity. For subsequent installation of plaster, a supporting frame is pre-installed.

Comparative technical characteristics of thermal insulation materials show that their use will significantly reduce the load on the foundation compared to basic building materials with the same total thermal resistance of the wall. See all about the insulation of expanded clay concrete facades in this educational video:

They have significantly lower weight and thermal conductivity:

External insulation can be carried out using 2 options on expanded clay concrete walls:

1. Ventilated facade. Installation of thermal insulation in a wooden frame, maintaining the gap until the exterior finishing. Air circulation prevents strong heating of the entire array in summer and steam removal from the wall in winter.
2. Wet facade. The plaster is applied directly to the insulation.

Such design features are considered at the design stage.