Three-layer blocks for walls, consisting of two layers of concrete and insulation between them, is a relatively new building material. As planned, they should simplify, speed up and reduce the cost of building three-layer walls. But did everything work out?
For these blocks there are no norms and rules of construction. There are only recommendations for their application developed by one of the institutes.
Designers who do not depend on firms producing these blocks try not to include them in house designs.
Such blocks are not difficult to manufacture. They are produced by many small manufacturers. (... which often do not fulfill the declared characteristics). But also some big ones. Trademarks Teploblok, Polyblok, Kremnegranit, Telosten are well-known….. But the essence is the same - a three-layer heat-efficient wall block, characterized by increased heat saving.
Why do experts try to do without warm blocks?
Design of heat blocks
The usual dimensions of warm blocks (heat-efficient wall blocks) are shown in the figure. With a total width of 300 - 400 mm, the thickness of the layers may be different. The inner concrete layer is the widest 120 - 200 mm, it has the greatest impact on the strength of the wall.
The outer layer is narrower, finishing, can be painted, provided with a relief, textured surface.
Insulation is most often expanded polystyrene foam (polystyrene) EPS, and more expensive extruded polystyrene XPS is also less common. The thickness of the insulation varies between 100 - 160 mm.
To connect the layers, plastic anchors are most often used in addition to glue. Or the strength of the connection of the layers is increased due to the comb shape of the connection, which prevents breaking forces.
What is released
Blocks from small manufacturers with metal internal reinforcement are more likely to be classified as “marriage” due to increased thermal conductivity and reduced durability.
All block configurations necessary for the construction of walls are produced.
When buying, it is necessary to purchase all the configurations necessary for masonry, use the order of the project, it is not easy to cut durable concrete products.
The composition of concrete can vary greatly; both various heavy, durable fillers and expanded clay are used. And as a heater, some manufacturers use both mineral wool and foam glass.
Technical characteristics of warm blocks
The dimensional error in the manufacture of blocks is often no more than 2 mm. This allows you to lay blocks on a thin layer of glue - 3 - 5 mm.
If the dimensional accuracy of the blocks is more than 2 mm, then the masonry is done on an ordinary cement-sand mortar with a joint thickness of 10 mm.
An important characteristic of heat blocks is the heat transfer resistance of the finished wall. First of all, it will depend on the thickness of the insulation layer. And also from his appearance.
Styrofoam is colder than extruded polystyrene foam. In addition, the foam is able to get wet. At the same time, it significantly increases its thermal conductivity. While extruded polystyrene foam does not absorb water and does not change the thermal conductivity when the wall is saturated with moisture.
Heat transfer resistance
The table shows information about the resistance to heat transfer of heat blocks, depending on the insulation material, layer thickness, and humidity.
For blocks in the wall, the maximum humidity value should be taken.
Heat blocks, even with a small thickness of extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), have satisfactory heat transfer resistance for many regions according to SNiP.
Before choosing a heat block, it is necessary to find out more precisely what resistance to heat transfer should be at the walls of the house in a specific climatic zone in accordance with the standards.
The construction of the wall itself practically does not entail an increase in thermal conductivity.
The coefficient of thermal inhomogeneity of a wall made of this material when laying on glue with a thermal break of seams on foam plastic is 0.92. The heat-insulating characteristics of the wall will depend mainly on the correctness of the masonry, it is necessary to prevent cold bridges.
The strength of heat blocks and the walls of them
The strength characteristics of warm blocks are the most important.
In a conventional three-layer wall, only the inner layer is the bearing layer. And the outer one creates a facade finish and protection of the insulation, it does not perceive the load from the overlying structures.
In a wall made of three-layer warm blocks (heat block, polyblock, porcelain stoneware, heat wall ....), both the inner and outer layers are the carrier.
Thickness of layers in blocks
What thickness of concrete layers should be in a warm block to ensure the strength of the wall for the entire service life?
It is known that experts recommend using heat blocks with an inner layer thickness of at least 180 mm for two and three-story houses.
For a one-story building with a non-residential attic, it is permissible to use blocks with a thickness of the inner concrete layer and 130 mm, but subject to reinforcement with masonry mesh (every fourth layer), openings, as well as the creation of a reinforced concrete belt under the ceilings.
The compressive strength characterizes the entire block as an integral product - there are M35, M50, M75. When determining the characteristics, all layers are taken into account, even the foam.
It is necessary to distinguish between the strength of the concrete from which the block is made, and the strength of the block itself. The compressive strength of the concrete from which the block is made will be greater than that of the block as a whole.
An increase in the width of the insulation leads to a thinning of the inner bearing layer of concrete. Ensuring strength, reliability and durability is the main criterion when choosing blocks. Therefore, it is impossible to reduce the thickness of concrete in pursuit of better heat saving.
Application features
The use of warm blocks is still experimental.
Research Institute "Teplosten", which are considered the developers of this technology, recommend using the spatial reinforced concrete frame of the building together with the blocks. And the blocks themselves can be with a total thickness of 300 mm (with reduced strength characteristics).
But the construction of a spatial reinforced concrete frame, although not so expensive, complicates the construction process, many construction organizations simply avoid such problems, preferring classical masonry.
How to perform masonry
When laying, it is recommended to fill with glue (mortar) vertical and horizontal seams between concrete parts. (any masonry adhesive is used, for example, under a tile). And the seams between the foam parts are ordinary polyurethane foam.
When using a solution on the foam, you can put a tape flexible insulation.
Some manufacturers produce blocks with holes in a thick inner layer specifically for creating vertical reinforcement with steel bars, and a spatial reinforced frame directly in the blocks.
Seam issue
A feature of the use of heat blocks is the absence of external plaster and the jointing of through masonry joints. In this case, it becomes necessary to very carefully and reliably overwrite all the seams between the blocks from the outside. Why use the same masonry adhesive, and on top of it facade primers or silicone sealant.
It is necessary to monitor the condition of these seams throughout the operation of the building. When the wall is soaked with precipitation, water can enter through small cracks in the seams into the wall. What threatens it with frosty destruction, loss of heat engineering and strength qualities, penetration of moisture into the house, destruction of the mounting foam in the seams.
Walls made of this material with a relief surface on the outside are additionally painted with facade paints with any vapor permeability, usually in light colors, which creates additional protection for the structure.
The technology of protecting the wall from the outside by grouting through joints between the bearing elements seems unreliable.
Unlike aerated concrete or porous ceramics, which are also laid with through seams, but for which an external protective wall finish is always provided -
Durability
The presence of the synthetic Styrofoam substance between the mineral carrier layers also raises questions. Expanded polystyrene has a shorter service life than minerals. Presumably, this insulation will gradually decompose, compact, crumble, etc. And here this layer is a binder and can take loads….
After all, the predicted service life of the foam and mineral wool insulation on the wall is only 35 years, after which it is necessary to conduct another energy audit of the building and change the heaters that have become unusable. Even clinker brick cladding in a three-layer wall can be dismantled brick by brick to replace the insulation. But in this case...
The durability (100 years or more) of walls made of heat blocks is in doubt.
Blocks made entirely of mineral substances, where foam glass acts as a heater, "eternal" and vapor barrier, are clearly the preferred option. But they are much more expensive.
The use of mineral wool in blocks, which not only has a short service life, but also absorbs water like a sponge, also raises many questions.
According to the project
It is possible to use heat blocks (three-layer concrete blocks with an average layer of insulation) only in accordance with a project made specifically for this wall material.
Based on the calculations, the optimal design of the heat block will be selected, as well as reinforcement, a spatial frame formed by walls and ceilings.
You should not use the services of drawing up specifications and orders for heat blocks based on any house project offered by manufacturers of this material.
Advantages and disadvantages
The pros and cons of heat blocks, as well as how walls are laid from this material, can be found in this film
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The AlStroy company sells wall three-layer blocks at the price, the best in Russia. Built from three-layer blocks, houses are quickly built, warm and durable. Such material appeared on the market some 15 years ago, but already in every settlement in Russia you can find houses built from heat blocks. What is a three-layer block?This unique wall block was invented within the walls of the Leshchinikov Research Institute at the beginning of this century. Its uniqueness lies in its innovative technology, which makes it possible to avoid two labor-intensive and expensive operations at the construction site - insulation and cladding. Within two weeks, a team of masons erects a fully insulated and lined building with an area of 150 m2. Previously, construction did not know such an intensive pace of building construction. Today, everyone can become the owner of a warm and beautiful stone housing in a couple of months. Three-layer wall blocks received several synonymous names: heat-efficient, multi-layer, three-layer block, as well as polyblock. Stone insulation "sandwich" consists of three layers: facade, insulating, load-bearing. |
Price: from 104 rubles.Order |
We offer buy three-layer blocks in 12 front versions. Such a number of textures and colors will allow you to implement any exterior solution!
The AlStroy company sells a heat block in two sizes:
The first - 400 x 400 x 190 mm is suitable for the construction of buildings up to 4 floors high. The facade layer in it is 7 cm, the insulation layer is 18 cm, and the base, bearing layer is 15. The heat insulator is a dense (M 25) foam plastic, securely fixed between the outer, expanded clay concrete layers with four six-millimeter (in diameter) rods made of basalt plastic. The connecting pins are designed for a breaking load of 4 tons! The second type of three-layer blocks of thermal walls has the following dimensions - 300 x 400 x 190 mm. They are used in one-story construction and in the completion of buildings. The dimensions of the layers here are somewhat different - bearing and insulating - 120 mm each, and facade - 60 mm. It should be noted that a slight decrease in the thickness of each layer of three-layer expanded clay concrete blocks does not in any way affect the heat-saving characteristics of the material - its energy efficiency margin is quite high.
The laying of these stones is carried out using a traditional mortar, glue or a mixture thereof, taken in a ratio of 5:1. A slight deviation of the linear dimensions of the three-layer building blocks, only +/- 1.5 mm per side, allows you to make small vertical (0.6 cm) and horizontal (0.8 cm) seams. In order to avoid the occurrence of cold bridges, all vertical seams to the width of the insulation are filled with special foam.
The tensile strength of the masonry of three-layer heat-efficient blocks with central compression is 140 kgf / cm2!
So whether to buy three-layer blocks for construction?
Among the people, another name was assigned to this building material - “miracle brick”. After all, one could only dream of a warm, prefabricated house before. Today it is enough to read reviews of three-layer blocks to understand that such buildings really are:
- environmentally friendly;
- do not ignite and do not support combustion;
- cheaper than traditional, stone;
- highly heat efficient.
We give a guarantee for this building material for at least 50 years. But since expanded clay houses in Europe are more than 100 years old, we are sure that housing built from our three-layer heat-efficient wall blocks will stand no less. And if you want to build just such a family nest, buy inexpensive three-layer blocks. Call us at any time, find out about the cost of three-layer blocks and the price of a cottage that we are ready to build for you at any time of the year - even this is possible with a heating wall.
The price of three-layer blocks
Our three-layer block, the price of which is perhaps the most attractive in Russia, will allow minimizing the construction estimate. The purchase of high-quality three-layer blocks for building a house from a manufacturer will result in savings for the developer not only during the construction of housing, but also during its further operation. The absence of two additional operations (insulation and cladding) will lead to the fact that the cost of a three-layer block house will be more than 40% less compared to a traditional brick structure.
| Private | ordinary half | corner outdoor | corner internal | window openings |
| from 168 rubles | from 104 rubles | from 152 rub. | from 188 rub. | from 188 rub. |
| double-sided window openings | window openings half | doorway | doorway half | belt |
| from 188 rub. | from 104 rubles | from 193 rub. | from 107 rub. | from 105 rub. |
The wholesale purchase of polyblocks will cost up to 30% cheaper than the purchase of gas-foam blocks, bricks and insulation. In addition, the cost of work to improve the facade and insulate the building will also add a considerable amount to the final estimate of construction in the classical way. Facing blocks, the price of which is affordable for an average developer, will significantly save money on delivery - instead of bringing building materials three times, it is enough to do it once. The AlStroy company sells heating blocks to all regions of Russia and organizes their delivery! For laying warm stone, additional special equipment is not required, which is a significant savings column.
Is it good in a three-layer block house?
Three-layer walls made of blocks in practice have confirmed that a more heat-efficient material does not yet exist. With the ever-increasing cost of heating, such buildings store 4 times more heat during the cold season than an ordinary stone house. And in the summer they remain pleasantly cool. Savings on heating housing built from standard wall blocks with insulation is 30-35%.! An insulated brick house will completely cool down in 3-4 days, and a building made of polyblocks will take as much as 2 weeks.
Houses made of such material allow saving up to 15% on laying the strip foundation. Under multi-layer walls, a base is installed with a maximum width of 50 cm (block thickness plus 10 cm), while under a standard insulated and lined building, a foundation 60-70 cm wide will be needed.
In addition, three-layer blocks for construction are classified as light building materials. This allows foundation pillars to be installed, further saving the builder money. In comparison with the classical construction of insulated housing, labor costs during the construction of a polyblock building will decrease by 30-35%. After all, the need to insulate and clad the facade in this case simply disappears. Well, and the last. Three-layer heat-efficient wall blocks will “give” the developer an extra room! If we compare the useful area of a standard, 140 m2 brick, and the same, multi-layer block housing, it turns out that the second one is 14 m2 more spacious. Narrower (but also warmer) walls will increase living space by 10%.
The construction of a country house from modern heat-efficient ceramic blocks is economically less expensive than from products called heat blocks, sometimes they are also called heat walls or thermoblocks. Below, on the example of our house project, presented on the left, a comparative calculation of costs is shown.
The final costs when choosing heat-efficient ceramic blocks Caiman30 will be lower by 162,697 rubles.
When choosing a building material, responsible structures should be understood.
The difference between full-fledged production and handicraft production is in the level of responsibility. You can answer for something specific. When it comes to building materials, this is of course product specifications. Specifications can be declared by submitting your product to independent professional laboratories that have everything necessary for testing, which results in test reports.
Load-bearing wall materials are used in the most critical structures of the house. Moreover, the blocks of load-bearing walls are not wallpaper, and, having made a mistake with the choice, it will no longer be possible to replace the walls.
It is possible and necessary to compare different materials according to their characteristics. Characteristics, as noted above, are spelled out in the test reports:
- Compressive strength test report;
- Thermal conductivity test report;
- Frost resistance test report;
- Conclusion of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance.
Any sane person will ask the question - If you are sure that your product is so good, why don't you have tests carried out by an independent laboratory, which, after testing, could confirm the numbers you claimed?
Summary.
Considering the materials of load-bearing walls: ceramic blocks, gas silicate, expanded clay concrete, wood concrete, heat blocks and their varieties, require the above set of standard test reports. This is the minimum and mandatory set for any full-fledged production.
It also needs to be understood. Any insulation in design - weak link and polystyrene is no exception. Obviously, the insulation has a shorter service life than concrete or ceramic stone. Sooner or later, the facade will have to be repaired. Check with the manufacturer offering multi-layer structures whether the regulations for facade repair work have been developed.
If you want to build a cost effective home, o focus on modern technologies.
As an alternative, we recommend considering the most heat-efficient ceramic blocks among those produced in Russia Kerakam Cayman30 . Application of ceramic blocks Cayman30 allows you to build country houses that meet all applicable standards, and in particular, those that meet SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" for cities such as Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Perm, Krasnoyarsk, without inclusion in the design of the external wall weak link- layer insulation. The thermotechnical calculation, performed according to the method of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings", confirming the statement, is presented below.
At the same time, the cost of building one square meter of housing will be one of the lowest when compared with any stone block, including in comparison with products called a heat block, heat wall or thermoblock.
Below is a cost comparison of an exterior wall using a heat efficient ceramic block. Cayman30 and the outer wall, in which a product called heat block, in relation to a specific house project of our development.
If the heat-efficient ceramic block incorporated in the project Cayman30 replace on the product called heat block, final expenses for building a house will increase on the 162 697 rubles.
Projects of houses from ceramic blocks are included in the action House project for free
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Under the terms of the promotion when buying ceramic blocks Cayman30 in our company we will refund you the cost of the project documentation you paid
Below is a heat engineering calculation performed according to the methodology described in SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings".As well as the economic justification for the use of the Kerakam Kaiman30 ceramic block when comparing the costs of building the house in question using a concrete or expanded clay concrete product with insulation and a decorative panel.
To begin with, we will determine the required thermal resistance for the external walls of residential buildings for the city of Dmitrov, as well as the thermal resistance created by the structures under consideration.
The ability of a structure to retain heat is determined by such a physical parameter as the thermal resistance of the structure ( R, m 2 *S/W).
Let us determine the degree-day of the heating period, °С ∙ day/year, according to the formula (SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings") for the city Dmitrov.
GSOP = (t in - t out)z out,
where,
t in- the design temperature of the internal air of the building, ° С, taken in the calculation of the enclosing structures of the groups of buildings indicated in table 3 (SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings"): according to pos. 1 - according to the minimum values of the optimal temperature of the corresponding buildings in accordance with GOST 30494 (in the range 20
- 22 °С);
t from- average outdoor air temperature, °С during the cold period, for the city of Dmitrov meaning -3,1
°C;
z from- duration, days / year, of the heating period, adopted according to the set of rules for the period with an average daily outdoor temperature of not more than 8 ° C, for the city Dmitrov meaning 216 days.
The value of the required thermal resistance for the external walls of residential buildings is determined by the formula (SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings)
R tr 0 \u003d a * GSOP + b
where,
R tr 0- required thermal resistance;
a and b- coefficients, the values of which should be taken according to table No. 3 of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" for the corresponding groups of buildings, for residential buildings the value but should be taken equal to 0.00035, the value b - 1,4
| The value of the required thermal resistance for the external walls of residential buildings in a number of Russian cities |
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The formula for calculating the conditional thermal resistance of the considered structure:
R0 = Σ δ n /λ n + 0,158
Where,
Σ
– symbol of summation of layers for multilayer structures;
δ
- layer thickness in meters;
λ
- coefficient of thermal conductivity of the layer material under the condition of operational humidity;
n- layer number (for multilayer structures);
0.158 is a correction factor, which can be taken as a constant for simplicity.
Formula for calculating the reduced thermal resistance.
R r 0 \u003d R 0 x r
Where,
r- coefficient of thermal engineering homogeneity of structures with inhomogeneous sections (joints, heat-conducting inclusions, porches, etc.)
according to standard STO 00044807-001-2006 according to Table No. 8, the value of the coefficient of thermal uniformity r for masonry of large-format hollow porous ceramic stones and gas silicate blocks should be taken equal to 0,98 .
At the same time, I draw your attention to the fact that this coefficient does not take into account the fact that
- we recommend laying with a warm masonry mortar (this significantly eliminates heterogeneity at the joints);
- as connections between the bearing wall and the front masonry, we use not metal, but basalt-plastic connections, which conduct heat literally 100 times less than steel connections (this significantly eliminates the inhomogeneities formed due to heat-conducting inclusions);
- slopes of window and door openings, according to our project documentation, are additionally insulated with extruded polystyrene foam (which levels out heterogeneity in places of window and door openings, porches).
R r 0 must be greater than or equal to R 0 required.
We determine the operating mode of the building in order to understand what thermal conductivity coefficient λ a or λ in taken when calculating the conditional thermal resistance.
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The procedure for determining the operating mode is described in detail in SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" . Based on the specified regulatory document, we will follow the step-by-step instructions. 1st step. Let's define hmoisture content of the building region - Dmitrov using Appendix B of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings". |
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According to the city table Dmitrov located in zone 2 (normal climate). We accept the value 2 - normal climate. 2nd step. According to Table No. 1 of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" we determine the humidity regime in the room. At the same time, I draw your attention to the fact that during the heating season, the humidity in the room drops to 15-20%. During the heating season, air humidity must be raised to at least 35-40%. Humidity of 40-50% is considered comfortable for a person. |
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According to Table 1, the humidity regime in the room during the heating period at an air temperature of 12 to 24 degrees and a relative humidity of up to 50% - dry. 3rd step. According to Table No. 2 of SNiP "Thermal protection of buildings" we determine the operating conditions. To do this, we find the intersection of the line with the value of the humidity regime in the room, in our case it is dry, with humidity column for city Dmitrov, as explained earlier, is the value normal. |
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Summary. Here you can see Thermal Conductivity Test Report for Ceramic BlocksKerakam Kaiman 30. |
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Ceramic block Kerakam Kaiman 30 wall thickness 300mm. Finishing of a facade - decorative plaster.
2 layer– 15mm thermal insulation plaster (thermal conductivity coefficient 0.18 W/m*S). 3 layer- 300mm masonry wall using block Kerakam Kaiman30(coefficient of thermal conductivity of masonry in operational condition BUT 0.094 W/m*S). 4 layer– 20mm thermal insulation plaster (thermal conductivity coefficient 0.18 W/m*S). |
Total wall thickness excluding plaster layer 300mm (2mm decorative plaster + leveling lightweight cement plaster 15mm + 300mm ceramic block Kerakam Kaiman30
+ 20mm leveling lightweight plaster).
Consider a product made of concrete or expanded clay concrete with insulation and a decorative panel.  The total thickness of the wall is 396mm (58mm decorative sand-cement or expanded clay concrete slab + 135mm thermal insulation layer in the form of expanded polystyrene PSB25 + 203mm layer of sand concrete or expanded clay concrete). 1 layer- 58 mm decorative sand cement/claydite concrete slab. |
We consider the conditional thermal resistance R 0 external wall structures from Cayman blocks30, based on the data of the test report on the thermal conductivity of the masonry of the wall fragment.
Test report for thermal conductivity in the laying of the ceramic block Caiman30.
You can calculate the thermal resistance of products called heatblock, thermoblock, heatwall, polyblock if the specific manufacturer whose products you are considering provides you with a test report for thermal conductivity in masonry.
Kerakam Kaiman 30
R 0 Cayman30 \u003d 0.0020 / 0.84 + 0.015 / 0.18 + 0.300 / 0.094 + 0.02 / 0.18 + 0.158 \u003d 3.5677 m 2 *S/W
We consider the reduced thermal resistance R r 0 .
The design of the external wall in which the block is used Cayman30
R r 0 Cayman30 =3.5677 m 2 *C/W * 0.98 = 3.4963 m 2
*S/W
The reduced thermal resistance of the external wall structure from the Caiman30 block is higher than the required thermal resistance for the city of Dmitrov (3.1463 m 2 * C / W), which means that the structure meets the SNiP "Thermal Protection of Buildings" for the city of Dmitrov.
Below is a calculation of the cost of erecting one square meter of an external wall using compared materials, as well as the difference in foundation costs, because. when choosing a heat block, the thickness of the foundation wall will increase by 96mm.
Total, the choice in favor of the use of wall material complete factory production - ceramic blocks Kerakam Kaiman30, during construction in the suburbs of Moscow according to the project 92-23 , in comparison with a product made of concrete or expanded clay concrete with insulation and a decorative panel, will reduce the cost of 162 697 rubles. General information about the ceramic block Kerakam Kaiman30 look in the section Real warm ceramics. |
Initial conditions. Reinforced concrete and brick construction is being replaced by innovative technologies that provide for the construction of structures in a short time. Such buildings include houses made of heat-efficient blocks, which are also called heat blocks. As a result, it is possible to obtain an environmentally friendly, economical and reliable home.
If you decide to build a house from a heat block, you should become more familiar with the features of this material, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the technology of work. In general, the heat block is a structure that has three layers, each of which has its own purpose.
Features of the heat block
The most impressive part of the block is the carrier layer, which is made of expanded clay concrete. Expanded polystyrene is laid inside, it provides noise and heat insulation. The composition also includes monolithic concrete, the thickness of which is 150 mm. This layer can be painted in any color and have a pattern.
The layers of products are connected by basalt-plastic or reinforcing bars, which provide strength. In the production process, cheap raw materials such as slag and ash are used, which significantly reduces the cost of structures. The heat block is used for the construction of not only low-rise buildings, but also multi-storey buildings.
The main advantages of houses from heat blocks
Heat blocks today are most common in low-rise construction, this is due to the presence of the described material in many advantages over analog solutions. Among the main advantages should be highlighted:
- the ability of the material to thermal insulation;
- the presence of a polystyrene layer;
- high masonry strength;
- durability of buildings;
- low tendency of the front surface to water absorption;
- environmental safety;
- large block sizes;
- the attractiveness of buildings from heat blocks.
A house made of a heat block, as practice shows, retains heat in winter and cool in summer, this is due to the insignificant thermal conductivity of the material. The structures contain polystyrene foam, which also performs the function of a sound insulator. Noises from the outside will not disturb the residents of such a house, even if the building is built in a noisy part of the city or near the railway.
In terms of strength, the walls of the heat block are superior to the masonry of foam concrete and aerated concrete. The compressive strength is 4 times higher compared to cellular concrete when compared with the bearing part of the block. Houses from the heat block are quite durable, they can be built in any climatic conditions. This is also explained by the high class of frost resistance of the material, which varies within F50-100.
More about the benefits
Dampness in the house and mold on the walls will not torment the owners of such a building, because the front of the blocks has a minimum level of water absorption. Products are made from environmentally friendly materials that do not emit harmful substances into the atmosphere. They are not dangerous when exposed to fire, and expanded clay concrete, which makes up the front part, belongs to the class of non-combustible materials.
It is also important to take into account the fact that the blocks have an impressive size, this allows you to complete construction faster. This is especially true when compared with brick houses. In appearance, buildings made of heat blocks are much more attractive than brick ones. You can choose a heat block with a front surface that has the most attractive color for you.
The main disadvantages of houses from a heat block
No matter how good houses from a heat block are, they have some drawbacks. One important disadvantage is the vapor tightness of expanded polystyrene. If the house is not provided with an effective ventilation system, then this can cause a greenhouse effect indoors.
It is also important to pay attention to the fact that the material was created taking into account maximum heat saving. In this regard, the construction technology using a heat block involves the rejection of a cement-sand mortar for masonry. This requirement is due to the fact that a mixture with such a composition can cause the appearance of cold bridges. Therefore, laying should be done using special glue. It can be a Monolith masonry mixture or a composition called BASF.
For reference
Another disadvantage is that the construction of houses from a heat block must be accompanied by the observance of the correct geometry of the products. If deviations from the design dimensions exceed 1 mm on each side, then the thickness of the masonry joints will be increased, which will negatively affect the thermal insulation capabilities of the future wall.
House projects and their cost
Considering the projects of houses from a heat block, you must take into account the ease of use of the future building and the budget that was laid down for the construction. For example, a house up to 100 m 2 will cost the consumer 25,000 rubles. per square meter. If the area of \u200b\u200bthe house is increased to 150 m 2, then 30,000 rubles will have to be paid for 1 m 2. With an increase in area to 250 m 2, you will have to pay 37,500 rubles for 1 m 2.
As an example, consider a house with a total area of 198.4 m 2. In this case, the living area will be equal to 107 m 2. The house has two floors, on the first of which are located:
- separate room;
- kitchen-dining room;
- living room;
- bathroom;
- boiler room;
- 2 pantries;
- hallway;
- hall.
Using the exit from the kitchen, you can find yourself on an open terrace. The second floor assumes the presence of three rooms, the purpose of which you can choose yourself. Among other things, the house has a bathroom and a dressing room. The project of a house from a heat block in this case involves a foundation based on reinforced concrete tape. The roof is represented by a metal tile.
As another example, consider a house with a total area of 72.7 m 2 . In this case, the living area will be equal to 24.4 m 2. The building contains:
- two bedrooms;
- bathroom;
- hall;
- living room;
- kitchen.
According to this project, the foundation is also represented by reinforced concrete tape.
Construction features
If you started building a house from a heat block, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the technology first. It involves the construction of the foundation at the first stage. Its width is selected in accordance with the width of the products. It is necessary to deepen the base below the freezing line of the soil by 20 cm.
The foundation tape is reinforced with a double-circuit frame of rods, the diameter of which can vary from 14 to 16 mm. The masonry technology is similar to that used with any other block material. Having learned the price of houses from heat blocks, you can decide to do the construction yourself. In this case, it is important to adhere to the algorithm. It involves laying the first row on top of the rolled waterproofing, it overlaps the basement of the foundation. Waterproofing is located on a layer of mortar or glue. A layer of glue is distributed on top, the thickness of which should be 5 mm.
Stacked blocks should be leveled with a mallet. The horizontality of the first row and all subsequent rows is controlled by the building level. The leveling of the adhesive is carried out with a notched trowel. The thickness of each layer should not exceed 5 mm. Application of the composition is carried out not only on horizontal, but also on vertical seams. The laying of all other rows is carried out with dressing of the seam for half the width of the product.
Heatblocks arose as a result of the implementation of the idea to combine effective insulation, decorative finishes and high-load-bearing construction in one wall block. Today, heat blocks are already a familiar building material, and houses built from heat blocks have earned both positive and negative reviews.
Design of heat blocks
- The inner layer is expanded polystyrene, the best energy-saving characteristics are heat blocks with extruded polystyrene foam. In the economy version - ordinary polystyrene foam with a density of 25 kg / m3 or foam plastic with a thickness of 150 to 200 mm.
- The carrier layer faces the inside of the room, it can be either solid or have voids. Heat blocks with a hollow inner layer are used for building walls of buildings up to three floors, the voids are reinforced and filled with concrete. The material of the carrier layer is lightweight concrete, possibly expanded clay concrete of grade from M50 to M200. The strength of the heat block depends on the brand of cement and expanded clay gravel.
- The finishing layer is lightweight concrete (claydite concrete) with imitation of brick or natural stone, the texture of "wild stone".
The layers of expanded polystyrene and expanded clay concrete cannot have adhesion, therefore, all three layers of the heat block are fastened with anchor rods made of fiberglass or basalt.
The design of heat blocks does not allow cutting blocks to fit the length of the walls. They produce a fairly wide "size range" of blocks, not only for single-row masonry of different thicknesses, but also blocks for belts, framing openings, halves, with ventilation ducts, both for internal and external walls.
The standard sizes of heat blocks are 40 * 40 * 19 cm and 40 * 30 * 19 cm. For construction in areas with a warm climate, blocks of 40 * 20 * 19 cm are produced.
Construction of a house from heat blocks
- The thermopile is mounted using adhesive compositions, the thickness of the seams is maintained from 2 to 4 mm. The thermopile blocks are stacked very tightly in order to reduce heat loss through the adhesive seams. The adhesive composition is applied only on the horizontal surface of the block, and glue is not applied to the thermal insulation layer, but only to the bearing and finishing layers. It is more economical to spread the adhesive using a notched trowel. The dressing of the seams of the blocks is carried out in half a block.
- The sealing of the vertical seams of the thermopile is done in two stages. The area of adjacency of the insulating layers of expanded polystyrene is hermetically sealed with mounting foam. The outer and inner seams of the carrier and finishing layers are sealed with mortar using a construction gun.
- Masonry from thermopile blocks is necessarily carried out with internal reinforcement with masonry mesh. Steel nets made of wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm and a cell of 20 * 50 mm or fiberglass similar in strength are used. Reinforce the masonry in three to four rows.
- According to the manufacturers, the armored belt is not required for thermopile blocks with a building height of up to two floors. But - from the practice of builders - a reinforced belt is still needed for interfloor ceilings. To preserve the architecture of the facade, the armored belts are closed next to the belt blocks, which have a smaller thickness. The minimum support value of the floor panels on the wall made of thermopile is 120 mm.
Advantages of heat blocks
List the main advantages of heat blocks for building a house:
- Economic cost. The light weight of the blocks saves both labor and funds for the construction of the foundation.
- Quick installation, combination of insulation and finishing. Finished wall with cladding in a short time. Single-row masonry is completed in a short time, but the sealing of vertical joints needs to be thorough, and this increases labor costs. In order to be able to tightly install heat blocks, it is necessary that they have good geometry, which is not always the case in practice. One of the consequences of uneven blocks is the additional cost of mounting foam for sealing joints and the need for laborious work to fit and seal the blocks. The speed of installation, therefore, can simply be leveled.
- The walls hold heat well, the cost of heating the house is significantly lower. According to residents, it is about two times lower than in a brick house, but not four, as some manufacturers claim. The condition of comfort and a good microclimate in the house depends on well-organized ventilation. In the summer it is cool in the house from heatblocks.
Cons of heat blocks
Negative reviews about the shortcomings of the thermopile make you think:
- The insulation layer made of expanded polystyrene does not have high durability. Repair is quite complicated and expensive.
- Environmental friendliness of foams - this issue has always been controversial. The advantage is that the expanded polystyrene is closed on both sides with bearing and finishing layers and does not emit styrene into the room. There are reviews of residents about the chemical smell in the premises, which indicates the use of low-quality insulation
- The fire safety of a house with walls that have a layer of combustible polystyrene foam inside is also an issue. The same plus - there is a protective concrete layer on both sides, which increases the fire resistance of the entire structure. But if the polystyrene foam inside the walls still catches fire, then the fire will spread quickly.
- The sealing of the masonry joints on the facade is insufficient, and the waterproofing of the facade is also needed. When it rains, especially a strong oblique downpour, the seams lock up and dry for a long time.
There are still difficulties with the acquisition of high-quality heat blocks. Heat blocks with irregular geometry require a large consumption of mortar for masonry, it is difficult to make the facade aesthetic. To buy thermopile units, you need to visit the production shop and make sure that the technology is being implemented, the equipment is modern and the materials are of high quality. It is worth paying attention to both the storage of blocks and the shipment.
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