Which is better: gas blocks or foam blocks?

Every owner dreams of building a country house from environmentally friendly materials. The modern construction market offers a large selection of block products, thanks to which you can quickly and efficiently build a structure of any complexity. In this article, we will analyze the gas block and foam block, consider their differences, advantages and disadvantages.

The main differences of the material

Foam block and gas block, let's figure out what the difference is.

Foam concrete is a product made on the basis of sand-cement raw materials, with the addition of a foaming agent. During the production process, the entire mixture is thoroughly mixed, poured into molds and the block is left to harden naturally. This technology involves the manufacture of blocks both indoors and at the construction site. The photo shows a foam block

Foam concrete - a product made on the basis of sand-cement raw materials, with the addition of a foaming agent

The gas block is a product that requires high temperature and humidity in the room. The composition includes: lime, sand, cement mixture and water. Aluminum powder is used for gas generation. The technological process takes place by the autoclave method of hardening, with obligatory heat treatment under high pressure. As a result, the material is reliable, durable and resistant to rotting and burning processes (see an example of the product in the photo)

Gas block - a product that requires high temperature and humidity of the room

It is worth noting that both products are similar to each other, but despite this they have a lot of differences:

different production mechanism;
strength level;
the degree of shrinkage during drying;
water absorption level;
thermal insulation qualities;
environmental friendliness;

But what is better to choose a foam block or gas block, let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of building material.

Advantages and disadvantages of the foam block

The main advantages of the foam block include:

high refractory characteristic, for four hours 15 cm of the foam block are able to resist fire;
frost resistance, a conventional module can withstand up to 35 defrosting and freezing cycles, and some types of products allow 75 exposure cycles;
environmental friendliness of the product is higher than that of wood;
the thermal conductivity of the material can be compared with brickwork;
light enough material that is easy to stack, transport, unload and load;
high sound insulation properties, 10 cm masonry allows you to withstand up to 40 dB of noise;
speed of construction, thanks to the convenient size of the modules, you can quickly and efficiently build a house, if you compare brickwork and block, block will be 2.5 times faster;

Finished foam block house box

Material disadvantages:

possible violations during the laying of modules can lead to a decrease in the performance of the structure;
when buying a low-quality product, the geometry of the module may be broken, which will definitely complicate the work with the product; buy building material only from trusted manufacturers;
due to the unpresentable appearance of the blocks, the building requires external finishing work.

Advantages and disadvantages of a gas block

The advantages of aerated concrete include the following:

due to its low weight, the product has sufficient strength;
simple processing, the material can be processed using any available tool (saw, milling cutter);

The video shows an example of cutting a module

good thermal insulation, due to low thermal conductivity, the material retains heat in winter, and in summer it does not allow heat to penetrate inside the house;
fire safety, aerated concrete modules are classified as I and II degrees of fire resistance;
high soundproof qualities (depending on the thickness of the module);
high environmental friendliness, the material does not emit harmful toxins;
high biological stability, the material is not subject to the formation of mold, rot and fungus.

The photo shows a finished house made of aerated concrete

Of the shortcomings of the building material, it is worth noting:

high water absorption, as a result of which the plaster on the front part simply disappears;
difficult to bend, the foundation of the house must be strong and not shrink, otherwise the structure will begin to crack and collapse;
in the case of fastening some additional elements, a problem may arise, which special fasteners will help to solve;
installed metal elements in the wall will begin to oxidize over time;

Building a house

When the plan for the future home is ready, the question arises: gas blocks or foam blocks, which is better? Before you start doing something, you need to understand that the strength of the structure will depend on the quality of the selected materials and the type of foundation pouring. Experts recommend pouring the foundation using reinforced concrete. This type of foundation will allow you to build a house from any material (foam block, gas block), which will meet all operational characteristics. If you do not know what to build your cottage or country house from, we advise you to study the recommendations of specialists. Recommendations:

Material strength. Aerated concrete is considered the most durable product, if you want to increase the life of the future structure, use gas silicate modules;

The video shows a comparative description of the modules

Application of modules. The foam block is used for the installation of partitions, fences and load-bearing wall structures located above the 3rd floor; The gas block is used for the construction of load-bearing walls, partitions, the construction of high-rise buildings and the filling of frame voids;
Thermal conductivity coefficient. Aerated concrete is twice as warm as foam concrete, with the same wall thickness. And by completing the installation of a ventilated facade, you can create a favorable climate inside the building;
Module cost. 1 cubic meter of foam concrete will cost $22, and aerated concrete $31;

For information! When choosing modules, consider the level of density. The higher the density, the more reliable the material, but the material will be colder due to fewer air bubbles.

Remember, the main thing is to purchase certified products from a manufacturer with a good reputation.

Which is better: gas blocks or foam blocks?