Thermal insulation properties of bulk expanded clay. Expanded clay or mineral wool, what to choose as a heater What is warmer than expanded clay

During the construction process, in order to reduce heat loss, the walls, floors and ceilings of houses are necessarily insulated. As a heater, special building materials are used - expanded polystyrene, polystyrene, expanded clay, mineral wool etc. They have low thermal conductivity, low weight and low cost. Heaters are used not only as a heat-insulating material, but, due to their properties, they are also used as a noise-protective coating. They are subject to special requirements, in particular, mandatory environmental friendliness and fire resistance. From this side the best properties possess or mineral wool.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay is a light and porous building material, it is made from some types of puffy clays. When fired by the thermal shock method, the clay swells, forming rounded pieces of various sizes with a melted surface. Expanded clay is characterized by high strength and lightness, and thanks to its porosity it perfectly retains heat. It can be used as a filler in the production of blocks and as a heater when backfilling floors and ceilings.

Advantages of expanded clay:

• Expanded clay is not at all afraid of water
• There are no synthetics in expanded clay. Environmentally friendly material

Mineral wool

Mineral wool is a soft insulation, consisting of large fibers. It is produced from waste metal and carbon alloys of minerals, therefore it has excellent performance and durability. Quick installation, environmental value, fire resistance are the most characteristic advantages of this type of insulation. Its only drawback is reduced moisture resistance, but this is eliminated by impregnation. special formulations.

Conclusion

So what is better for insulation - expanded clay or mineral wool? If you are not indifferent to the environmental component of your home, then I advise you to choose expanded clay. It is also more convenient to work with expanded clay than with mineral wool.

Repair and arrangement of a dwelling is a long and labor-intensive process. Many residents of private houses are increasingly thinking about the insulation of their personal apartments. The choice of insulation is the first and important step towards the fulfillment of the task. Next, two materials used for such purposes will be presented. These are expanded clay and mineral wool.

Expanded clay - a profitable insulation

Expanded clay is a building material used for insulation. floor covering and for the purposes alignment uneven surfaces . A tool of a porous character is mined by the craftsmen by firing clay shale. Within half an hour, expanded clay at temperatures up to 1300 C o 2 acquires an oval shape.

Externally, the insulation is a bit like crushed stone and gravel. Specialists represent several types of expanded clay. Here is some of them:

1. Expanded clay sand. Used to reduce the weight of concrete structures. Distinctive feature building materials - small granules of sand.
2. Gravel. The following type of expanded clay is used in several cases: to create lightweight concrete products and as a drainage for flowerpots. The material has rather large granules (up to 44 mm).
3. Expanded clay crushed stone. An excellent and high-quality product is used as a filler for lightweight concrete. The presented raw materials are obtained by crushing expanded clay gravel.

Determining the type of building material is simple. Just look at the size of expanded clay granules. We should not forget about the positive qualities of this heater. The advantages of expanded clay are:

• Long service life. A floor covering created from a clay product is able to survive a typical nine-story house.
• High level thermal conductivity. Expanded clay retains heat longer and better than other building resources. 10 times better than brick and 3 times better than wood.
• Low cost and light weight. Light weight allows you to insulate floors with expanded clay in small rooms without additional structures and special reinforcing frames.
• High strength. The presence of this quality expands the scope of clay raw materials. Expanded clay is used not only for floor insulation, but also for walls and even ceilings. Constant loads do not detract from its strength.
• Excellent sound insulation. This is a definite plus during the insulation of personal apartments in high-rise buildings.
• Easy installation. Laying insulation does not require long and multi-step preparatory work. It is enough to remove the old coating.
• Excellent frost resistance, heat, that is, resistant to temperature fluctuations. Resists fire well.

Low moisture resistance is the main and only minus of expanded clay. In the construction world, other types of insulation are widely used. For example, mineral wool.

Features of mineral wool

Mineral wool is a heat-insulating material created from fibers of mineral origin. Natural product obtained by spraying basalt, stones or certain slag. The raw materials used for the manufacture of the material subdivide the mineral wool into certain types. In practice, experts use slag wool, glass wool and basalt product.

To create such a heater, sand, dolomite, broken glass, borax, soda and limestone. insulation yellow color has good compressibility and low thermal conductivity. Glass wool is used to construct cylinders, slabs or mats. These products improve thermal insulation qualities residential premises.

The material created from blast-furnace slag is famous for its high level of hygroscopicity, therefore it is not often used as a heater. An increased degree of acidity and low vibration resistance are the main disadvantages of such mineral wool.

The soft product is known for its incombustibility and vibration resistance. The strength and elasticity of the insulation depends on its density. Often, basalt wool is used for fire insulation in air ducts.

The main advantages of mineral wool should be mentioned. These include:

• High level of chemical and biological sustainability . The mineral product is not affected by rodents, rats and other pests. Good moisture resistance protects mineral wool from fungus and mold.
• Fire safety. Resistance to high temperatures allows the use of mineral wool for insulating floors and floors. Mineral wool does not spread fire in the event of a fire, but rather helps to extinguish it.
• Eco-friendly material is known for its long service life. Atmospheric surges and room humidity do not shorten the life of the product.
• Handles static loads well.

The disadvantages of mineral wool include the need to use protective gloves when working with raw materials, as well as the need to stock up on other materials when insulating surfaces with such a tool.

Comparison and subtleties of using popular materials

Expanded clay and mineral wool experts found common features. So, both materials are used as heaters for residential structures. Each resource has its positive and negative qualities. Both products are known for their long service life and resistance to temperature fluctuations. On the construction market there are different types mineral wool and expanded clay.

The differences concern manufacturing method resource data. The first is obtained by firing certain materials, the second by spraying specific raw materials. Expanded clay is famous simple installation, while mineral wool is better known for its chemical and biological resistance. The first material is the main insulation of floor and other coverings, the second is auxiliary.

It is recommended to choose a heater based on the dimensions of the residential structures and the area in need of this procedure. Excellent soundproofing properties allow the use of expanded clay for small spaces in a multi-storey building. The same material is used during the insulation of the concrete floor. Spacious residential complexes can be insulated with expanded clay and mineral wool. Mineral wool is used to improve the thermal insulation of a balcony or attic. Suitable for external insulation and arrangement of ceilings and walls. Simple installation of expanded clay will allow you to lay the material yourself, without outside help.

Most residential, commercial and industrial buildings need insulation of walls, floors and ceilings. The issue of insulation is usually decided at the construction stage. And here you have to choose suitable material, which will minimize heat loss, and, as a result, reduce the cost of space heating.

Insulation is chosen according to the following criteria: low thermal conductivity, environmental friendliness, fire resistance, high sound insulation qualities, low weight, ease of installation and reasonable cost.

Expanded clay and mineral wool - building insulation that have all of the above useful features. They are almost equally in demand among consumers.

To make the final choice between these two materials, it is worth familiarizing yourself with their characteristics in more detail. What are the advantages and disadvantages of expanded clay / mineral wool?

Expanded clay - clay material with porous structure. Expanded clay is obtained in the process of firing puffy clay at high temperatures. The final material resulting from the processing of clay is swollen stones of oval shape and small size. Expanded clay is used separately as a heater or moisture absorber, and in the form of expanded clay concrete blocks it is used in the construction of structures.

• Moisture resistant - does not become unusable from exposure to moisture;
• Eco-friendly - the completely natural origin of expanded clay makes it completely safe for health.

• Fragility is the main disadvantage of expanded clay, which, however, is not a problem with careful handling of expanded clay gravel or expanded clay concrete blocks. Violation of the integrity of the granules does not lead to complete deterioration of this building material, but lowers its practical qualities.

Mineral wool - fibrous slabs made from molten metal, slag or rocks. Depending on the purpose, cotton wool can vary in length, thickness and arrangement of fibers. It is used for the purpose of sound and heat insulation, as well as to protect any mechanisms, devices from exposure to high temperatures and aggressive chemicals.

• Ease of installation. Mineral wool sheets have a slight thickness and are suitable for insulation and insulation in a limited space;
• High resistance to high temperatures, fire, chemicals;

• Moisture permeability - susceptible to the negative effects of moisture.
• Not safe enough for people and animals.

What is better to choose?

Expanded clay and mineral wool have similar characteristics of heat and sound protection, but differ in different environmental safety. If you want to completely eliminate any harmful effect of the material on your home and outbuildings, choose expanded clay insulation.

The efficiency of the heating system largely depends on the insulation used for thermal insulation of walls and ceilings. Expanded clay or mineral wool are evaluated in terms of practicality, cost, performance.

Thermal conductivity is not the only indicator used to evaluate the merits thermal insulation materials. The thermal conductivity coefficient of mineral wool is about 0.04 W / (m * K), and expanded clay - 0.1-0.18 W / (m * K). During operation, this indicator is influenced by the scope, the thickness of the insulation layer, and the level of humidity.

The practicality of mineral wool and expanded clay granules is evaluated by a number of parameters:

Mineral wool or expanded clay can be used to insulate a horizontal surface. Vertical backfill will settle over time, bursting the walls. Moisture resistant expanded clay granules are considered the best insulation basements, basements and bathrooms. Lightweight cotton wool insulation is carefully isolated from living quarters to eliminate health hazards.

Subject to the installation rules, manufacturers of both types of insulation guarantee a service life of more than 50 years.

Which is cheaper: comparing the cost of two materials

1 cubic meter of expanded clay gravel can be bought for 1500 rubles, 1 roll of mineral wool measuring 8200 × 1220 × 50 mm costs from 1400 rubles.

The cost estimate for insulation should include the cost of:

• for the services of loaders - for the delivery of heavy bags with expanded clay;
• additional expendable materials- timber, vapor barrier membrane, fasteners;
• funds personal protection- important when using mineral wool insulation.

For the simultaneous solution of the problems of thermal insulation and sound insulation, it is clear that mineral wool is better. Expanded clay is not a heater, and the cheapness of the material can be completely offset by the need to use it in large quantities.

Expanded clay reviews

Alexander, 42 years old, Volgograd: “I used expanded clay for floor screed in the bathroom and toilet. Waterproofing "Osnovit", 7 cm layer filled with cement milk, cement-sand screed and tiles on top. Fine, warm."

Aleksey, 38 years old, Saratov: “I covered the roof of the attic of the old house with a layer of 20 cm with expanded clay. It became warmer, and the rain was not so audible.”