What is better expanded clay or insulation. Thermal insulation properties of bulk expanded clay. Method for the production of expanded clay

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. This is expanded clay and mineral wool.

Expanded clay - a profitable insulation

Expanded clay is a building material used for floor insulation and for 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 are some of them:

1. Expanded clay sand. Used to reduce the weight of concrete structures. A distinctive feature of building raw materials is 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 positive qualities 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 of 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 warm insulating material, created from fibers of mineral origin. A natural product is 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 are used. insulation yellow color has good compressibility and low thermal conductivity. Glass wool is used to construct cylinders, slabs or mats. Such products improve the thermal insulation qualities of a dwelling.

The material created from blast-furnace slag is famous for high level 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 resistance. 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 floor insulation 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 term exploitation. 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 make it possible to use expanded clay for small rooms 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.

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 thermal shock, the clay swells up, forming rounded pieces. different sizes with 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 soft insulation made up of large fibres. 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 this type of heater. Its only drawback is reduced moisture resistance, but this is eliminated by impregnation with special compounds.

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.

No matter how modern and powerful the heating system is, without high-quality reliable thermal insulation, its efficiency is minimized due to large heat loss. Expanded clay and mineral wool are most often used to insulate walls, roofs, floors or floors of residential buildings. It is impossible to categorically say which of the materials is better. Both heat insulators have their positive and negative sides. Their heat-saving function depends not only on physical and technical indicators, but also on compliance with the rules for installing thermal insulation.

General requirements for heaters

During the construction of buildings, thermal insulation of walls, ceilings and floors is mandatory, using heaters from special building materials - polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam, expanded clay, mineral wool. They are characterized by low thermal conductivity, light weight and low price. Thermal insulation materials also have a noise-protective effect. They must answer mandatory requirements A: environmental safety and fire resistance.

What is expanded clay

Expanded clay is a loose, porous, fairly light building material. The main difference between expanded clay and other similar building materials is the use of special types of clay with a content of about 30% quartz as the basis.

Expanded clay is obtained by firing fusible clay rocks that can quickly swell when heated to 1050-1300C for 30-40 minutes. As a result of thermal shock, rounded granules with a melted surface are formed.

It can be said that expanded clay appeared due to defective clay bricks, when burned, sedimentary clay rocks swell. The release of gas and the transition of clay rock to a pyroplastic state during heat treatment is taken as the basis for the production of expanded clay. Most often, expanded clay is used to fill concrete structures and thermal insulation of the foundation, ceiling, roof.

What are the types of expanded clay

Depending on the size and shape of the granules, there are:

1. Expanded clay gravel. Granules are oblong.
2. Expanded clay gravel. Granules in the form of cubes with sharp corners.
3. Expanded clay sand. Small granules, less than 5 mm in size.

The quality of expanded clay is affected by the size of the granules, bulk density, volume weight, porosity, strength. The porosity of expanded clay can be of different structures, its insulating properties depend on it. The more pores, the higher the heat-saving function of expanded clay. Outside, the granules are, as a rule, brown in color, on the fault - black.

Depending on the size of the grains, expanded clay is divided into fractions. According to GOST 9757-90, the following expanded clay fractions are distinguished: 5-10, 10-20 and 20-40 mm. Material with granules less than 5 mm refers to expanded clay sand.

Performance characteristics of expanded clay

Thermal conductivity

High thermal insulation ability. The heat-saving properties of the material depend on the type of processing. Even a small expanded clay layer under the floor significantly increases the level of thermal insulation. The thermal protection of a layer of expanded clay with a thickness of 100 mm is the same as 250 mm of wood.

Weight

Due to its lightness, expanded clay insulation is used at all stages of the construction process. The weight of one cubic meter of expanded clay reaches 250 kg.

Sound protection

Expanded clay is characterized by a high degree of soundproofing. The soundproofing properties of expanded clay are important in housing construction.

Strength and durability

Thanks to "hardening", as a result of clay firing and the formation of a strong sintered shell, the material becomes chemically inert, resistant to mechanical damage and temperature effects (frost resistance, at least 25 cycles).

It is not subject to rotting, damage by rodents and damage by fungus, mold.

Flowability

Expanded clay fill spaces of any volumes and geometric shapes.

Environmental Safety

Expanded clay completely natural material. Does not contain toxic impurities.

Water resistance

Expanded clay is not susceptible to moisture. The water absorption of the material is 8–20%. Any insulation needs protection from moisture and vapor barrier. But even if moisture gets into the expanded clay layer, its granules act as drainage, thanks to ventilated gaps. And the moisture gradually evaporates.

Affordable price

The material is relatively inexpensive. For example, one cubic meter of expanded clay gravel (fraction 10-20) can be bought for 1450 rubles, the price with delivery is 1500 rubles. Expanded clay is sold both in bulk and packaged in bags.

Physical and technical characteristics of expanded clay

Bulk density

Expanded clay is assigned different grades depending on the bulk bulk density. The total number of expanded clay grades varies from 250 to 800, the grade number indicates the bulk density of the material.

For example, expanded clay gravel 250 has a bulk density of 250 kg/m3. An analysis to determine the bulk density by fractions is carried out by pouring expanded clay into measuring containers. The finer the granules, the greater the bulk density.

moisture absorption

This indicator expresses a percentage ratio to the weight of dry filler. Unlike other fillers, expanded clay is protected from moisture penetration inside due to the presence of a burnt crust. The correlation coefficient of high-quality expanded clay is not lower than 0.46. Defective material has a low porosity of the granules, which greatly increases the ability to absorb and retain moisture.

Ability to deform

The deformation coefficient is determined by the porous structure of the material. As a rule, after the first test cycle, the vast majority of material samples show a reliable shrinkage result. Permissible value of the deformation coefficient is not more than 0.14 mm/m.

Thermal conductivity

The glassy phase of production has a great influence on the thermal insulation properties of expanded clay. The higher the glass content, the lower the thermal conductivity of the material. Expanded clay good quality has a thermal conductivity index of 0.07-0.16 W / m, which allows you to save up to 80% of heat.

Method for the production of expanded clay

Clay shale is fired in metal furnaces in the form of drums with a diameter of 2-5 m and a length of up to 70 m. The drums are located at an angle of inclination. Oil shale granules are poured into the upper part of the furnace, they go down the drum, where the nozzle for fuel combustion is located. The firing time of the pellets in the oven is 45 minutes.

There are double-drum furnaces, in which the drums are separated by a threshold and rotate with different speed. In such furnaces, it is possible to process lower-quality raw materials and obtain expanded clay or gravel at the output, which is not inferior to the material obtained in single-drum furnaces.

Where is expanded clay used

• Economical loose insulation for walls, floors, building floors, basements, pitched roofs, as well as for the arrangement of heat and water supply networks. Expanded clay gravel of good quality reduces the heat loss of the building by 70-80%.
• Filler for lightweight concrete (expanded concrete). Production of blocks from expanded clay concrete.
• Decorative material and at the same time a heat insulator for soil and lawns.
• Drainage material and heat insulator for earthen road embankments in areas of water-saturated soil.

Ways to insulate the floor with expanded clay

IN modern construction exist different ways underfloor devices. One of the most frequently used is a floor screed with expanded clay, which is performed both dry and wet.

wet way

The use of expanded clay as a filler for concrete mortar gives strength to the structure. As a result of the penetration of the solution into the porous structure of the granules, the adhesion force of concrete increases.

How to calculate expanded clay consumption

The calculation of expanded clay for floor screed is carried out taking into account the required thickness of the heat-insulating layer. Before you buy expanded clay and other screed materials, you need to calculate their quantity.

Usually the following proportion is adhered to: for 1 sq.m of a screed 30 mm thick, 17 kg of cement and 50 kg of sand will be required. Expanded clay consumption depends on the thickness of the insulation layer and the fraction of the material and is approximately one bag of 50 kg, which is enough for a 4-5 m2 screed.

Calculation of expanded clay for a warm floor

The use of expanded clay allows you to spend more economically concrete mortar. Laying a "warm floor" has its own characteristics, since the concrete-claydite coating experiences not only mechanical loads, but also temperature effects. In this case, the proportional content of cement and sand will be 1:2.

The amount of expanded clay depends on the thickness of the thermal insulation layer, for example, with a layer thickness of 10 mm, 0.01 m3 of material per 1 m2 is required. It is difficult to calculate the exact consumption of expanded clay in advance, often the required amount of material is determined empirically in the process construction works. A plasticizer is added to the concrete mixture for a "warm floor" at the rate of 150-200 ml per 1 m2.

The procedure for laying expanded clay

Thermal insulation with expanded clay requires strict adherence to technology.

The procedure for insulation with expanded clay:

1. Clear the floor. If the floor is made of wood, then remove all structures except for the fixing beams.
2. Set beacons around the perimeter of the room, maintaining a small gap from the wall.
3. Cover the surface with a layer of sand 100 mm thick and compact.
4. Pour expanded clay on top of the sand layer. The minimum thickness of the expanded clay layer must be at least 150 mm. It is determined taking into account the load on the floor.
5. Level the surface of the expanded clay layer along the beacons with a fishing line.
6. Cover with a waterproofing film to protect the expanded clay insulation from moisture penetration.
7. Pour concrete solution. Laying concrete requires care so as not to disturb the level of expanded clay. Within 3-4 weeks, the floor is regularly moistened with water to avoid cracks.

Dry way

A feature of dry screed technology is that it is not used concrete mix. The design consumption of expanded clay is 0.01 m3 per square meter floor with a layer thickness of 10 mm. However, the calculation of expanded clay for dry screed is done for a layer thickness of 30-40 mm, which means that at least 0.03-0.04 m3 of material will be required per 1 m2 of area.

In practice, the consumption of expanded clay may differ slightly from the calculated due to different reasons: floor slope, change in the area of ​​the screed after the installation of beacons, etc.

Insulation of the floor of a country house with expanded clay

The country house can be insulated with expanded clay. The insulation layer should be at least 30 cm. When laying expanded clay directly on the ground, the floor will be cold. A more efficient method of double flooring. A draft floor is attached to the beams from tightly fitted boards without slots. The flooring is covered with thin durable paper - glassine, which is used instead of roofing paper. Expanded clay is poured from above to the level of the middle of the beam. Then the finished floor is laid.

Insulation requires protection from moisture, which is formed both inside the house and penetrating from the external environment. For this, waterproofing membranes are used.

What is mineral wool

Mineral wool is one of the most common heat insulators, which has been used in various types insulation. Mineral wool is a soft coarse-fiber building material. Mineral wool insulation is produced from waste metal and carbon alloys of minerals.

Mineral wool is widely in demand in construction, due to its durability, simple and quick installation, fire resistance. The disadvantage of this insulation is reduced moisture resistance. To protect against dampness, the material is impregnated with special compounds.

Such property of mineral wool as air permeability is especially appreciated. Due to the ability to "breathe", mineral wool is often used for insulation. wooden houses. Release form of mineral wool insulation: plates, rolls, mats of various lengths and thicknesses. The choice of the size of the plates depends on the conditions of the thermal insulation installation and the tasks ahead.

For summer houses the dimensions of the heater will be smaller. So for the shield country house 50 mm thick sheets are required. Year-round houses need more thorough insulation, in this case required thickness layer of mineral wool reaches 200 mm.

Performance characteristics of mineral wool

1. Mineral wool is a refractory material.
2. Provides a high degree of sound insulation, which is especially important in residential buildings with thin walls.
3. Not subject to deformation from exposure to high and low temperatures.
4. Acceptable price. The cost of the material depends on the form of release and size. For example, a set of mineral wool in rolls based on fiberglass for thermal and sound insulation various designs of two mats measuring 8200x1220x50 mm costs 1,375.00 rubles.

Disadvantages of mineral wool insulation: the material is fragile and non-moisture resistant. Mineral wool cannot be called an environmentally friendly insulation. Its particles, when inhaled, have a harmful effect on the human body.

These shortcomings are neutralized with proper handling of the material and compliance with the technology of thermal insulation installation.

Thermal insulation of the floor with mineral wool along the logs

One of the ways to insulate the floor is laying on the logs.

Floor insulation along the logs is carried out on the ground. Underground space with this method will be cold. If the house is brick, then it is necessary to insulate the foundation of the house. This is due to the high thermal conductivity of the brick and the possibility of the formation of cold bridges. Thermal insulation by the method of lags is more often carried out in wooden houses because wood has a lower thermal conductivity.

Modern insulation materials very efficient. But sometimes their use leads to freezing of the plinth in wooden buildings. Such a reverse effect is associated with the high tightness of modern heat insulators and an obstacle to heating. underground space from the warmth of the house. Therefore, when warming wooden house modern materials basement insulation is also required.

The order of floor insulation by lags

1. Soil compaction.
2. Laying a layer of crushed stone, bonded bituminous mastic. Bitumen is used for waterproofing.
3. Installation of brick columns with a longitudinal interval of 2 m and a transverse interval of 60 cm.
4. Pole waterproofing.
5. Laying wooden lag with a section of 100x50 mm, which is sufficient to withstand the load on the floor.
6. Fixation of a windproof layer at the bottom of each log. First, a metal mesh is fixed, and a wind-protective film is attached to it. This is necessary so that the insulation layer does not scatter under the action of air currents under the floor of the house. This film is vapor permeable.
7. Laying mineral wool insulation on the film between the lags. Mineral slabs with a windproof coating are now being produced. In this case, a metal mesh and a film are not required.
8. Covering the insulation with a layer of vapor barrier.
9. Sealing joints between sheets.
10. Plank flooring.

If the floor is wooden concrete base, then remove the boards and everything under them and clear concrete surface. If the boards are in good condition and it is planned to re-lay them after insulation, then note the order of their location and carefully remove them.

Then spread the waterproofing film. Logs with a section of 50x50 mm are laid on top at a distance of 50 cm from each other. A heater is placed between the lags. From above, a vapor barrier film laid with an overlap is fastened with small slats. The final stage: finishing flooring.

When insulating the floor with mineral wool, it should be borne in mind that the height of the floor will rise by approximately 50 mm.

Attic insulation with mineral wool

So that the attic is not empty, it can be insulated and turned into an additional attic room or a closet. For thermal insulation of the attic are used:

1. Organic derivatives (polyurethane foam).
2. mineral wool materials.
3. Bulk dry insulation (expanded clay).

For high-quality thermal insulation of the attic, all three types of materials are used and combined.

Mineral wool is well suited for insulating all surfaces of the attic: floors, walls and roofs. Insulation of the attic with mineral wool requires the additional use of an external wind- and hydro-insulating polymer film. metal surface roofs are desirable to process oil paint to prevent condensation in the cold season.

Mineral wool has a loose structure, it passes steam well, therefore, with inside the insulation is covered with a vapor barrier layer of polyethylene foil.

Mineral wool is used in the form of rolls and mats. Seams between fragments insulation is carefully sealed with metallized adhesive tape.

Mineral wool is placed between roof rafters, and on the floor - between the lags of the supporting structures. At thermal insulation works it is important to take into account the increase in the load on supporting pillars due to the weight of the heater.

Therefore, before starting insulation measures in the attic, you should make sure that the supporting structures and the roof itself are strong, and, if necessary, replace obsolete worn parts.

Thermal insulation of the attic with expanded clay

Expanded clay is an excellent material for warming the attic. A dry, loose expanded clay layer creates a well-ventilated space and retains heat at the same time. Expanded clay is usually used for attic floor insulation, and in some cases for thermal insulation of gables and the roof itself.

The loose claydite layer passes moisture and air well, and therefore a wind- and moisture-proof polymer layer is needed outside. It is recommended to leave a small ventilated gap between the roof and the expanded clay layer to allow moisture vapor to escape.

From the inside, the expanded clay layer needs vapor barrier protection. Backfilling of expanded clay is carried out in special frame. This hides part of the space inside the attic. A special box is made on the floor, expanded clay is poured into it, and wooden or tiled flooring is laid on top.

Often, expanded clay thermal insulation is supplemented with mineral wool or polyurethane foam, especially in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bpipes where ventilation is most required. Expanded clay is poured into these places and carefully closed on all sides with moisture and windproof membranes.

So what is better: mineral wool or expanded clay?

Thermal insulation of buildings with mineral wool and expanded clay is considered the most common due to several factors: a relatively inexpensive price, a fairly simple installation process and quite a decent quality of insulation.

The choice of one or another insulation depends on the specific conditions of construction, financial and technical capabilities. In addition, expanded clay and mineral wool perfectly complement each other and are often used in a combined version. Expanded clay and mineral wool are time-tested materials that have become traditional in construction. And it seems that in the foreseeable future they are not going to give up their positions.

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In our time, the cost of heating housing and premises in general is constantly increasing. At the same time, for some reason, salaries remain almost the same - a bad trend, but it has to be reckoned with. In such conditions, almost every owner of a house or apartment begins to worry about the issue of energy saving. Today, walls, floors, ceilings, slopes are massively insulated - such measures allow the most efficient distribution of heat throughout the room due to the fact that the level of heat transfer of the building is reduced.

This article will address such a difficult issue as floor insulation - let's figure out what is best suited for this: mineral wool or expanded clay. In principle, foam is also often used, but this is not the most the best option, because the possibility of ventilation, ventilation of the ceiling practically disappears. Although, undoubtedly, the thermal insulation characteristics of the foam are at their best.

So, mineral wool and expanded clay, which is better - you can start with a review of the first material and compare everything on specific properties.

This insulation is soft coarse-fiber plates or rolls. This material is made on the basis of waste from metal and carbon alloys of various minerals such as basalt. In its structure, it resembles glass wool, only the latter is much worse in terms of thermal insulation characteristics. In principle, mineral wool is widely used in construction and is especially popular for facade insulation. However, the facade is not floor insulation - there are still different specifics.

The main advantages of this heater are considered to be several points.

• Durability.

A rather controversial property, since in order for the insulation to last for a really long time, it is necessary to ensure the absence of moisture in the space where it is laid. Weak resistance to moisture is the main drawback of the material, because if the mineral wool gets wet, then in this place all thermal insulation qualities are instantly excluded. Of course, manufacturers have now learned how to process rolls with various moisture-proof compounds, but this does not always work effectively.

In addition, mats and rolls are afraid mechanical damage, that is, simply speaking, they can tear even due to the activity of mice. Therefore, the question of durability is still mostly doubtful. It is difficult to 100% protect such insulation.

• Fast installation.

This is true, but it is also debatable - which is easier - to roll out rolls on a plane or to fill the space with expanded clay? There is no difference in difficulty. Therefore, compared to working with expanded clay, this quality is definitely not an advantage.

• Fire resistance.

Similarly, expanded clay is also not afraid of fire.

• Breathability.

That is, that is - the basalt roll has good vapor permeability, due to which the steam, in theory, will not accumulate in the floor space. However, if the same quality is applied to expanded clay, then the same situation is visible here - the steam passes perfectly between the scattered granules of the material and, accordingly, the vapor permeability here is also at its best.

It turns out that while the rolled insulator "loses" expanded clay due to the fact that it is afraid of moisture and is not too tear-resistant.

Now it's time to consider the structure of expanded clay.

Expanded clay as a heater

Essentially, this bulk material with pores. The granules have a low weight, which, in general, is not particularly different from the weight of the cotton. Expanded clay is made on the basis of clay, which contains about 30% quartz, and, as you know, clay is a natural, natural insulation that does not emit any harmful fumes.

If we compare the latter quality with mineral wool, then the latter is not so good in this regard, because it contains fine dust-like particles that are harmful to human breathing. In principle, since the roll will eventually be covered with various layers of insulators (not counting the final floor itself), these impurities are practically unable to get into the air of the room, but this possibility still remains.

That is, here the third drawback automatically arises. mineral insulation(the first is the fear of moisture, and the second is low tensile strength) - this is not 100% environmentally friendly.

As practice shows, it is possible to protect oneself as much as possible from the harmful “side” of the issue only under the condition of a very competent and correct installation. And this is not always possible due to the different skill levels of installers.

Of course, expanded clay may also have disadvantages in terms of environmental friendliness, but only if the raw material was mined in a quarry, which has elevated levels of radioactivity. This happens very rarely, but it’s still worth checking with sellers for the availability of safety certificates for the material.

Also, when buying expanded clay, you should pay attention to the following:

• per fraction of granules. For floor insulation, it is better to take not the largest sizes - a gradation of 5-10 is optimal.
• For porosity. The more pores in the pebble, the better the thermal insulation characteristics.
• The strength of the material - this affects the service life.

Here a difficult moment automatically emerges in terms of the use of expanded clay - you need to try to find a good one, quality material to achieve low level thermal conductivity. Basalt material “wins” here, as it is relatively standardized, and it is quite difficult to find a fake or a marriage on the market.

Expanded clay is not afraid of moisture, since all steam or all water simply “passes” through the pores or directly through the granules of the material. The percentage of moisture absorption here, of course, is available, but it is very small compared to soft insulation.

It is worth noting such a moment as the almost complete absence of the possibility of improper laying of expanded clay for floor insulation. Yes, choosing a material is quite difficult, but it is very easy to insulate them, the risk of any errors is minimal.

These are the main characteristics of expanded clay. Now we need to touch on the most important thing.

Specific thermal insulation parameters of expanded clay and rolled insulators

So, it turns out the advantages and disadvantages of materials are known, but what will happen if we compare their thermal conductivity? In fact, everything is quite simple here.

For good example you just need to take good quality insulators.

As can be seen from the table, cotton wool insulation has more best level thermal conductivity than expanded clay, which means that in order to achieve the same heat-conducting effect, the expanded clay layer for the floor must be made twice as thick as it would be when using basalt rolls.

If we talk about exact numbers, then in an average climate, the required thickness of cotton wool on the floor should be about 7 cm according to SNIPs. Accordingly, for backfilling expanded clay, a space of about 13-17 centimeters will be needed (it all depends on the quality of the granules). Of course, the figures may vary in one direction or another, since the specifics of the situation are of great importance, but in general the ratio is approximately the same.

Based on all the above information, you can draw some conclusions.

Conclusion

It turns out that both materials are good in their own way, and at the same time, each has its own specific disadvantages.

Basalt wool is not so environmentally friendly and durable, but for its installation it is necessary less space(but more professional).

And expanded clay as a heater is important to use when you want to achieve maximum environmental safety indoors and when it is possible to lay the required floor thickness.

So the choice is not so difficult - you just need to weigh all the features of the situation and the decision will become obvious.