Disadvantages of aerated concrete - what manufacturers are silent about

In recent decades, aerated concrete blocks have become widespread in low-rise construction. According to the manufacturers, this material has simply wonderful properties. It is both light and warm, holds better than brick, and allows the house to breathe, and is environmentally friendly. Many more different advantages are attributed to aerated concrete. However, he also has disadvantages, sometimes significant ones, which the advertisement says in passing or is generally silent.

Those who have already used gas blocks at their construction site can, based on practical experience, talk about the shortcomings of this material. As it turned out, there are a lot of them, and among the main ones:

1. Masonry from gas blocks is very well blown by the wind. The adhesive used for masonry does not leak. So it is desirable to plaster the blocks, and on both sides. If you finish it inside with drywall without seams, then the wind will walk around the house.
2. If the block will be faced with brick, then for a bunch you can not use a row of bricks. He is freezing. Cold in such a house are also jumpers and arm belt. It is necessary to carefully insulate the ends of the floors that go outside.
   instagram viewer
3. Self-tapping screws are well screwed into aerated concrete, and you can drive a nail, unlike a brick. But the concrete is soft, so the fasteners just as easily fall out. You can hang a picture, but with heavy shelves you have to be careful. Only special dowels must be used.
4. Aerated concrete house cools down as quickly as it warms up. If you turn off the heating in the winter, this can create problems. It is better to have backup heating or electric underfloor heating.
5. Any material is subject to shrinkage. Aerated concrete blocks are no exception. They do not crack immediately, but within 3-4 years after construction. The cracks are small, like a small cobweb, but this is unpleasant. And this happens for everyone.
6. If you use gypsum plaster, as manufacturers recommend, then with the onset of frost, it also cracks, and just at the seams between the blocks. So the masonry "plays" of the temperature difference. And it is already impossible to remove such cracks - they appear again and again.
7. Often, gas blocks are made in artisanal conditions. Such products can differ in properties from certified units. It is advisable, when purchasing material for building a house, to carefully study all the characteristics and documents of a particular batch of goods.

A properly laid high-quality gas block can stand, as the advertisement assures, for a hundred or more years. It is possible, but for this it is necessary to strictly observe all the technological conditions for the laying and operation of aerated concrete blocks.