Contents
- №1.Expanded clay: production and fractions
- №2.Advantages and disadvantages of expanded clay
- №3.Physical and technical properties of claydite
- №4.Warming the floor at home with expanded clay
- №5.Thermal insulation of the house walls with expanded clay
- №6.Roof insulation with expanded clay
- №7.Basement insulation with
expanded clay Lightweight, durable and durable expanded clay is made from natural raw materials and has high thermal insulation qualities, and at the same time it is much cheaper than similar materials. He also has some drawbacks, but if all the installation conditions are met, they are reduced to nothing. We deal with the basic properties of the material and the peculiarities of house insulation with expanded clay, the nuances of its use in thermal insulation of the floor, walls, roof and foundation.
# 1.Expanded clay: production and fractions
For the production of expanded clay use fusible clay with a quartz content of 30%.They are processed in special chambers, where they heat up to a temperature of 1050-13000С for 30-40 minutes, as a result of which swelling and formation of porous granules with a molten hermetic shell occurs, which gives the material the necessary strength. The more pores in the clay, the better.
In the production process, as a rule, granules of different fractions are obtained:
- expanded clay sand with a grain size of up to 5 mm;
- expanded clay crushed stone - granules, resembling cubes in shape;
- expanded clay gravel - granules of oblong shape.
According to the size of the granules, expanded clay of such fractions is distinguished: 5-10 mm, 10-20 mm and 20-40 mm. 
№2.Advantages and disadvantages of expanded clay
Widespread popularity of expanded clay gained not only thanks to low price , but also due to other advantages :
- good thermal insulation properties. The coefficient of thermal conductivity is 0.07-0.16 W / m * K.Frankly, this is not the highest result among all heaters, but the competitors overlap in many other parameters;
- excellent insulation;
- high strength and safety of the original form under the influence of high and low temperatures;
- fire resistance and frost resistance, achieved through the "quenching" of expanded clay during manufacture;
- light weight. All 1 m3 claydite from 250 to 800 kg;
- inertness to mold, fungus and rodents;
- due to the flowability can fill a cavity of any shape and size, is used for insulation of floors, walls, foundations and roofs;
- resistance to aggressive chemicals;
- environmental friendliness;
- durability;
- installation can be carried out independently - the specific equipment is not required.
Among deficiencies :
- insulation layer can not be thin;
- propensity of granules to dust, therefore, when working with expanded clay it is better to use a respirator;
- expanded clay is able to absorb moisture. It gives up accumulated moisture, but very slowly, so in highly damp rooms it is better not to use the material, but in any case it will be necessary to equip the waterproofing layer.
№3.Physical and technical properties of claydite
When choosing claydite for house insulation, pay attention to its properties:
The- bulk density of the material, which determines the weight of 1 m3 of claydite, is indicated in the grades and can be from 250 to 800 kg / m3 , in total 10 brands are represented. Expanded clay M400 brand has a density of 400 kg / m3, for example. The lower the density, the better the insulating qualities;
- strength .The higher the weight of expanded clay, the greater must be its strength, so that the material does not collapse under the pressure of its own weight. For the M400 expanded clay, the strength must be at least P50, for the M450 expanded clay - P75, etc.;
- The strain factor shows the shrinkage of the material. Permissible value of 0.14 mm / m;
- The thermal conductivity coefficient of for good expanded clay is 0.07-0.16 W / m * K, a lower-quality material has a coefficient of 0.2 W / m * K and higher, it is better not to take it for insulation.
Due to its properties, claydite has a wide scope of .It is used as a filler in the production of blocks of expanded clay concrete, as a decorative and drainage material, but still . The main area is thermal insulation, not only structures, but even soil. 
№4.Warming the floor of the house with expanded clay
Expanded clay - one of the most suitable materials for floor insulation, especially if the budget is limited. Warming can be done in one of several existing ways.
The classic version of the provides for the following sequence of actions:
- thoroughly cleaning the floor surface from dust and dirt;
- laying a layer of waterproofing, which is used as a strong plastic film, you can use construction tape to join it. The edges of the film should go on the walls above the level of expanded clay with a coupler;
- is better to pre-mix expanded clay of different fractions in order to obtain maximum strength and thermal insulation;
- placing beacons on which a layer of expanded clay will be poured. The first beacon is installed at a distance of 2-3 cm from the wall, the rest are mounted parallel to it at a distance of the length of the rule, which will subsequently level the solution. Attention should be paid to this stage, since it depends on it how flat the floor will be after the screed has been completed. Lighthouses are made of metal profiles or pipes, which are placed on piles of strong cement, plaster or alabaster mortar. Guide rails carefully level using level;
- filling of expanded clay, thorough tamping and leveling. The layer must be at least 10-15 cm in order to achieve thermal insulation qualities, this must be taken into account when calculating the level of the floors;
- preparation of cement milk( cement slurry) and pouring them a layer of expanded clay. This is necessary to give it strength, otherwise the level of the screed may be disturbed during the subsequent pouring of the screed solution. You can reinforce the surface with a metal mesh - this will provide it with additional strength;
- pouring the floor with a finishing cement screed with a thickness of about 3 cm. The mortar begins to be poured from the walls, opposite the doors and stretched by the rule to get a flat surface. In a week, you can walk on such a floor, but he gains final strength after a month. At this time, you can periodically wet the surface with water, preventing the appearance of cracks.
You can do without the time-consuming process of preparing the mortar and pouring the screed using simplified dry technology :
- vapor barrier is laid on the surface of the main floor;
- is filled with expanded clay on beacons; for reliability, you can, of course, fix it with cement milk;
- on the expanded clay stack dense gypsum-fiber sheets, which are fastened with glue.
The lagging option is similar to the dry method:
- laying a vapor barrier;
- installation of wooden bars, impregnated with antiseptic. For a strictly vertical level, you can use wooden lining. Bars attached to the floor with screws in 0.5 m;
- expanded clay poured clearly on the upper edge of the bars;
- covering the structure with a vapor barrier;
- laying plywood, chipboard, OSB, after which you can install a finishing floor.
№5.
claydite insulation for the walls To use claydite to insulate walls, uses three-layer masonry , which is applicable only to newly built houses: the first layer is the load-bearing wall, the second layer is claydite with cement milk, the third layer is exterior finish. There are three technologies:
- masonry with horizontal three-row diaphragms .Two parallel walls are erected together, one of them is brick-thick, the second is half brick, the distance between them is 15-25 cm. After laying every fifth row, a heater is poured into the cavity, tamped and poured with cement milk, and then laid out a brick overlappingin three rows, the corners for greater strength perform without cavities. After completion of the work, the outer layer is trimmed with a facing brick, plaster or other material;
- masonry involves the construction of two walls at a distance of 15-35 cm from each other and their dressing through a series of 70-110 cm bridges. Wells-cavities are covered with claydite and poured with cement milk;
- masonry with embedded parts. also supposes the expanded clay to fill the space between two parallel walls as they are erected. Walls are connected to each other by reinforcement brackets.
If the walls of the frame house are insulated with , then the expanded clay insulation must be tamped very carefully. The walls of the wooden house are the most difficult to insulate with expanded clay. Since its thermal insulation properties are somewhat worse than that of the nearest competitor, mineral wool, it is necessary to leave cavities 20-40 cm thick, and this is a significant load on the bearing walls, so an additional foundation will have to be made from the outside. The complexity of the technology and the cost of carrying out all the additional manipulations virtually nullifies the cost-effectiveness of expanded clay insulation, so for wooden houses it is better to consider another option for wall insulation. 
№6.Warming of the roof with expanded clay
The process of warming the roof resembles the method of warming the floor with expanded clay. It is easy to do all the work yourself:
- floor insulation. You can use glassine, plastic film, foil or polystyrene;
- vapor layer some masters advise to fix a layer of soft clay, but you can do without it;
- pouring claydite, and it is recommended to take expanded clay gravel, which fills all cavities well, sometimes it is mixed with foam polystyrene crumb. Expanded clay is well rammed, after which you can perform a tie for greater structural strength;
- ruberoid flooring, which is pressed down the layer of expanded clay. Installation is carried out overlapped, the seams are insulated with adhesive tape or bitumen mastic;
- laying roofing material.
№7.Warming of the foundation with expanded clay
Warm up the foundation with claydite as well with your own resources:
- release the foundation from the ground, dig a trench about 80-100 cm wide;
- waterproofing of the foundation with bitumen mastic of hot or cold application, or rolled roofing material. Under the mastic it is necessary to apply a special primer that dries in 2-3 hours;
- in areas of high groundwater storage, it is necessary to arrange drainage around the house for effective removal of moisture and to ensure a longer service life of claydite, which is afraid of moisture. At some distance from the house they dig a ditch deep below the bedding of the foundation, put geotectisl at the bottom, fill it with rubble and lay pipes with holes, fill the pipes with rubble, close the edges of the geotextile and fill it with sand;
- laying film over waterproofing. It should completely close the foundation, and from the ground side it should be approximately at the level of drainage. After that, pour clay and ram it;
- installation of the blind area, for which around 10–15 cm high formwork is carried out along the perimeter of the building, a reinforcing mesh is laid into it and filled with concrete.
Cheap and eco-friendly expanded clay can become a reliable thermal insulation, provided that you perform reliable waterproofing.
