Technologies for constructing walls of a private house are developing in three main directions:

1. Relatively thin and durable walls are insulated with highly effective insulation. The wall consists of two layers- a load-bearing layer that absorbs mechanical loads, and a layer of insulation.
2. For the construction of single-layer walls, materials are used that combine a sufficiently high resistance to both mechanical stress and heat transfer. The construction of single-layer walls from cellular concrete(autoclaved aerated concrete, gas silicate) or porous ceramics.
3. A combination of these two technologies is also used when walls made of cellular and porous materials provide additional insulation layer of highly effective insulation. This combination allows make both wall masonry and a thin layer of insulation. This can be beneficial for structural reasons, especially when building a house in a cold climate.

Advantages of single-layer house walls made of warm ceramics

Especially in areas with mild winters it is more profitable and easier to build a private house with single-layer stone external walls. Modern building materials make it possible to build a single-layer wall of reasonable thickness and required strength that is sufficiently heat-saving for the specified climate.

Compared to two- or three-layer walls, single-layer outer structure stone wall has the following advantages:

• The total cost of building a house with single-layer external stone walls with a masonry thickness of up to 51 cm, at least, does not exceed the cost of building a two-layer, and less than a three-layer wall. Such walls make it possible to provide high consumer properties of housing, and at the same time reduce the cost of construction in areas with less harsh winter.
• The homogeneous design of a single-layer stone wall provides greater durability, environmental friendliness, and better resistance to mechanical, fire and climatic influences. In the thickness of a single-layer wall there are no less durable and impact-resistant insulation and polymer films, there are no ventilated gaps, there is no risk of moisture accumulation at the boundary of the layers, and protection from rodents is not required.
• A house with external single-layer walls made of stone materials predicted durability is 100 years, service life until the first major overhaul is 55 years. For comparison, the duration of effective operation of buildings insulated with mineral wool or polystyrene boards before the first major repair is 25-35 years. During this period it is required complete replacement insulation.
• Single layer wall least susceptible to accidental or deliberate damage.
• Single layer wall is the key to the absence of hidden defects: it is impossible to place insulation poorly in it, since the insulation is the masonry material itself; it is impossible to perform a bad vapor barrier in it, since it does not need a vapor barrier; the entire wall is in front of your eyes and you don’t have to worry about the state of the foam or mineral wool hidden in its depths - nothing is hidden in the wall.
• Laying a single-layer wall is faster, since it is carried out from large-format blocks and does not require additional work for wall insulation.
• For laying single-layer walls, as a rule, blocks with a tongue-and-groove side surface are used, which makes it possible not to fill the vertical joints of the masonry with mortar. As a result consumption masonry mortar decreases by 30-40%.

For example, in Germany, approximately 50% of private houses are built with single-layer walls made of autoclaved aerated concrete (gas silicate) or porous ceramics. According to this site, 10% of readers chose single-layer walls for their home.

Porous ceramics manufactured from raw materials and in a manner that is similar to the production of conventional ceramic bricks. The difference is that components are added to the clay-based mass, which form pores when fired.

Hollow large-format blocks and bricks are made from porous ceramics. The hollowness further increases the heat-saving properties of products made from porous ceramics.

Masonry of a house wall from large-format blocks of porous ceramics with brick cladding of the facade

The compressive strength of porous bricks is higher than that of blocks. But a brick wall turns out to be more thermally conductive compared to masonry made from large-format blocks. In addition, brickwork is more labor intensive. For low-rise construction up to 3 floors it is more profitable to use large-format blocks rather than porous bricks.

On construction market There are blocks of several standard standard sizes from which single-layer masonry can be made with a thickness of 25, 38, 44 and 51 cm.

When laying the wall, large-format hollow blocks made of porous ceramics place long side across the wall. The thickness of the wall is equal to the length of the block.

For single-layer walls, blocks with a masonry thickness of 38, 44, or 51 cm are used. For double-layer walls with facade insulation, the masonry thickness is most often chosen 38, 44 or 25 cm.

A single-layer wall made of large-format blocks of porous ceramics 44 cm thick with masonry on a heat-saving mortar will have a heat transfer resistance of 3.33 m 2 *K/W. Such a wall complies with Russian energy saving standards for private houses located south of the St. Petersburg - Kazan - Orenburg line. North of this border, blocks with a masonry thickness of 51 cm are used, or two-layer walls are chosen from blocks of porous ceramics, with a masonry thickness of 25 - 44 cm and the facade is insulated with mineral wool or heat-insulating slabs made of low-density aerated concrete.

Except blocks standard size, produce small-format additional blocks - halves and blocks of a size convenient for dressing masonry in corners.

Porous large-format blocks, as a rule, have a compressive strength of 75 or 100 kg/m2 (M75, M100). The strength of porous bricks and small-format blocks can be M150, M175.

For construction it is advantageous to choose finished project house, which initially involves laying walls from porous large-format blocks. The horizontal dimensions and height of walls, openings, and piers in such a project will be chosen so that the need for cutting blocks is minimized. It is better to adapt the design of a house with walls made of other materials to walls made of large-format ceramics.

Mortar for laying walls made of porous ceramics

The side surface of ceramic blocks usually has a profiled tongue-and-groove surface, which allows them to be connected without masonry mortar in a vertical seam. This connection facilitates and speeds up the laying, but requires the mason to be careful - the joints of the blocks must be smooth, without gaps or distortions. When laying cut blocks, the vertical joint must be filled with mortar.

To reduce the air permeability (blowability) of the wall, The masonry must be plastered on both sides.

The blocks can be laid using ordinary cement-lime masonry mortar with a joint thickness of 8-12mm. But It is beneficial to use a heat-saving mortar for laying walls made of porous blocks. This solution has lower thermal conductivity than the traditional one.

A wall made of porous ceramic blocks 44 cm thick on a heat-saving mortar will have a heat transfer resistance of 3.33 m 2 *K/W, and when laying on ordinary mortar only 2.78 m 2 *K/W.

A wall built using a heat-saving mortar will cost more, about 10%, than masonry using a traditional composition.

It should also be taken into account that the heat-saving solution reduces the compressive strength of the masonry by approximately 20%. Therefore, the use of heat-saving mortar for masonry walls should be provided for in the project.

Masonry of porous blocks in two-layer walls with facade insulation is usually carried out using traditional cement-lime masonry mortar. A slight increase in the thermal conductivity of the wall in this case is not so critical.

Before laying on the solution The blocks must be moistened with water. This is necessary so that the water from the solution is less absorbed into the ceramics of the block. Otherwise, the solution in the joint will quickly lose water and will not gain strength.

Some manufacturers produce blocks with milled (polished) horizontal edges. This processing makes it possible to achieve minimum deviations block size in height, no more than plus or minus 1 mm.

The laying of blocks with milled edges is carried out on glue solution with a seam thickness of 2-3 mm. Installing blocks with glue increases the heat transfer resistance of the wall compared to laying with mortar.

In the European Union countries, laying milled blocks on polyurethane foam glue - foam - is gaining popularity. From regular polyurethane foam the composition is characterized by faster setting and less ability to increase volume. Laying on adhesive foam reduces bearing capacity walls

Features of masonry walls made of large-format ceramic blocks

It should be noted that wall materials for single-layer walls have mediocre both mechanical and thermal properties. We have to improve them with various design tweaks.

A large-format ceramic block is pressed against an already installed block and lowered vertically onto the mortar so that no gap is formed in the vertical seam between the blocks.

Hollow ceramic blocks are cut using special stone-cutting saws - hand-held or on a stone-cutting machine.

To lay communications in the masonry of the wall, you have to punch holes - fines. Horizontal and vertical fines along the entire length of the wall or the height of the floor are allowed to be made with a depth of no more than 3 cm. Short vertical fines located in the lower third of the floor height are allowed to be made up to 8 cm deep.

Deeper grooves weaken the wall's masonry. Therefore, their dimensions and location must be indicated in the project and confirmed by calculations. Deep and extended fines are especially dangerous for walls less than 30 cm thick.

After laying communications, the grooves in the external walls are filled with heat-saving mortar.

Connection of external and internal walls from large-format ceramic blocks

Internal walls are bearing, taking the load from the structures lying above - floors, roofs, and self-supporting- partitions.

Internal load-bearing walls are erected simultaneously with the laying of external walls. Load-bearing walls must rest on the foundation. In turn, load-bearing walls serve as support for floors and rafter system roofs.

1 - load-bearing internal wall, 38 or 25 cm; 2 - thermal insulation, 5 cm; 3 - outer wall

Internal load-bearing walls connect with outer wall method of dressing masonry. To do this, install an internal wall block, position 1 in the figure, in outer wall, position 3, to a depth of 10-15 cm. The blocks are placed not in each row, but every other row. In the second course of masonry, the inner wall block is simply adjacent to the outer wall masonry block.

Partitions in the house They serve only to separate rooms. They do not bear the load from the overlying structures of the house. The laying of partitions can be done simultaneously with the construction of external walls, but it is more convenient to do this after the construction of the frame of the house.

In any case, the height of the partition should be 2-3 cm below the ceiling so that the ceiling cannot put pressure on the partition. The gap between the ceiling and the masonry of the partition is sealed, for example, with a strip of mineral wool.

Non-load-bearing internal walls and partitions can be connected to external walls using galvanized steel anchors, placing at least 3 pieces in the masonry joints. along the height of the partition.

The basis for partitions made of masonry materials can be a ceiling or concrete screed floor on the ground. The ceiling or other foundation must be designed to bear the load from the weight of the partition. If necessary, strengthen the base by installing a monolithic reinforced concrete beam under the partition.

The thickness of the masonry is chosen based on need provide the necessary sound insulation between rooms. Solid, without doorways, partitions separating living rooms from other rooms in the house, it is recommended to make it from ceramic blocks with a masonry thickness of 25 cm.

Other partitions are made of ceramic blocks or bricks with a masonry thickness of 12 cm.

To improve sound insulation, vertical joints in the masonry of partitions and interior walls It is recommended to fill with solution.

Foundation and basement of a house made of ceramic blocks

If the foundation of the house is made of prefabricated concrete blocks, then a monolithic reinforced concrete belt must be installed on top of the blocks. The masonry of walls made of large-format ceramic blocks should be supported by a continuous strip of reinforced concrete.

The thickness of single-layer walls of a house made of large-format blocks is quite large: 38 - 51 cm. To reduce construction costs, the width of the foundation (basement) walls is made smaller, how load-bearing walls Houses. The wide wall of the house overhangs on one or both sides over the narrower wall of the basement. Vertically, the wall of the plinth falls behind the surface of the masonry walls of the house.

Without performing calculations, the width of the plinth wall can be made 20% narrower than the thickness of the masonry made of porous blocks. For example, with a block masonry thickness of 44 cm, the width of the plinth wall can be reduced to 35 cm. Reducing the width of the plinth wall by 30% is allowed, but must be confirmed by the designer’s calculations. The horizontal surface of the wall overhang above the plinth is plastered from below.

To protect the ceramic walls of the house from splashing water and moisture when the snow melts, it is recommended to choose a height of at least 30 cm above the level of the blind area.

Ceiling in the wall made of large-format ceramic blocks

1 - compensation tape; 2 — seam reinforcement (if necessary); 3 - reinforced concrete belt; 4 - thermal insulation 10 cm; 5 — additional ceramic block; 6 - wall made of ceramic blocks; 7 - pillow from cement mortar not less than 2 cm. 8 - prefabricated monolithic, often ribbed ceiling; 9 - concrete screed 5 cm; 10 - thermal and sound insulation.

At the level of supporting the floors on load-bearing walls made of ceramic blocks, a continuous reinforced concrete belt is installed, pos. 3 in the picture. A continuous belt is installed on top of all load-bearing walls of the house. A monolithic reinforced concrete belt forms a rigid frame that absorbs the vertical and horizontal loads of the floors, as well as the upper floors, and evenly transfers them to the load-bearing walls of the house.

The installation of a monolithic belt is mandatory if the floor is made of monolithic or precast reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete belt is also required in seismic hazard areas. Minimum dimensions monolithic reinforced concrete belt in section 150x150 mm.

By the way, you can also use large-format ceramic blocks to install floors in your home.

Length of support for prefabricated reinforced concrete, precast monolithic or monolithic ceiling on a wall made of large-format porous ceramic blocks should be at least 125 mm.

Steel and wooden beams prefabricated floors are supported on a monolithic reinforced concrete belt with a width of 150 mm and a height of at least 100 mm. The belt is installed under the ceiling.

IN one-story houses beams wooden floor it is allowed to rest on a masonry of three rows of solid ceramic bricks. Monolithic belt You don’t have to do this in such houses.

Window in the wall made of porous ceramic blocks

1 - seam reinforcement (if necessary); 2 — additional ceramic block; 3 - thermal insulation 10 cm; 4 - window; 5 - masonry made of large-format ceramic blocks; 6 — reinforced concrete lintels; 7 - reinforced concrete belt; 8—frequently ribbed ceiling; 9 — heat and sound insulation slabs; 10 - concrete screed 5 cm; 11 - compensation tape.

As lintels over window and doorways and, item 6 in the figure, it is recommended to use reinforced concrete products - crossbars, specially designed for walls made of large-format ceramic blocks. Such lintels have dimensions convenient for placement in the wall and do not require adjustment to adjacent wall elements.

Heat loss through windows can also be reduced by using modern designs. When making heat-saving windows, the number of chambers in a double-glazed window is increased, special glass with a selective heat-reflecting layer is used, and the thickness of the window frame is increased.

WITH outside It is recommended to install roller shutters on the windows of a private house. Closed roller shutters not only protect windows from burglary, but in severe frosts they reduce heat loss through the windows, and in the summer heat they reduce overheating of the house from the sun's rays. It is better to foresee the installation of roller shutters on windows in advance, at the design stage of the house.

Connecting the roof to a wall made of ceramic blocks

1 - mauerlat beam; 2 - monolithic reinforced concrete belt; 3 — additional block made of porous ceramics; 4 - masonry of the wall from large-format blocks; 5 - insulation boards

The roof of the house rests on walls made of large-format ceramic blocks through a monolithic reinforced concrete belt, position 2 in the figure. A continuous belt is installed on top of all load-bearing walls of the house. A monolithic reinforced concrete belt forms a rigid frame that absorbs the vertical and horizontal loads of the roof and evenly transfers them to the load-bearing walls of the house.

Finishing single-layer walls from large-format ceramic blocks

Warm ceramic walls, both outside and inside, can be plastered with traditional cement-lime plaster.

For interior decoration Gypsum plaster solutions are also used.

Heat-saving plaster can be applied to the facade of the house in a layer of up to 10 cm. This will significantly increase the heat-saving characteristics of the external walls.

The facade of a house made of ceramic blocks is often faced with facing or clinker bricks. There is no need to create a ventilated gap between the wall made of ceramic blocks and the cladding masonry.

Watch the video tutorial on how to properly lay walls from large-format ceramic blocks.

Porous ceramic blocks in your city

Porous ceramic block for walls.

Insulation of walls made of porous ceramics

When building a house in areas with harsh winters, walls made of warm ceramics require additional insulation.

The outside walls are covered with a layer of highly efficient insulation - slabs of mineral wool or extruded polystyrene foam.

Foam glass slabs are glued to the wall masonry. Plaster is applied on top metal grid. The mesh and insulation boards are fixed with dowels to the wall.

More expensive ones are used less often thermal insulation boards foam glass with double-sided fiberglass coating. Fiberglass provides good adhesion to cement-sand mortar and other building materials. Compared to traditional insulation, foam glass insulation is more durable, has increased compressive strength, does not get wet, does not burn, is environmentally friendly, is not damaged by rodents, and is vapor-tight.

Thermal insulation slabs made of low-density aerated concrete (gas silicate)- another one, comparatively new material, is gaining popularity for insulating facades. Some manufacturers have learned to make and produce aerated concrete with a density of 200 kg/m 3 or less, with a fairly high strength index.

When insulating walls, at the boundary between masonry and insulation, there is a risk of water vapor condensation and moisture accumulation in the wall.

For walls made of warm ceramics, the following facade insulation options are most often used:

• Plates are fixed to the wall for facade insulation from mineral wool with a density of at least 125 kg/m 3 or thermal insulation slabs made of low-density aerated concrete. The façade is finished with a thin-layer vapor-permeable material.
• medium density 45 - 75 kg/m 3. Insulation boards are placed between the lathing of the ventilated facade.
• Walls insulated with slabs of mineral wool or low-density aerated concrete can be faced with brick, but there must be a space between the cladding and the insulation. arrange a ventilated gap.
• When insulating with extruded polystyrene foam or foam glass, thin-layer insulation is used to finish the façade. facade plaster on insulation or .

When insulating walls with polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam or foam glass, it is important to choose the correct layer thickness. If the insulation thickness is too small, steam will condense and moisture will accumulate at the border with the masonry wall. The thickness of the insulation from these materials is selected based on the calculation of moisture accumulation in the wall. Consult local planners on this topic.

When insulating walls with mineral wool or aerated concrete, moisture accumulation in the wall does not occur regardless of the thickness of the insulation.

When choosing a method of finishing a facade, it should be taken into account that the service life of mineral wool and polymer insulation is significantly shorter than brickwork cladding. For brick cladding, it is recommended to use a more durable mineral insulation - thermal insulation boards made of low-density autoclaved aerated concrete or foam glass boards with double-sided fiberglass coating, for example, trademark FOAMGLAS® BOARDS WALL BOARD W+F.

Thermal insulation boards made of autoclaved aerated concrete have a density of 100 - 200 kg/m 3 and a dry thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.045 - 0.06 W/m o K. Mineral wool and polystyrene foam insulation have approximately the same thermal conductivity. Slabs with a thickness of 60 - 200 mm are produced. Compressive strength class B1.0 (compressive strength not less than 10 kg/m 3.) Vapor permeability coefficient 0.28 mg/(m*year*Pa).

A single-layer ceramic wall has significant advantages over double-layer walls. Porous ceramic blocks are a very durable material; experts estimate the service life of a wall made of such material to be 100 years or more.

If directly compared with two-layer wall structures, then they major renovation will be required very soon, the forecast period is 30 - 35 years, and even 20 years for low-quality polystyrene. Ordinary cheap insulation will fail during this period and will basically lose its unique properties.

Other advantages of a single layer ceramic wall

A single-layer ceramic wall is much more resistant to all kinds of damage than a two-layer one. Violations facade finishing will not lead to the same consequences as if they disturbed the finish over mineral wool or polystyrene foam.
Also:

• There is no risk of moisture if construction technology is violated or layers are damaged. Indeed, if you violate the principles of insulation in double-layer walls, you can easily over-moisten the structure.
• A single-layer wall is generally cheaper. If the quality of the materials is comparable, then in any case, a single-layer structure will have a lower final price.
• easier, faster to build. During construction, simplicity and manufacturability often dictate design features. You need to look for insulation specialists to do the second layer correctly, etc. These questions simply disappear.

What is known

From blocks of porous ceramics it is possible to build a single-layer wall with satisfactory heat-saving properties for moderate and warm climates.

But in cold regions, a single-layer block wall cannot provide the necessary thermal insulation.

There it is necessary (it becomes more profitable) to build two-layer walls, in which the load-bearing layer is covered with insulation.

Heat-saving properties of ceramic blocks

A reduction in thermal conductivity in products made of porous ceramics is achieved due to the presence of many closed cavities with air. The production of ceramic blocks is in many ways similar to the production of ordinary bricks, but components are added to the material, which burn when fired, forming pores.

Hollow blocks and bricks with large internal cavities are formed from such a mass. As a result, the thermal conductivity coefficient of the ceramic block is 0.15 - 0.17 W/mK, and for hollow bricks - 0.2 W/mK.

Humidity affects these values, but to a much lesser extent than for aerated concrete blocks, which have less porosity and a larger number of pores.

How to make the entire masonry and wall warm

Ceramic blocks of high precision manufacturing, with a height inaccuracy of no more than 1 mm (polished), can be laid on a thin layer of glue or on a special adhesive foam.

In these cases, the thermal conductivity coefficient of the finished masonry made of ceramic blocks does not increase significantly compared to the blocks themselves.

The masonry and wall may lose possible heat-saving properties if only a thick layer of ordinary heavy mortar is used. Then the large-scale cold bridges that form simply neutralize the achievements of warm ceramics.

Selection of blocks and mortar based on heat loss

Blocks are usually produced in lengths of 25, 38, 44 and 51 cm. They are placed across the wall, with the embossed side surface to the adjacent blocks. Then the thickness of the wall is equal to the length of the block.

Let's look at an example. For the Moscow region, the required heat transfer resistance of the walls of a house is no less than 3.15 m2*K/W. Approximately the same value is for masonry made of ceramic blocks 51 cm thick, made with heat-saving mortar or glue.

But if you use ordinary cement-lime mortar, then the heat transfer resistance of the wall will be 2.7 - 2.8 m2*K/W.

For the construction of private houses up to 3 floors in non-cold climates, it is more profitable to use blocks instead of bricks, the masonry of which is more expensive and much colder.

Reduce the number of additional blocks

Vertical joints between blocks with a tongue-and-groove side surface are not filled with mortar. Their filling is necessary in the case of using additional blocks with smooth edges or bricks.

A large number of such blocks can be in corners, wall bends, and near openings.
If the vertical seams between the blocks are filled with mortar, the thermal conductivity of the wall will increase. The number of such places should be minimized.

House designs made from ceramic blocks provide for distances that are multiples of an integer number of blocks, so the use of additional ones is kept to a minimum.
To increase heat savings, it is recommended to build a house in accordance with the project.

What size ceramic blocks to choose

A wall made of ceramic blocks with unfilled vertical joints must be plastered on both sides to reduce air permeability.

On the outside, only a special vapor-permeable plaster layer should be used. You can further increase the heat-saving properties of the wall if you apply warm plaster on the outside with a layer of 4 cm thick.

A popular technology is in which a wall made of ceramic blocks is lined with hollow façade bricks. Masonry is carried out without leaving air gap. The wall thickness increases by at least 12 cm. At the same time, the thermal insulation characteristics also increase slightly.

Therefore, for the southern regions and Ukraine, ceramic blocks 38 cm long (masonry thickness 38 cm) plastered on the outside with a layer of warm plaster 4 -7 cm, or lined with hollow façade bricks. Such a wall will have satisfactory heat-saving properties for regions with mild winters.

Suitable wall width

If the heat transfer resistance of the wall turns out to be lower than the recommendations of SNiP 02.23.2003, then it is possible to compensate for the deficiency and bring the total heat loss of the building in accordance with the requirements of the standards by increasing the insulation of other building structures, in accordance with design solutions.

It should be taken into account that a wide wall places increased demands on the strength and size of the foundation.

A wall made of porous ceramic blocks can be wider than the base by no more than 20%, and up to 30% when confirmed by strength calculations in the project.

It is not economically profitable to build a ceramic wall wider than 63 cm (51 + 12), since a significant amount of expensive durable material (porous ceramics) will be spent on insulation, which is not needed due to strength requirements.

In fact, this is the condition for switching to the construction of two-layer walls with a narrow load-bearing layer in the northern regions.

Construction of wall insulation made of ceramic blocks, thermal insulation measures in various places of masonry

Reinforced concrete and metal structural elements are built into a wall made of ceramic blocks, which have much greater thermal conductivity than the wall itself, so they are necessarily fenced from the street side with an additional layer of insulation.

• Crossbars—reinforced concrete lintel beams—are installed above window or door openings. These are standard elements specifically designed for openings in wide walls. From the outside they are protected with at least 10 cm layer of mineral wool and thin layer ceramics.
• The ceilings on the floors and the mauerlat timber for the roof must rest on a reinforced concrete frame, made as a solid structure above all load-bearing walls at the floor level, and evenly distributing the loads on the walls. This reinforced concrete frame (concrete belt) is fenced on the street side with at least 10 cm of moderately hard mineral wool insulation and additional ceramic blocks.
• The internal load-bearing walls are connected with masonry to the external walls. Blocks of internal walls on the street side are fenced in the same way.
• Reinforced concrete plinth on which load-bearing walls rest (masonry made of ceramic blocks can only rest on a monolithic strip foundation sufficient rigidity according to the design), the outside is enclosed with extruded polystyrene foam insulation (usually at least 8 cm thick according to calculation) or foam glass with a thickness of 12 cm or more.

How to Insulate Block Walls in Cold Climates

In cold climates, walls made of porous ceramics of a reasonable thickness cannot meet the requirements for heat conservation, so they must be insulated with an additional (second) layer of insulation.

In this case, the supporting layer of porous ceramics is made relatively narrow; usually the width of the masonry is from 25 cm. More vapor-permeable insulation layers made of mineral wool or low-density aerated concrete are used as insulation for the blocks.

The use of vapor barrier materials - polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, foam glass - creates a risk of wetting the load-bearing wall itself.

What insulation to use

The following insulation materials are used to insulate walls made of ceramic blocks.

• Rigid mineral wool slabs with a density of 125 kg/m3 and more. They are glued to the masonry and plastered on top with a thin layer of vapor-transparent plaster.
• Flexible mineral wool boards with a density of 45 - 80 kg/m3. They are placed under the façade trim lathing, covered with a vapor diffusion membrane, and additionally secured with dowels.
• Rigid slabs of aerated concrete with a density of 100 - 200 kg/m3.

IN Lately learned how to do autoclaved aerated concrete low density with a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.05 - 0.06 W/mOK and sufficient structural strength, class B1.0 (compressive strength from 10 kg/m3, vapor permeability coefficient 0.28 mg/(m*year*Pa).

How to make insulation

The slabs are laid in masonry on the foundation ( starting bar) and glued to the load-bearing layer, plastered with vapor-transparent plaster with fiberglass mesh.

These insulation materials can be lined with ceramic bricks, leaving a ventilation gap, and the wall will already have three layers, since the brick layer will be self-supporting and rests on the foundation.

Between the insulation and brick cladding left ventilation gap and ensures upward air movement similar to a ventilated façade.

When choosing insulation for walls made of ceramic blocks, the main factor remains the durability of the material.

For rigid mineral wool boards from well-known manufacturers, a service life of 35 years is established. But for aerated concrete blocks this figure is higher. Therefore, recently, aerated concrete has become a significant alternative to mineral wool.

Porous hollow ceramic blocks are materials that help preserve and accumulate heat in the house. But despite this, in some cases walls made of this material also require insulation.

Heat loss in a house occurs through walls, windows, doors, roofs and even the basement. No more than 20% of heat is lost through the walls of low-rise buildings, since the areas of the roof and walls are almost equal. Significant heat losses (up to 40%) occur through air exchange, and the rest occurs on the roof. In the first climatic zone, building codes(GSN) for energy saving provide for a heat transfer coefficient of enclosing structures (walls) of 2.8 (was 2.2), and for the roof - 4.95 (was 2.8). During the transition period we are in today, this coefficient for roofs could be 3.3.

Is it necessary to insulate walls made of blocks 38, 44 and 50 cm wide?

When building a house from hollow porous ceramic blocks, the walls can be of two types: single-layer, that is, made only from one block, or multi-layer. The latter, in turn, are divided into two-layer, consisting of a block and insulation, and three-layer, which includes a block, insulation and face brick. For the construction of single-layer walls, porous blocks with a width of 38, 44 and 50 cm are used. It is not practical to insulate such walls, since wall material, from which they are made, has a sufficient coefficient of resistance to heat transfer. The funds that are supposed to be spent on insulating such walls are better used for exterior finishing or installing translucent structures of higher quality from the point of view of energy saving - doors and windows. However, with the introduction of new energy saving standards, even walls made of ceramic blocks with a width of 38 cm are subject to insulation.

Which ceramic blocks require insulation?

Sometimes walls are erected from ceramic porous hollow blocks 25 and 30 cm wide. This happens when the wall material has not yet been selected, but construction works are already underway. For example, if a foundation is made, and its width does not correspond to the width of the porous block, which can provide the required thermal conductivity coefficient of the walls of the house. Then, when choosing a material for external walls, they are tied to the thickness of the block.

Since these blocks are originally intended for the construction of internal load-bearing walls, they do not have a sufficient heat transfer resistance coefficient.

When insulating a wall made of porous blocks, you must remember to install windows in the house with a heat transfer resistance coefficient of 0.5 m² - °C/W and, accordingly, insulate the roof - only then can the house be considered fully insulated.

Laying insulation

It is better to insulate walls made of porous ceramics with mineral wool slabs, which, unlike expanded polystyrene, have good vapor permeability. The insulation is attached to the wall with glue or with dowels so that it fits tightly to the wall surface. Further finishing of the walls is done at the discretion of the house owner. As for the thickness of the insulation for ceramic porous blocks, for a block with a width of 25 cm it is 100 mm, for a block with a width of 30 cm - 60 mm.

Another important point, which must be taken into account when insulating a house, is the use of so-called “light” (“warm”) masonry mortar when laying blocks, rather than ordinary cement-sand mortar. This solution also contains cement, which acts as a binder. Used as a filler thermal insulation material- perlite or expanded clay sand.

The area of ​​joints with a thickness of 12 mm is only 4% on a wall made of ceramic porous hollow blocks. If you replace the cement-sand mortar with a “light” one, then thermal characteristics the walls will improve by 17% due to the large difference in the thermal conductivity coefficient of these solutions: for cement-sand it is 0.9 W/(m*°C), and for a warm solution it is 0.3 W/(m*°C). The production of such dry mixtures has not yet been developed in Ukraine, so they are imported from abroad.

Hello!
I read the topic from beginning to end with interest. But while reading, questions arose, please answer them.
Regarding filling the technological gap between the ceramics and the facing wall with a solution. Wouldn't the heat-shielding properties of ceramics deteriorate in this case? After all, the role facing wall- protection of ceramics from precipitation. In case of contact facing bricks with ceramics (through a solution), moisture from a facing wall wet in the rain will penetrate into the ceramics, worsening its heat-shielding properties, right? After all, ceramics are very hygroscopic. Based on the experience gained during construction, do you recommend abandoning this technology?
The second question: is the non-ventilated 2-3 mm technological gap sufficient for the ceramic wall to “breathe”, i.e. actually released excess (at a certain point) moisture into the atmosphere? Doesn't it lose one of its significant advantages in this case? Isn't a ventilated 5-6mm gap the most optimal solution from all of the above?
Regarding the “warm” solution - is it worth the candle? The reduced thermal resistance of the masonry will increase by 15 percent, while the total heat loss of the building will decrease, God forbid, by 5 percent, if I was not mistaken in the calculations, and the difference in thermal comfort is unlikely to be practically felt. But the cost of masonry increases, and natural skepticism tells me that it increases by more than 5%? And if we also take into account the fact that it is hardly possible to check the quality of the ready-made “warm” mixture from the store..? I'm interested in your opinion on this issue.
Good luck to you in your endeavors, I will definitely follow the topic.

Can I come in? I wanted to comment on the warm solution. I did it myself. I bought perlite at the factory and mixed -3 buckets of perlite 1 sand 1 cement. For a house 10*14 (2 floors) it took 15 cubic meters = 15 tons. R. I would give almost the same money for sand. The strength of the solution is inferior to the usual one, but it’s enough for me. The masons worked with it for the first time, but no problems arose; on the contrary, everyone was delighted because of the low weight of the mortar. Another plus is that the solution with perlite did not fall into the block and I abandoned the mesh (the usual one fails). In general, I don’t regret at all that I got involved with perlite, and why it is not used everywhere is unclear.
P.S. The cladding was done using ordinary mortar.

Yesterday I delivered the windows. Since the road, to put it mildly, is very “not very good”..., at the exit from the asphalt, a GAZ-66 was waiting for the windowed GAZelle and delivered it “to the entrance” on a rope. At the same time, he brought me another Gazelle with EPS for insulating the basement. I plan to preserve for cold winter. How? I plan to unsubscribe.
Window installers are threatening to arrive on Friday.

Yes, I’m hopelessly behind you, conservation is also due, I stocked up on polystyrene foam.