Expanded clay as roof insulation. Subtleties of roof insulation with expanded clay. The main stages of roof insulation with expanded clay

Roof insulation with expanded clay is the most popular method

For the first time, roofs began to be insulated using expanded clay more than half a century ago. Of course, the modern building materials market offers a wide range of insulation materials, but many continue to consider expanded clay insulation as one of the best for well-equipping a flat or pitched roof.

Important! It is expanded clay that will ensure the almost complete absence of problems that may arise regarding condensation, and will also eliminate such a problematic phenomenon called the “dew point”.

The roof is the most important element of any residential structure. For the interior space of a home, it is the primary protection. Both the comfort of living and cozy conditions in the house completely depend on how reliable it is. And expanded clay is a material that helps ensure such qualities for a long time.

Characteristics

Expanded clay is a very light porous material that is obtained by firing slate and clay.

Having a natural base, this building material has good strength and can last quite a long time, unlike synthetic materials. When the roof is insulated with expanded clay, there is no risk of rotting processes, as, for example, with wooden materials; the structure does not change under the influence of low temperatures in cold weather or elevated temperatures in hot weather. Water that gets into the insulation does not affect it in any way. Thus, expanded clay is recognized as a universal material for insulation.

Important! Based on its characteristics and properties, expanded clay is recognized as the best option for roof insulation. Indoors, this way you can achieve the greatest indoor comfort.

It should be noted that in pitched roofs there is very little space for thermal insulation. In this regard, flat roofs are much more convenient.

How to insulate a roof using expanded clay

The initial stage of work will be similar to those performed when using any other material. The ceiling must be protected from the accumulation of condensation due to warm air escaping upward. You can use foil insulation, aluminum foil or vapor barrier film for this. Completely easy to perform.

Insulation of a flat roof with expanded clay - a lightweight option for roof insulation

Expanded clay should not be poured directly onto the vapor barrier. First, the layer of material must be fixed, and then covered with a layer of soft clay. It itself is good enough to insulate from noise and has excellent thermal insulation properties. For this reason, it should act as the first layer for insulation, and the expanded clay filling should act as an intermediate layer.

When performing insulation for flat or pitched roofs, expanded clay gravel is mainly used. It is extremely convenient for filling recesses and small cavities. Sometimes, to improve thermal insulation, it is combined with expanded polystyrene chips. Using this insulation, the roof installation scheme is quite simple. First, expanded clay is poured onto the surface of the attic, which must be evenly distributed to create as even a surface as possible. A thickness of 15 cm will not place excessive load on the floors.

After this, roofing felt carpet is laid. It is better to choose material produced in rolls. It presses down the expanded clay layer and secures it better. If the attic is intended to be used for its intended purpose, you can fill it with a cement-sand screed. This will help insulate the ceiling and can serve as a solid foundation.

You can also lay any waterproofing or sidewalk tiles on top of the thermal insulation layer to give it additional protection from atmospheric influences, which will also increase the service life of the roof. For example, in Germany, such flat roofs are common when a “lawn carpet” covering is used instead of tiles - this is called a “green roof”.

How to handle insulation

Expanded clay is a material that has many universal qualities. Of course, there are some disadvantages that the material has. For example, fragility - this forces you to handle the material as carefully as possible.

Important! Laying the insulation by pouring should be done carefully so as not to damage individual particles. When broken, the particles lose some quality, and effective thermal insulation is not achieved. By carefully handling expanded clay, you can achieve efficiency in insulation with small financial investments and minimal effort.

The basis of expanded clay is simple clay. The material is brought to its final state by firing. The resulting granules are oval shaped. It happens that manufacturers use the same technology as in the production of sand.

By absorbing moisture, the granules do not tend to give it back. But they can absorb even small particles of water very actively. When insulating, this can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.

How to properly make a semi-dry screed with expanded clay

It is used exclusively in the form of dry bedding and creating a layer of a certain thickness. If, as an experiment, granules are added to concrete or cement, it does not give any effect.

This insulation material is practically the only one that does not require special construction skills to work with it. It is possible to carry out insulation efficiently and quickly without incurring large expenses. The quality of the work will depend on the materials that will be selected for the work, on the slope of the roof, on the correctness of the design calculations, on the waterproofing, and the thickness of the layer must also be correctly calculated. Thus, if the owner of the house has little experience in construction, it would be better to trust the roof insulation with expanded clay to professionals. Otherwise, the desire to save on their services can lead to undesirable consequences.

By insulating the roof, it is possible not only to reduce heat loss in the premises during the heated period, but also to provide protection from overheating in the summer. Thermal insulation of the roof from the attic side can be carried out using various materials, one of which is currently expanded clay.

Let's look in order at all the main advantages and disadvantages of this insulation and find out how to do it yourself, in compliance with all the rules and technologies. The video for this lesson will help you.

Expanded clay - its characteristics, types and properties

Expanded clay is light, finely porous, round granules obtained by melting clay and then firing it in special pyrogenic ovens at temperatures above 1000 C.
Expanded clay, as a material for insulation, is used quite widely in the construction industry. They insulate house roofs, floors, walls and interfloor ceilings. Very good reviews about expanded clay as insulation can be found on the Internet, which once again confirms its high thermal insulation qualities.

The main advantages of expanded clay granules as insulation are as follows:

is an absolutely environmentally friendly material;
has high thermal insulation properties;
is not subject to rotting, decay and decomposition for a long time;
it does not harbor rodents, as well as mold and fungi;
fireproof and not afraid of fire;
resistant to low temperatures and moisture;
has high soundproofing qualities;
has a low price compared to other materials for insulation (mineral wool, basalt insulation, etc.).

The main disadvantage of expanded clay is its fragility. It is this minus of this insulation that requires careful and careful handling of it when carrying out a complex of do-it-yourself work to insulate a roof or floor, since the thermal insulation qualities of damaged expanded clay granules are greatly reduced.

The lack of ability to release moisture is another drawback that can develop into a significant problem after some time. Therefore, in very damp rooms, insulation with expanded clay should be abandoned, or a special waterproofing film should be used.

There are three types (fractions) of expanded clay distinguished by the size of the granules and their structure:

Sand (fine fraction), in which the granule size is from 1 to 5 millimeters in diameter. Most often, this fraction of expanded clay is used when carrying out a complex of work on leveling various bases (roof, floor, etc.) or is used to prepare solutions;
Gravel (middle fraction), in which the size of the granules varies approximately from 5 to 40 millimeters. This fraction of expanded clay is mainly used for insulating floors, roofs, walls and ceilings;
Crushed stone (large fraction) is the same size as gravel, but is obtained by crushing fairly large pieces of expanded clay. In addition to insulation, crushed stone is also used to fill lightweight concrete structures.

Based on such a characteristic as bulk density, there are 10 grades of expanded clay, which are designated by numbers from 250 to 800. This indicator corresponds to the number of kilograms of material per cubic meter. The lower the density of expanded clay, the higher its thermal insulation properties as insulation.

For each brand of expanded clay, according to bulk density, corresponding standards for tensile strength are established, which are determined by squeezing granules of various markings in cylinders specially designed for this purpose. This indicator is important during construction, as it determines the scope of expanded clay, taking into account the optimal load on the structure.

Do-it-yourself roof insulation technology with expanded clay

Insulating the roof in a bathhouse with expanded clay or insulating the roof in a wooden house has its own characteristics and requires compliance with certain technologies. However, despite the apparent complexity of the work, almost anyone can insulate a roof with expanded clay if they approach the matter correctly.

At the initial stage, before that, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work. If the roof is old, then it needs to be repaired, and the old insulation and debris must be removed. Dismantling the insulation and garbage collection also apply to the new roof.

For roof insulation work you will need the following devices, tools and materials:

expanded clay of the required fraction;
buckets and shovel;
film for vapor and waterproofing;
sharp knife;
a stick for tamping and a leveling rail (you can use a rule).

A layer of vapor barrier is first laid on the prepared roof surface (the floor area in the attic), which is necessary to protect the insulation from vapors occurring inside the room. To do this, the vapor barrier material is cut into strips whose width exceeds the distance between the ceiling beams by 10 - 15 centimeters. The vapor barrier strips are overlapped with each other, and the seams and joints are additionally reinforced or glued to make the connection tight.

Please note that the height where the vapor barrier material will be attached exceeds the level of expanded clay backfill by 5 - 10 cm. All elements of the roof structure must be covered with vapor barrier: the surface of the attic floor, rafter beams and the chimney.

On top of the vapor barrier layer, many specialist builders advise additionally laying a small layer of pre-kneaded dry clay for additional noise and heat insulation. After these preparatory works, you can directly backfill the expanded clay of the required thickness.

To insulate the roof, the expanded clay layer should be approximately 12 to 16 centimeters. The thickness of the expanded clay layer directly depends on the strength of the structure and climatic conditions. Backfilling of insulation must be done carefully to avoid damage to the expanded clay granules if possible.

To protect expanded clay from moisture from the outside, a waterproofing material is laid on its surface, and a cement-sand screed is made on top.

Roofing felt, foil, glassine, foil-coated isolon, styrofoam or polyethylene film are traditionally suitable as hydro- and vapor barrier materials.

After the work on insulating the roof of the house with your own hands is completed, the flooring is installed in the attic if it is used as a living space. Otherwise, these works can be neglected. A pitched roof (sloping roof) is insulated in the same way.

If the roof has a reinforced concrete ceiling, the insulation process is greatly simplified, since the lower layer of vapor barrier is no longer needed, and expanded clay is laid directly on the concrete slabs. After laying, the expanded clay layer must be compacted, waterproofing must be applied and a screed must be made on top of it to protect it from damage.

Insulating the roof is quite a responsible job, so if you do not want to do it every year, it is better to do this work efficiently, once and for many years.

To ensure that your home is always warm and cozy with the onset of winter, you need to take care of roof insulation in advance. Today, more and more people are choosing expanded clay as insulation.

It is widely available and inexpensive, as well as environmentally friendly and has excellent performance characteristics.

What is expanded clay, its advantages and disadvantages
Tools and materials required for roof insulation with expanded clay
Steam and waterproofing for expanded clay
Roof insulation with expanded clay

What is expanded clay, its advantages and disadvantages

Expanded clay is a lightweight porous material in the form of small granules, obtained by firing clay. It has gained popularity both among professional builders and home craftsmen, thanks to the following technical indicators:

high heat and noise insulation;
frost-resistant qualities;
fireproof qualities;
strength, resistance to rotting;
long service life, resistance to temperature changes.

Expanded clay, the price of which is much lower than the price of other thermal insulation materials, can last, unlike them, for many years. Its main advantages are:

high thermal conductivity;
light weight;
unaffected by chemically aggressive environments;
does not emit toxic substances into the atmosphere;
This is the only thermal insulation material that does not require special knowledge, skills and experience when working with it.

But this material has its drawbacks, although there are few of them:

to achieve a high level of heat and sound insulation, you need to lay out the material in a fairly thick layer;
is not resistant to moisture, therefore, when insulating damp rooms, a special film for waterproofing should be used;
the material is quite fragile, and damage to the granules leads to a decrease in the quality of thermal insulation.

Tools and materials required for roof insulation with expanded clay

In order to insulate the roof yourself, you will need the following materials and equipment:

expanded clay for the roof;
shovel and buckets;
a log or stick to compact the insulation layer, and a lath to level it;
waterproofing film;
roofing felt in rolls;
sharp knife;
tiles or tiles for external covering.

Steam and waterproofing for expanded clay

Steam and waterproofing of the insulating layer is an important stage in the construction of the roof, which in no case should be overlooked. As mentioned earlier, expanded clay is capable of absorbing moisture. At the same time, its thermal insulation qualities sharply deteriorate, and it itself becomes much heavier than in dry form. This can lead to dire consequences, including the collapse of the ceiling. Thus, if the expanded clay layer is allowed to become wet, the service life of the roof can be sharply reduced, and repairs will be required much earlier than planned.

None of the existing types of thermal insulation materials can properly protect a room from the cold unless it itself is protected by vapor and waterproofing. Vapor barrier material is usually installed on the inside of the room, because it protects the insulation from vapors arising inside the room, and the waterproofing is installed from the outside, because it protects the insulation from moisture coming from the street.

The most common waterproofing materials are films and membranes. Materials such as styrofoam, polyethylene film, foil, glassine are also very often used.

Styrofoam is a type of foam plastic and has excellent vapor barrier properties. Glassine is roofing cardboard impregnated with bitumen. It is sold in rolls and is very good for waterproofing roofs. Foil and plastic film are often used to protect against condensation because liquid does not accumulate on them.

Roof insulation with expanded clay

Most often, when insulating roofs, builders use the following types of expanded clay:

expanded clay crushed stone is a large material with granules up to 4 cm in size. It is equally good for insulating the roof and for insulating the floor and walls;
expanded clay gravel is also a coarse-grained material, the granules of which also reach 4 cm in size and have an angular shape;
Expanded clay sand is a finely dispersed material, the particles of which are no more than 5 mm in size. It is used as thermal insulation, in which the layer thickness does not exceed 5 cm.

It is quite possible to insulate the roof yourself if you cannot pay specialists.

Before starting work, it is necessary to study some features of the insulation process. First of all, you should pay attention to the design features of the building, its walls and roof. The insulation process should consist of several stages:

internal lining;
vapor barrier;
laying insulation;
surface finishing.

Description of works:

When insulating a roof with expanded clay, the thickness of the layer of material should be 25 cm. It is poured directly onto the vapor barrier film in the required quantity quickly and accurately to avoid damage to the granules.
For good heat and sound insulation, it is better to pour a thicker layer, but it is important not to forget about the maximum load that the roof can withstand. In this matter it is better to stick to the golden mean.

Then the expanded clay is carefully leveled and compacted so that there are as few voids as possible between its particles. This is done either by hand or using a special machine. It is advisable to make a screed on top of the first layer to give additional rigidity and strength to the entire structure, as well as to level the surface.
Also, between the outer inner layers, several channels should be arranged through which air will circulate and excess moisture will be removed.
Further, a rolled roofing material is laid directly on the insulating layer, which will crush it with its weight. It should overlap and have no gaps. At the same time, for the tightness of the seams, it is better to isolate them with construction tape or bituminous mastic.
The next step is to lay tiles or tiles.

Many companies selling building materials, as well as shops and construction hypermarkets, offer to buy expanded clay.

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Building a house is not limited to just erecting walls and roofing. The main stage is its thermal insulation, therefore, it is necessary to carefully calculate the thickness of the insulation and choose it correctly. Otherwise, you will not be able to avoid huge heating costs.

Expanded clay: insulation properties

It is most correct to use insulation only outside the building, since its outer surface is subjected to frequent cycles of freezing and thawing. Otherwise, the material is destroyed, developing the entire cycle of frost resistance in several years. An important point is the dew point. When installing insulation from the outside, it shifts closer to the street and nothing threatens the material of the walls.

Externally, expanded clay looks like small granules with small pores. They are obtained by firing clay. This environmentally friendly insulation has a number of useful properties:

Frost resistance. Retains for 25 time cycles;
Protection against heat loss – thermal insulation;
Noise absorption;
Fire resistance;
Great strength. There are no changes in the structure of the insulation under the influence of natural phenomena;
Durability;
Resistant to mold and mildew.

Expanded clay - inexpensive, high-quality insulation

In addition, expanded clay is a fairly inexpensive insulation material. Its cost is significantly less than, for example, polyurethane foam or mineral wool.

All these positive properties are actively used in filling the foundations of buildings, which reduces the depth of their installation by 2 times (from 1.5 to 0.8 m). This contributes to great savings in building materials, and also prevents freezing of the soil near the foundation.

Expanded clay fractions 5-10, 10-20 and 20-40 mm.

Expanded clay is classified according to the size of its granules and is divided into 3 fractions:

From 5 to 10 mm – for the production of concrete blocks with the addition of expanded clay and floor screed;
From 10 to 20 mm – used for thermal insulation of floors and ceilings of buildings;
From 20 to 40 mm - for thermal insulation of roofs, basements, floors in garages.

There are 10 different types of expanded clay on the building materials market. The division is made based on the filling density, depending on the fraction. Larger sizes have lower densities. The lower the brand (grade) and density, the higher the quality of the material.

We calculate the thickness of expanded clay: walls

Well masonry insulation with expanded clay

Expanded clay has proven itself very well for thermal insulation of external walls. Its valuable quality here is the possibility of free ventilation. The only drawback is that it is a very labor-intensive process. But the result of your labors will be rewarded for many years of comfortable living in your home.

The formation of a thermal insulation layer can be done in three ways:

using well brickwork;
brickwork with horizontal diaphragms;
bricklaying with embedded elements.

The result is a structure of three layers:

Wall made of brick or expanded clay concrete blocks.
A mixture of expanded clay and cement mortar.
Facing.

Important. The thickness of expanded clay as insulation directly depends on its properties and technical characteristics of the materials from which the walls are made.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of expanded clay is 0.17 W/m × K.
Minimum thickness – 200 mm.
Thermal resistance. This individual measure is equal to the temperature difference across all edges of the material and the volume of heat passing through its thickness. To do this, we use the formula: R (resistance) = wall thickness / CTC (wall thermal conductivity coefficient).

The climate of the area is one of the important conditions for calculating the thickness of the insulation, which must comply with the SNiP methodology of March 22, 2003.

Calculating the thickness of insulation for the roof

Roof insulation

Thermal insulation of roofs and ceilings with expanded clay is the oldest method that has not lost its relevance in our time. Gravel is suitable for such construction work, since sand is heavy and crushed stone has sharp edges.

For comparison, an insulation layer of 10 cm is comparable to the thickness of a twenty-centimeter wooden beam and 1 m of brickwork.

Roof insulation scheme

In cross-section, such insulation looks like a layer cake:

1 layer – inner lining;
2nd layer – vapor barrier;
3 layer - insulation;
4 layer - waterproofing;
Layer 5 – roofing covering.

When insulating a ceiling, we first protect the surface from condensation. To do this, we lay roofing felt, polyethylene or foil-coated isolon. Then we carefully backfill the insulation and pour the sand-cement screed. Finally, we lay the flooring. The thickness of the insulation is determined using thermal engineering calculations, but practice shows that the thickness of the insulation layer of the roof and ceilings is covered with a layer of at least 25 cm.

Advice. When pouring expanded clay onto a wooden floor surface, take into account the strength of the house structure.

Insulating the floor: calculating the thickness of expanded clay

For effective insulation, the expanded clay layer must have a thickness of at least 400 mm for wooden floors and 300 mm for concrete floors. Between floors in a private house, a thickness of 200 mm is sufficient if the floor is made of wood, and 150 mm if it is concrete.

The insulation technology consists of four stages:

Dismantling and cleaning the base from contamination.
Installation of waterproofing. The film must be installed with an overlap and the joints must be taped with special tape.
Filling of thermal insulation.
Filling the leveling screed.

Having decided what thickness of insulation is needed, you can find out exactly how much expanded clay needs to be poured under the screed.

If we take the standard consumption as a basis, when the thickness of the insulation layer is 1 cm, 0.01 m 3 per square meter of area is required. If expanded clay is counted in liters, it will look like this: 1 cm of expanded clay = 10 liters per 1 sq.m.

As a result, you need to multiply the total area of the insulated surface by the consumption of expanded clay per 1 sq.m. We get the total amount of material required.

We express everything in the form of a formula: S*R=V

Where S is the floor area, R is the consumption of expanded clay per 1 m2, V is the total amount of material.

To live comfortably in a house, thermal insulation is simply necessary, and the thicker the insulation, the more comfortable and warmer your home will be. By choosing an environmentally friendly expanded clay material, correctly determining the thickness of its layer and laying it in a high-quality manner, you will get an excellent result.