Today, a real boom is undergoing foam concrete production. This is largely due to the sharp rise in price of traditional building materials like brick. Managers of construction companies vying to praise this material, advertising unprecedented technical specifications. But are aerated concrete blocks so good ? Their sizes are positioned as a virtue, but is everything really so smooth?
Recall that aerated concrete is obtained from a mixture of cement, aluminum powder, special additives and water, which in the process of autoclaving get rid of excess moisture. The difference in the different grades of this material is only in the types of foaming modifiers used. This is one of its main advantages: by choosing the right additives, you can get aerated concrete blocks (the sizes of which can also be individual) with strictly specified properties.
About the height of the buildings being built ...
If you take the common brand D500, then it is quite realistic to build structures up to three floors high. The bearing capacity of the material for this is quite enough. But there is one important nuance ... In order for nothing unforeseen to happen, ideally it is necessary to carefully reinforce those places in which floor slabs rest on a wall of gas blocks. But most often, standard brickwork is used. What's so terrible? After all, we have already said that aerated concrete blocks (the dimensions of which completely allow this to be done) are quite resistant to mechanical stress!
In fact, it turns out that such reinforcing elements turn into peculiar cold bridges, the heat through which intensely leaves the house. In addition, for buildings on three floors, it is better to use special reinforced grades of aerated concrete, the thermal conductivity of which negates all their advantages. Do not forget also that this material has almost zero strength under mechanical action on bending.
The slightest miscalculation in the foundation pouring can turn into major problems. By the way, it is aerated concrete blocks, the sizes of which are larger than standard ones, in this regard that are the most problematic: they should be installed with jewelry accuracy, since otherwise chips can not be avoided.
That is why it is not worth talking about the fact that during the construction of this kind of house you can greatly save on the construction of the foundation: just in this case you will have to shell out on a capital monolithic basis. In the case of the slightest doubt about the properties of the soil, you will have to fill in the foundation plate, the cost of which can easily cross out all your savings. That is why you should not get involved with those construction companies that promise to make the house of foam concrete "fabulously cheap."
All
aerated concrete blocks, the sizes (including weight) of which are slightly less or more than the standard values, in any case will produce precipitation, the consequences of which will badly worsen a poor foundation. In such cases, simple cracks on the walls will not work.
Thus, when choosing a building material, you should completely weigh the pros and cons. It is very important to purchase them only from those companies that have actually proven their ability to make high-quality aerated concrete blocks. Their sizes (price, too) can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer, but when buying, pay attention to the ideal geometric correctness of their shape. Do not take blocks whose cost is less than three thousand rubles.