Ceramsite concrete blocks are rapidly gaining popularity among professionals and private developers. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, the material is well suited for use in independent work. Secondly, the products are presented on the market in different configurations and sizes. Thirdly, they are of high quality.
Among the key advantages of expanded clay block baths are good thermal insulation characteristics. This parameter for blocks exceeds the similar properties of bricks by 300%. Laying blocks is much easier than brick. This is due to the low weight and the lack of the need to carry, lift and lay the material, applying the efforts of several people. Special difficulties in the masonry process will also not arise. If you have experience in bricklaying, then you can easily cope with the construction of a bath from expanded clay concrete blocks.
Why you should choose expanded clay concrete
Quite an important condition in private construction is environmental friendliness. Expanded clay is safe, because in its composition there are no chemically harmful impurities. When heated, the material does not emit toxic substances. This is confirmed by the fact that it is excellent for building baths. But, like any building material, expanded clay concrete has its own drawbacks. One of them is expressed in hygroscopicity, which is the weakness of the material. Under normal conditions, the walls can be slightly saturated with water, but during the first frosts, the moisture accumulated inside, which is intensively released during bath procedures, can freeze and expand, which will inevitably lead to the destruction of building material.
How to eliminate errors
In order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to carry out a number of appropriate work to protect the walls. If we consider frost resistance, then expanded clay concrete loses to some other available options. The average number of freezing and thawing cycles can be kept at a level of 25 to 50. In order to eliminate the above risks, the walls must be insulated and provided with moisture and vapor barrier. If you provide such protection, then you will not run the risk of getting wet and breaking the material.
Foundation selection
A claydite-concrete block bath, like any other building, should be built on the foundation. It is most advisable to choose a slab or tape base. The final decision can be made taking into account the conditions on the site. If the soil is not porous, sandy or dry, then the tape base, which can be monolithic, precast or precast-monolithic, is perfect. Sometimes the soil is non-transient clay, in this case, a tape concrete foundation can be used. For heaving, moving or landing soil, a solid slab foundation is suitable .
Additional recommendations for choosing a foundation
Before building a bathhouse from expanded clay concrete blocks, it is necessary to take into account other key factors. For example, the depth of soil freezing is important. Typically, the foundation is laid 30 cm below this indicator. It is important to take into account the relationship between the level of groundwater passage and the depth of soil freezing. The tape support structure can be considered universal, therefore, one of the most common. But this can not be said about slab structures. They can be used only in combination with not very mobile soils. When you select the best option, you will need to carry out the calculation, only after you can begin construction work.
Preparation of tools and materials
Having chosen the design of the bath from expanded clay concrete blocks, you can start preparing the tools, among them it should be highlighted:
- rubber mallet;
- roulette wheel;
- building level;
- trowel;
- cord;
- square;
- plumb line;
- grinder;
- a shovel.
You will need a hammer to sit the blocks. The weight of the tool should be approximately 1 kg. The working part should not be metal, because its contact with expanded clay concrete can lead to the destruction of the blocks. To apply the masonry mortar, you need a trowel. It is most convenient to use a tool with a rectangular pad.
An angle grinder is used to cut blocks. This tool allows you to form strobes for laying reinforcement. Complete with a grinder the cutting 22 cm circle is usually used. The original components in the concrete mixer can be loaded with a shovel. It will also help for transporting the solution to the work site.
With high-altitude work you can not do without forests. This option is the most optimal. The design can be rented from a construction company. A claydite-concrete block bath is built using hydro- and heat-insulating materials. Among other things, you will need:
You must use a mortar of your own manufacture or ready-made glue for laying blocks. As reinforcement, you can use 8 mm rods or a reinforcing mesh.
Walling
Before starting construction, you should consider the projects of baths made of expanded clay concrete blocks. They are offered in the article. But for the laying of the first row, waterproofing material should be laid on the foundation surface. On top of the base, you need to apply molten bitumen, lay the roofing material on top. The material is smoothed and pressed to the surface. This procedure will need to be repeated again. Two-layer waterproofing will be of high quality.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to level the surface of the base. To do this, you can lay a 3 cm screed. Before you start building a bathhouse from expanded clay concrete blocks with your own hands, you must lay the first row dry for fitting. Blocks are fitted with a rubber mallet. Do not hit hard on their surface, because the product may become cracked. For sawing blocks, it is customary to use a grinder.
About product sizes
External walls are usually built from blocks with the following dimensions: 19 x 18.8 x 39 cm. Internal partitions can be built from blocks with the following parameters: 19 x 9 x 39 cm or 12 x 19 x 39 cm. Before construction, you must determine the optimal thickness walls. For central regions, this value can vary from 400 to 500. If your house is being built in a different climate zone, then it is necessary to proportionally reduce or increase the mentioned parameters in accordance with weather conditions.
Reinforcement
The walls of the bath from expanded clay concrete blocks must be reinforced. The fittings fit every three rows. In order to ensure the reliability and stability of the building, it is necessary to strengthen other elements of the building. For example, the first row is almost always reinforced, although this condition is not mandatory. It is necessary to strengthen the lower seams of the openings. This recommendation is especially relevant for those cases when the size of the opening is more than 180 cm. In this case, it is necessary to reinforce the space to a length of 0.5 m on each side of the opening.
About the features of strengthening
The supporting surfaces of the window and door jumpers 50 cm to each side of the opening should also be strengthened. Depending on what the features of a particular project are, some other elements can be reinforced, taking into account certain conditions individually. Two grooves must be made in the center of the blocks, each of which will be 4 x 4 cm in size. The remaining space should be filled with mortar. If a mesh is used, then it will be necessary to protect it from above and below from corrosion by laying a 2 cm layer of mortar. Reinforcing frames are also available, which are steel paired strips. They are connected by a 1.5 mm wire, which is laid on a layer of glue.
Thermal insulation work
Expanded clay blocks perfectly retain heat due to their porosity. However, such buildings still need thermal insulation. For this, a crate of wooden battens is installed from the inside. Their thickness should be 50 mm. A layer of basalt insulation, foam or mineral wool is laid on top.
Warming of a claydite-concrete block bath provides for the protection of the laid waterproofing layer. As it can be a material with aluminum foil or film. Particular attention should be paid to the tightness of the joints. For greater efficiency, it is better to use a vapor barrier made of foamed polypropylene, which has a protection in the form of aluminum foil. This material is able to undergo heating up to 150 ° C. To seal the joints, you can use aluminum foil.
Additional measures
When warming the walls of the bath from expanded clay concrete blocks, you can understand that such thermal insulation is not enough. In this case, a layer of non-combustible mineral wool can be laid between the vapor barrier layer and the wall, which will achieve the desired efficiency. At the final stage, you can lay the finishing material. They usually acts wooden lining. Particular attention deserves the creation of an air gap. To do this, wooden slats are laid on the waterproofing layer. Finishing material is attached to them.
After warming the walls of the bath from expanded clay concrete blocks, you can proceed to install the lining, which is mounted in a horizontal position. In this case, if necessary, you can replace the lower layers, which will become unusable under the influence of moisture. Quite often, external thermal insulation is also performed, for this they are excellent:
- Styrofoam;
- glass wool;
- mineral wool.
First, the facade is checked for strength, and then you can calculate the required volume of material. You must also take into account the approximate load that the insulation and decoration will exert on the walls and foundation.
When insulating a bath from expanded clay concrete blocks from the inside, it is important to consider which room you are thermally insulating. Above we talked about those conditions where there are no elevated temperatures. For example, foamed polymers should not be used in a steam room. Under the influence of high temperature, they can emit toxic styrene. It is better to use mineral wool slabs for this purpose. But it is important to consider that they absorb moisture well, so they are usually covered with a layer of vapor barrier on top.
For vapor barrier, it is not recommended to use a plastic film. Its excellent substitutes are kraft paper and aluminum foil. The most suitable option is foamed plastic like penofol. It reflects heat radiation well, not passing it to the walls. In addition, such a layer will well retain water vapor.