Expanded clay or mineral wool, which insulation is better? Which insulation is better: expanded clay or mineral wool? Operational characteristics of mineral wool.

23.06.2020

The efficiency of the heating system largely depends on the insulation used for thermal insulation of walls and ceilings. Expanded clay or mineral wool evaluated in terms of practicality, cost, performance.

Thermal conductivity is not the only indicator used to assess the merits of thermal insulation materials. The thermal conductivity coefficient of mineral wool is about 0.04 W / (m * K), and expanded clay - 0.1-0.18 W / (m * K). During operation, this indicator is influenced by the scope, the thickness of the insulation layer, and the level of humidity.

The practicality of mineral wool and expanded clay granules is evaluated by a number of parameters:

Specifications	Expanded clay	mineral wool
Thermal conductivity	0.18 W/(m*K)	0.048 W/(m*K)
Layer thickness	950 mm	253 mm
Condensation	Not	Yes - vapor barrier required
475 kg/m²	10.1 kg/m²
Environmental friendliness	Clay is a natural material	Phenolic resins are used in the production of mineral wool
fire safety	Incombustible	With direct exposure to fire, the adhesive binder burns, releasing phenol
Biostability	Resistant to fungi, mold. Not a habitat for insects and rodents

Mineral wool or expanded clay can be used to insulate a horizontal surface. Vertical backfill will settle over time, bursting the walls. Moisture resistant expanded clay granules are considered the best insulation basements, basements and bathrooms. Lightweight cotton wool insulation is carefully isolated from living quarters to eliminate health hazards.

Subject to the installation rules, manufacturers of both types of insulation guarantee a service life of more than 50 years.

Which is cheaper: comparing the cost of two materials

1 cubic meter of expanded clay gravel can be bought for 1500 rubles, 1 roll of mineral wool measuring 8200 × 1220 × 50 mm costs from 1400 rubles.

The cost estimate for insulation should include the cost of:

for the services of loaders - for the delivery of heavy bags with expanded clay;
additional Consumables- timber, vapor barrier membrane, fasteners;
facilities personal protection- important when using mineral wool insulation.

For the simultaneous solution of the problems of thermal insulation and sound insulation, it is clear that mineral wool is better. Expanded clay is not a heater, and the cheapness of the material can be completely offset by the need to use it in large quantities.

Expanded clay reviews

Alexander, 42 years old, Volgograd: “I used expanded clay for floor screed in the bathroom and toilet. Waterproofing "Osnovit", 7 cm layer filled with cement milk, on top cement-sand screed and tiles. Fine, warm."

Aleksey, 38 years old, Saratov: “I covered the roof of the attic of the old house with a layer of 20 cm with expanded clay. It became warmer, and the rain was not so audible.”

COMPARISON OF ELECTRIC AND MINERAL WOOD

Expanded clay or mineral wool? PRICE, CHARACTERISTICS, WHERE IS IT BETTER TO APPLY LECALE OR MINERAL WOOL?

I propose to compare such heaters as expanded clay and mineral wool. These heaters are the least expensive. And today, the cost is the first thing customers pay attention to during construction and the choice of building materials. This different materials their structure and have different possibilities in application. They also have different thermal conductivity.

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Scope of expanded clay or mineral wool

I propose to first make a fundamental choice between the materials in this table.

region	Warming	Warming	Warming	fill	fill	Insulation	Warming	filling	Light	Backfill	drainage
note-	stingrays	gender	facade,	sexes	floors	pipes,	ventilated	niches, pits,	ceramic concrete	wet areas,	material for
opinions	roofing	attic	walls	coupler		ventilation	facades	partitions	zitoconcrete	expensive, etc.	gardening
expanded clay	—	+	—	+	+	—	—	+	+	+	+
mineral wool	+	+	+	—	—	+	+	+ (dry!)	—	—	—

First of all, choose the specific goals that you want to achieve using this or that material.

Comparison of prices for expanded clay and mineral wool

The price of expanded clay in Kharkiv produced by KhKZ 480 UAH / cube
The price of mineral wool depends on the density and fluctuates then 680 to 1200 UAH/cube

As you can see, expanded clay wins relative to the price! Data for 2013.

Thermal insulation characteristics of expanded clay and mineral wool

Here, of course, the championship will be for mineral wool. It has a much wider temperature range of application. Mineral wool easily withstands +300 degrees, and in some cases up to +600. Therefore, it can be used in thermal insulation of high-temperature surfaces. The melting point of basalt wool starts at +700 degrees. This material is non-flammable. Expanded clay is also not combustible, but cannot be used in such wide temperature ranges. Heat transfer coefficient with the same thickness of insulation expanded clay 0.1 and cotton wool 0.04. And this is at a standard density of mineral wool. And if you use high-density mineral wool, then the heat transfer will decrease even more!

Weight of expanded clay and mineral wool

Specific gravity of a cubic meter of expanded clay from 350 to 750 kg. It all depends on the moisture content of the material, the size of the fraction, and the manufacturer. The specific gravity of dry mineral wool is from 40 to 80 kg per cubic meter. Of course, mineral wool has less load on structures and much better thermal insulation!

Harm of mineral wool for health. Environmental friendliness of expanded clay.

Mineral wool is very harmful to health. It consists of fine fibers and forms a flying dust that is not visible to the naked eye. Such dust has an inorganic basis and therefore is not able to spread and be excreted from the body.

This dust accumulates in the lungs and, when wet, hardens, which can lead to stone formation and lung cancer.

Expanded clay is environmentally friendly material!

Clay is used in the production of expanded clay. When the granules are heated, foaming occurs, and when the granules are rotated, they acquire a caked closed crust. Expanded clay is organically resistant, fungi and rodents do not start in it. Conclusion Mineral wool is very harmful, such material should be used indoors with great care. The use of mineral wool in Europe is being questioned and is being replaced by expanded clay. The choice is yours! Choose based on price, thermal insulation characteristics, weight. But the main thing is the health of you and your loved ones.

Thermal conductivity building materials- one of the defining parameters during construction, since maintaining a certain temperature regime indoors (residential - in particular) or the need to improve this mode is often the task of construction work.

The figure indicating the thermal conductivity of heaters is a very, very serious indicator that deserves attention.

About thermal conductivity

First of all, let's define what thermal conductivity is. This is, in fact, the ability to transfer heat from a warmer surface to a colder one. If we apply the definition to construction, it can be expressed as follows: it is the process of transferring heat from the premises to the street.

Accordingly, the higher the thermal conductivity, the easier and easier the material transfers heat from the apartment (house) to the outside. This means that we need to use materials with the lowest indicator of this parameter.

For calculation, when designing a building, the thermal conductivity coefficient is used, which is a number indicating how much energy passes through a body with an area of 1 m 2 and a thickness of 1 m per unit time - W / (m * K).

Data for most building materials are summarized in thermal conductivity tables indicating also the density of these materials, but since this parameter may vary depending on the composition of the material and the additives introduced by the manufacturer, there may be variations even within the same type.

The thermal conductivity of thermal insulation or other insulating materials, as a property, also allows you to choose the most suitable in terms of parameters, but at the same time a material that is more convenient to mount or an insulator with a smaller thickness when it is critical.

First, we give indicators specifically for building materials:

silicate hollow brick — 0.66;
ceramic hollow brick - 0.57;
clinker brick - 0.8;
solid brick - 0.6;
glued laminated timber (150 x 150 mm) - 0.1;
concrete (on sand) - 0.7;
concrete (on gravel) - 1.3.

Now - the table of thermal conductivity of heaters:

Density comparison table (average):

Now let's look briefly at each of these materials.

Mineral wool

Mineral wool comes in several varieties, including depending on the raw materials from which it is produced. There are stone and slag mineral wool. The first is made from various rocks ( basalt, limestone), and the second - from metallurgical slag.

Most often, the first variety is used in construction, since it is more resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity.

Mineral wool is used as a heater for walls and ceilings, as well as for thermal insulation. internal partitions, there are also industrial varieties, for the insulation of pipelines, for example.

The thermal conductivity of mineral wool is from 0.035 W / (m * K) on average. For example, thermal conductivity basalt wool- 0.039 W / (m * K), while the required thickness of the insulating layer is at least 167 mm.

The coefficient of thermal conductivity of basalt wool is thus slightly above average, but clearly not the maximum for this material. Maximum thermal conductivity rockwool mineral wool in the above comparison is also the largest among these materials.

The average price is from 1000 rubles / roll (for example, Rockwool Multirock Roll mineral wool). The thermal conductivity of Rockwool mineral wool is from 0.035 W / (m * K).

Penoplex

Penoplex is an extruded polystyrene foam suitable for use both for construction purposes (thermal insulation of foundations, floors, walls and roofs), and for industrial applications, including in road and airfield construction.

The coefficient of thermal conductivity of penoplex averages from 0.28 W / (m * K), for plates of different densities, this indicator may differ slightly. Comparison of the thermal conductivity of foam with a density of 30 kg / m 3 and 45 kg / m 3 shows almost no difference at different compressive and bending densities.

Given the indicated thermal conductivity of Penofol, it is more often used if complex insulating material is needed than just as thermal insulation.

The price of Penofol depends on the thickness (it is supplied according to the standard from 3 to 10 mm thick, but for special conditions it can be up to 40 mm thick). The average minimum thickness of one-sided foiling is from 145 rubles / m 2, its own version of the maximum thickness of 40 mm - from 2800 rubles / m 2.

Polyurethane foam (sprayed)

Polyurethane foam - has an average coefficient of thermal conductivity, the smallest among the described materials.

Also, a feature of its application is the technique of seamless spraying, which allows solving heat-insulating problems with a minimum layer of insulation and, if necessary, achieving different densities. Non-toxic, resistant to fungi and mold.

The coefficient of thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam is from 0.023 W / (m * K), and the cost depends on the density of spraying and the area of coverage. So, sputtering 100 mm (maximum layer) for an area of more than 1000 m 2 will cost from 1320 rubles / m 3.

Expanded clay

Expanded clay - is bulk insulation, which creates sufficient variability in thermal conductivity, since its density can also be different. Depending on the size of the expanded clay granule, it is divided into:

gravel;
crushed stone;
sand.

As a result, it is necessary to choose a material with a maximum granule size, since this means an increase in its porosity (respectively, a decrease in thermal conductivity). The thermal conductivity of expanded clay can also change due to its hygroscopic properties. The use of the material requires additional waterproofing.

The thermal conductivity of expanded clay varies from 0.10 W / (m * K) to 0.18 W / (m * K), that is, in order to achieve the thermal insulation properties of mineral wool, the expanded clay layer must be thicker. The thermal conductivity of expanded clay and mineral wool is approximately 1:4, i.e. the difference is 2.5 times.

The cost of expanded clay on average is from 180 rubles / bag (weighing 25 kg).

Laminate

Laminate is a well-known material as a floor covering, but it can also be independent. heat-insulating material, but the thermal conductivity of the laminate is too high - 0.1 W / (m * K). Moreover, additional thermal insulation is often mounted under the laminate (by the way, mineral wool or expanded clay can be used here).

However, when compared with other floor coverings, then only cork floors have less thermal conductivity. Laminate is often recommended as a "warm" floor covering, that is, its high thermal conductivity is used for additional heat transfer to the room.

Because of this, the price of the laminate in the framework of this article is not considered.