Hello dear community,
Although this topic has been discussed in several posts before, long-term experiences are missing here.
I am currently planning a 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) new build with a basement. We have now narrowed down our choice to two builders who differ fundamentally in their building materials.
The house is planned to be built without insulation, using a monolithic construction method. One builder wants to use aerated concrete or Poroton blocks (wall thickness 36.5 cm (14 inches)), while the other plans to use a solid precast wall made of expanded clay aggregate with a wall thickness of 41 cm (16 inches). We are now a bit uncertain because the thermal transmittance (U-value) given by the builders differs greatly: 0.21 W/m²K for Poroton and 2.2 W/m²K for expanded clay. Both assure us that the houses meet the KFW 55 standard.
I am unclear how the U-values can differ so much or whether other factors, such as the mortar used with Poroton, are included. The insulation in the attic and the windows (triple glazed) seem comparable in both cases. Are there any long-term experiences in this forum with solid walls made from expanded clay?
Can you tell me whether a similar energy balance for heating can be expected based on the KFW 55 standard?
Our concern is that with poor insulation and a heat pump, we might not achieve sufficient room heating or end up with very high heating costs due to additional electric heating rods.
Best regards,
Sven
Although this topic has been discussed in several posts before, long-term experiences are missing here.
I am currently planning a 150 m² (1,615 sq ft) new build with a basement. We have now narrowed down our choice to two builders who differ fundamentally in their building materials.
The house is planned to be built without insulation, using a monolithic construction method. One builder wants to use aerated concrete or Poroton blocks (wall thickness 36.5 cm (14 inches)), while the other plans to use a solid precast wall made of expanded clay aggregate with a wall thickness of 41 cm (16 inches). We are now a bit uncertain because the thermal transmittance (U-value) given by the builders differs greatly: 0.21 W/m²K for Poroton and 2.2 W/m²K for expanded clay. Both assure us that the houses meet the KFW 55 standard.
I am unclear how the U-values can differ so much or whether other factors, such as the mortar used with Poroton, are included. The insulation in the attic and the windows (triple glazed) seem comparable in both cases. Are there any long-term experiences in this forum with solid walls made from expanded clay?
Can you tell me whether a similar energy balance for heating can be expected based on the KFW 55 standard?
Our concern is that with poor insulation and a heat pump, we might not achieve sufficient room heating or end up with very high heating costs due to additional electric heating rods.
Best regards,
Sven
Herr Stein schrieb:
We have a 36.5cm (14.4 inches) Poroton wall (Wienerberger T10, unfilled).So, a cascade of regularly arranged resonators, then.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
H
Herr Stein12 Jun 2020 14:20That could be another way to put it
So, we have filled the Bellenberg MZ70 with mineral stone wool.
Not yet plastered. Windows provide slightly enhanced sound insulation of 39 dB.
Yesterday, while standing in the shell construction, I wondered about a constant whistling sound... until I realized that the ambient noise probably isn’t enough anymore to mask my age-related tinnitus!
Jokes aside, compared to the 40-year-old hollow brick building with double-glazed windows and a lot of owner-built work (I say this because surely some connections were not done professionally), our shell construction is incredibly quiet.
But sound is, of course, very subjective.
Not yet plastered. Windows provide slightly enhanced sound insulation of 39 dB.
Yesterday, while standing in the shell construction, I wondered about a constant whistling sound... until I realized that the ambient noise probably isn’t enough anymore to mask my age-related tinnitus!
Jokes aside, compared to the 40-year-old hollow brick building with double-glazed windows and a lot of owner-built work (I say this because surely some connections were not done professionally), our shell construction is incredibly quiet.
But sound is, of course, very subjective.
11ant schrieb:
So, a cascade of regularly arranged resonators.But it makes a difference whether you are talking about sound inside the house itself, for example a noise source heard on the ground floor and in the upper floor: that should actually be prevented by the concrete ceiling in between, or noise coming from outside to inside... yes, the hollow brick isn’t the best, but it does provide about 40 dB (decibels) of sound insulation. Building with filled bricks and then installing 32 dB (decibels) windows isn’t a well-rounded solution... everything should fit together, so my predecessor in the discussion did everything right.I’m surprised that opinions about the filled bricks are slowly spreading when they are supposedly so bad... with Ytong you can find plenty of information just by googling, while for unfilled bricks there is less information available.
Herr Stein schrieb:
We have a 36.5 cm (14.4 inches) Poroton wall (Wienerberger T10, unfilled). The interior is already plastered, but the exterior isn’t yet. So far, I don’t feel it’s very soundproof. Conversations can be heard clearly even outside the house, and singing can easily be heard across the street. I wouldn’t blame the windows (triple-glazed) or the front door (heavier aluminum version) for it...Have you held your ear against the brick? If someone is singing outside, how is the sound getting in?People always think triple glazing is fantastic... everyone focuses on thermal insulation... but a standard triple-glazed window actually has worse sound insulation than double glazing.
Snowy36 schrieb:
Yes, the perforated brick isn’t the very best, but it provides around 40dB ...
Building with insulation and then installing 32dB windows isn’t really well thought out ... everything should work together, that’s why the previous poster did everything correctly ...You are basically right when it comes to soundproofing (there are other reasons for using insulation or not).
However, one must not forget that sound does not hit a point but a surface. Simple addition and subtraction is too simplistic when dealing with sound.
I’ll phrase it as a question:
Two identical houses. Same windows rated at 32dB.
House 1 wall: 40dB
House 2 wall: 46dB
Everything else is exactly the same.
Are both houses equal in terms of sound insulation or not?
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