ᐅ Lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA): Advantages and Disadvantages, Thickness, Suppliers
Created on: 17 Jan 2023 10:29
M
Mar_Mar
Good morning everyone!
My husband and I (both rather paper people) are planning to build a fairly large semi-detached house and are navigating through the jungle of options. We want a solid construction and have spoken with various suppliers. The available options regarding blocks are aerated concrete, Poroton, and expanded clay (prefabricated), all 36.5cm (14.4 inches) thick and built as monolithic walls. Of course, each consultant believes their own material is the best, so I would be interested in your opinions and experiences.
“Actually,” we would rather not build with aerated concrete/Ytong because our naive assumption about moisture absorption (sponge effect) during construction and later when drying out the house seems negative. However, I can understand the argument for its easy workability.
Poroton would be our “favorite,” but I get the impression that many companies really resist using it because of a lot of waste, losses during transport, and comments like “you don’t notice a difference,” etc. Then there is also the split between filled and unfilled blocks.
And then there is expanded clay. Our “new favorite with a question mark.” It seems very interesting because it somehow combines the best of both worlds: dry straight from the factory, quick, even cheaper. BUT if it’s so good, why don’t more people build with it and why are there relatively few suppliers? That makes us skeptical. I’ve read and researched a lot that it often cracks and that its insulation properties are not the best compared to Poroton. We were told that an unfilled 36.5cm (14.4 inches) Poroton block is comparable in properties to a 42cm (16.5 inches) expanded clay block.
We are lost in this jungle of U-values, lambda, etc. Can you support us?
By the way: insulation is more important to us than soundproofing.
Thanks so much!
My husband and I (both rather paper people) are planning to build a fairly large semi-detached house and are navigating through the jungle of options. We want a solid construction and have spoken with various suppliers. The available options regarding blocks are aerated concrete, Poroton, and expanded clay (prefabricated), all 36.5cm (14.4 inches) thick and built as monolithic walls. Of course, each consultant believes their own material is the best, so I would be interested in your opinions and experiences.
“Actually,” we would rather not build with aerated concrete/Ytong because our naive assumption about moisture absorption (sponge effect) during construction and later when drying out the house seems negative. However, I can understand the argument for its easy workability.
Poroton would be our “favorite,” but I get the impression that many companies really resist using it because of a lot of waste, losses during transport, and comments like “you don’t notice a difference,” etc. Then there is also the split between filled and unfilled blocks.
And then there is expanded clay. Our “new favorite with a question mark.” It seems very interesting because it somehow combines the best of both worlds: dry straight from the factory, quick, even cheaper. BUT if it’s so good, why don’t more people build with it and why are there relatively few suppliers? That makes us skeptical. I’ve read and researched a lot that it often cracks and that its insulation properties are not the best compared to Poroton. We were told that an unfilled 36.5cm (14.4 inches) Poroton block is comparable in properties to a 42cm (16.5 inches) expanded clay block.
We are lost in this jungle of U-values, lambda, etc. Can you support us?
By the way: insulation is more important to us than soundproofing.
Thanks so much!
Phew… only 4 minutes left to edit… wanted to add that we have already built our second house using KLB blocks and are satisfied. This time, the interior walls are made of sand-lime bricks, as recommended by the builder for soundproofing. Wow, that material is really tough… you can’t get a nail in at all… this makes installing baseboards a real challenge.
Steffi33 schrieb:
In the past, lightweight expanded clay blocks must have been quite uneven. A lot of leveling was probably necessary, which was simply tedious… That’s what a builder friend told me. As far as I know, nowadays the blocks are precision ground, making it much easier for the masons. We built with KLB blocks.Steffi33 schrieb:
Phew… only 4 minutes left to edit… wanted to add that we have built our second house with KLB blocks and are satisfied. This time the interior walls are made of sand-lime bricks, as the builder recommended them for soundproofing. Man, that material is tough… you can’t drive a nail into it… attaching baseboards is a real challenge…Wow, only four minutes left? KLB uses expanded clay, Meurin does too; these blocks have long been available as precision ground blocks. In my experience (in a multi-family building), I have had no problems using expanded clay for all walls. Sand-lime brick is my first choice, though, if someone definitely wants external insulation (ETICS / external thermal insulation composite system) and then basically the structural wall shell made of load-bearing interior walls, since porous bricks are not really my thing (even though they are nowhere near as crumbly as some builders’ horror stories suggest).
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S
Sunshine38717 Jan 2023 21:49Sand-lime brick in multi-family houses is also the most practical choice when it comes to sound insulation. You don’t hear anything from the neighbors, and even on the ground floor, the entrance door or the hallway is not audible from other apartments. For this reason, sand-lime brick would also be suitable for a semi-detached house.
Another statement from our general contractor was that he has never seen mold in a lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) house, whether with or without controlled mechanical ventilation.
For our two houses, we can confirm this (without controlled mechanical ventilation).
For our two houses, we can confirm this (without controlled mechanical ventilation).
Sunshine387 schrieb:
Calcium silicate blocks are also the most practical choice for sound insulation in apartment buildings. You don’t hear anything from the neighbors, and even on the ground floor, the entrance door or hallway is not audible from the other apartments. For that reason, calcium silicate blocks would also be suitable for a semi-detached house. I wouldn't have any reservations about using pumice concrete or lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) for a semi-detached house— for all walls, both exterior and interior, including the shared wall. However, for the party wall in that case, I would still choose calcium silicate blocks over porous bricks.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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