Environmental friendliness, durability and low cost are the main advantages of expanded clay, which allow it to be used for warming a steam room. However, due to the hygroscopicity of the material in the process of thermal insulation, many nuances must be taken into account. Content:
- Types of expanded clay
- Features of thermal insulation of the bath
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Bath insulation technology
- Ceiling
- Floor
- Walls
To maintain a stable temperature regime in the bath and minimize heat loss, special attention must be paid to the thermal insulation of the structure. It is important to take care not only of wall insulation, but also of the floor and ceiling. For these purposes, various synthetic and natural materials are used. Of the latter, expanded clay is the most popular.
Types of expanded clay
Expanded clay is represented by round granules with a porous structure made of fired clay.
There are three variations of it:
- Expanded clay sand … Available in grains from 0.1 to 10 mm. It is used as a filler in mortars and as a backfill when insulating the ceiling of a bathhouse with a thickness of up to 50 mm. Price - from 150 rubles per bag.
- Expanded clay gravel … Each granule has a size of 1 to 2 cm. It is used to insulate the entire structure. The cost is about 200 rubles per bag.
- Expanded clay-crushed stone … Fractions are 2-4 cm in size. Often mixed with gravel to compact the mixture. The price is about 200 rubles per bag.
A 15 cm layer of such material can reduce heat loss by more than 70%.
Features of thermal insulation of a bath with expanded clay
Expanded clay is a natural material, which means it is environmentally friendly. However, environmental friendliness is not the only advantage of this heat insulator. It is very popular for bath insulation due to its many advantages, such as:
- Cheapness … Expanded clay has a low cost relative to most synthetic insulation materials.
- Durability … The material does not emit toxic fumes, does not decompose and rot.
- High thermal insulation properties … The thermal conductivity of expanded clay is 0, 12 W / mK, which is especially important when operating in a bath, where high temperatures are considered the norm.
- Fire resistance … Expanded clay is a heat-resistant material. It does not burn or melt when exposed to high temperatures.
- Light weight … This allows you to use it to insulate the ceiling of the bath.
- Pest resistance … Expanded clay is not attractive to insects and rodents.
- Versatility of use … With the help of expanded clay, you can not only insulate, but also level the surface. In addition, it can be used in conjunction with a warm floor.
As for the disadvantages of using the material, among them the laborious process of thermal insulation can be distinguished. In addition, when using expanded clay for bath insulation, special attention must be paid to steam and waterproofing.
Before proceeding directly to the thermal insulation work, calculate the amount of expanded clay that is required to insulate the bath. It is better to purchase it with a margin, since fragile granules may break during transportation. It is advisable to take material with granules of different sizes. This will allow it to form the most dense backfill and reduce further drawdown.
Also pay special attention to vapor and waterproofing. The best option is Izospan or aluminum foil. But roofing material is not recommended to be used. It is flammable and can get wet when exposed to high temperature and humidity.
Technology of warming a bath with expanded clay
The porous structure of the heat insulator granules significantly increases its thermal insulation characteristics. To save energy as efficiently as possible, you need to choose the right not only the main insulation, but also other insulators.
Instructions for insulating the ceiling of a bath with expanded clay
When calculating the amount of material for thermal insulation of the ceiling in the bath, keep in mind that the layer should be at least 20 cm. The insulation is done from the attic side. If desired, you can mix together expanded clay in the form of sand and gravel. This will make the backfill as dense as possible.
We carry out the work in the following sequence:
- We lay the vapor barrier membrane with an overlap of 12-15 cm. If aluminum foil is used, then the reflective surface should be located inside the room.
- Carefully glue the joints with metallized tape. If you decide to use roofing material, seal the joints with rubber-bitumen mastic.
- We steam-insulate the rafters and the chimney above the level of the future backfill. We attach the material with masking tape or a construction stapler.
- We make a layer of crushed clay about 10 cm and carefully ram it. This is necessary for additional thermal insulation.
- We fill in expanded clay and level it over the surface.
- Fill the surface with a cement-sand screed.
If you plan to continue using the attic, you can lay a floorboard across the beams from above.
Features of floor insulation in the bath with expanded clay
The thermal insulation of the flooring in the steam room must be taken care of at the stage of its construction or overhaul. It is also important to consider the maximum permissible load when calculating the layer thickness.
In the process, we adhere to the following instructions:
- We spread the waterproofing bituminous material over the concrete pavement with an overlap of 10 cm. The entrance to the walls should be about 15 cm.
- We attach "beacons" with the help of alabaster along the perimeter of the floor, which will show the thickness and evenness of the layer.
- When filling between wooden logs, care must be taken to pre-treat them with antiseptic compounds.
- We fill up expanded clay with a height of 15-20 cm. In this case, it is also better to use a mixture of fractions of different sizes.
- We water the backfill with "cement milk" (a mixture of cement, water and primer). This is necessary for the individual granules to "adhere" to each other.
- A day later, we install a metal reinforcing mesh on top to give the structure additional rigidity and strength.
- Fill with a cement-sand screed about 3 cm thick and wait for it to dry completely. Please note that the dryness of the screed can be determined with a glass jar. It must be attached with its neck to the floor. If it does not fog up, then you can proceed to further work.
- We fix the waterproofing material.
- We carry out installation of the finished floor. The final design strength of such a flooring is achieved only after a month.
If you decide to insulate with expanded clay on the ground in a bath, then its layer will turn out to be much thicker (about 30-35 cm), which will raise the height of the floor. This must be taken into account even at the stage of designing the height of the walls of the bath.
The use of expanded clay in the composition of concrete is possible, but not so effective. Therefore, this method is not suitable for thermal insulation of a steam room.
Specificity of warming the walls of the bath with expanded clay
Loose materials can only be used for thermal insulation of brick walls of buildings. This process needs to be thought out even during construction.
A brick bath is insulated with expanded clay in the following order:
- We erect the first external wall using the brickwork method, half a brick thick.
- Inside, at a distance of 35 cm, lay out a second wall of the same thickness in parallel.
- We install the jumper inside every 10 cm.
- We fill in expanded clay with a layer of 20-40 cm and carefully tamp it.
- We pour with a cement mixture to "set" the individual fractions.
- We repeat the process up to the top of the structure.
This method is used extremely rarely due to the laboriousness of the work and the increased load on the foundation. However, if you decide to insulate the walls of the steam room in this way, then pay special attention to the waterproofing and vapor barrier of the walls. How to insulate a bath with expanded clay - watch the video:
Effective thermal insulation of a bath with expanded clay can be done by hand, if you take into account all the nuances of this process. The material is hygroscopic, and therefore the surface insulation must also be carried out reliably. Adhering to the general recommendations and instructions, you can easily insulate the steam room with an environmentally friendly and durable heat insulator.
