Bath of claydite-concrete blocks: operational and technical

In this article we will talk about how to build a bath of claydite-concrete blocks with your own hands, as well as what are the advantages and disadvantages of such building materials. The choice of the topic for this article is not accidental, as the claydite-concrete everywhere is becoming increasingly popular as an inexpensive building material with many characteristic advantages.

That is why, before telling about the features of the construction work, we list the advantages of building material.

Performance and Specifications

By itself, claydite is granulated clay, burned in special furnaces at temperatures above + 1000 ° C.

For a long time this material has been used as a heat insulating backfill. Later, this filling began to be mixed with the cement-containing mortar, thus creating concrete with unique heat-saving properties. From this mixture, they subsequently began to form parallelepiped blocks.

Among the advantages of blocks cast from a mixture of concrete and expanded clay, we note the following qualities:

• environmental cleanliness and safety due to the zero content of toxins and allergens;
• high degree of hydrophobicitythat is especially important when building baths;
• no need to use vapor barrier, as the material almost does not absorb moisture;
• light weight blocks in comparison with the mass of traditional building materials, which greatly simplifies the construction work;
• ease of machining, which, again, simplifies the construction work (in the most difficult situations diamond drilling of holes in concrete will help);
• larger sizes in comparison with ordinary brickthat allows you to save masonry mortar and the time required for the construction of walls;
• a wide range of standard sizes and textured construction materials;
• affordable price in comparison with the cost of traditional building materials;
• durability.

Choose a project

Which project of the claydite blocks to choose? This question is not accidental, as there are many projects, but are they all suitable for construction with the use of such a specific material as expanded clay concrete?

In order to be confident in the success of the construction work, you can use the plans given in this article. If you are interested in other projects, choose those solutions that are designed for construction using aerated concrete blocks.

Despite the fact that they are fundamentally different building materials, they are united by low weight, and this is a very important parameter that must be taken into account when choosing a project.

Construction technology

Instruction for the construction of small-sized objects with the use of expanded clay concrete is no more difficult than the construction work with the use of other building materials. Therefore, adhering to the recommendations below and using an affordable construction tool, you will surely succeed and build an inexpensive and easy-to-use bathhouse.

The construction instructions are multi-stage, and therefore we will describe in detail each of these stages.

Foundation

Laying the foundation - this is what traditionally begins the construction of a bath of expanded clay concrete blocks.

Important: Taking into account the low weight of building materials, in this case, you can do with a shallow strip foundation, built around the perimeter of the object.

We make the foundation as follows:

• Clearing the area of ​​debris and plants.
• We level the ground, so that along the entire perimeter designated in the project, a flat platform is formed.
• Around the perimeter of the bearing walls and partitions we dig a ditch with a depth of 1 meter and a width twice as wide as the width of the blocks used.
• Then we dig trenches for pipes for drainage of sewage to the sewage system or septic tank and for the supply of clean water from the aqueduct, if any. The depth of these trenches should be greater than the level of soil freezing characteristic of the area.
• At the bottom of the trench, dug under the walls, ram the soil and fall asleep sand pillow 15 cm thick.
• On top of the sand lay out a layer of large-sized rubble stone. Each stone must take its place, so we apply several strong blows with a sledgehammer on its surface.
• We make formwork 15 cm above the ground level from old boards.
• Inside the formwork lay the frame, welded or connected from reinforcing rod. We assemble pieces of the rod so that later we can make a bundle with the first row of blocks.
• Prepare concrete with mid-size crushed stone and pour it into the formwork.
• We beat off the formwork in two days.

Walls

After the foundation is dry, we raise the walls. Between the blocks of the first row, we skip the reinforcement embedded in the foundation beforehand. On the side joints of the walls we also make a bundle using reinforcing bar to ensure the strength of the whole structure.

We make openings under the windows and doors using a steel corner.

Roof

The ceiling is made of timber, which is closed on both sides by a batten. A vapor barrier (for example, glassine) and insulation (mineral wool) are laid between the crate. It is advisable to close the crate from the inside by wooden forcing.

The roofing system is made easy one- or dvuhskatnoy with full rafters made of timber. Rafter design for greater durability, it is advisable to impregnate with antiseptic compounds. In the future, the truss system is sheathed with metal professional sheet.

The rest of the work

After laying utilities, the floor can be poured with concrete with expanded clay as a filler. Finishing and external warming of a claydite concrete block can be carried out immediately, since such walls do not shrink. (See also the article Heater for concrete: features.)

The walls from the inside as well as the ceiling should be finished with wooden, preferably with aspen clapboard. Aspen lumber from the effects of high temperatures and variable humidity gain additional strength.

Important: Interior decoration in no case can not be covered with paint and varnish compounds, since when heated, they will release toxins.

Conclusion

Now you know how the bath is built from claydite-concrete blocks, and you can try to cope with the construction work yourself. If you have any questions, you can find the answer to them by watching the video in this article.