The construction market is constantly replenished with new materials, and we must honestly admit that not all of them are worth the money that they ask for. It so happens that the buyer then bitterly regrets his participation in the experiment, having forked out for a novelty, because build a house or making repairs is a capital investment for years. So, before deciding on any innovation, it is worth learning as much as possible about it. Let's take one such - foam glass. Is it worth the money, and in which case you really can't do without it?
Read in the article
- 1 Where did the innovation come from?
- 2 Why so expensive
- 3 Benefits of foam glass
- 4 Comparison of foam glass with other heat insulators
Where did the innovation come from?
So, foam glass is a kind of insulation. The novelty, as they say, is hot, and today no one can really explain what properties this material has and whether it is worth using it. But the first foam glass, it turns out, appeared in the pre-war period at the Research Institute of Construction in the USSR, but then the novelty did not receive development until someone who knew the technology shared it with industrialists in the United States.
Is there a need to spend that kind of money if there are other, cheaper analogs for insulation?
Why so expensive
The price of the material is justified by the complexity of the manufacturing technology. Foam glass is literally glass. Silicate glass is crushed and melted at a temperature of +1,000 ° C, and then foamed with carbon and molded. The result is a strong material, durable like glass, lightweight, with minimal thermal conductivity.
Now foam glass is used in various forms, and the most successful, according to experts, is the use of foam glass as an interlayer in concrete slabs.
Interesting fact! The range of preservation of its thermal insulation properties by foam glass is -260... + 230 ° С!
Benefits of foam glass
What, apart from thermal insulation, can foam glass offer you? Let's start with the fact that this material is completely environmentally friendly and safe for humans. It is durable. Due to the wide range of temperature operation, it is non-flammable. Foam glass is chemically neutral, that is, it does not react to acids or their derivatives. In addition, the material does not allow water to pass through.
Fungi do not grow on the glass, insects or rodents do not start in it.
Related article:
Foam glass in construction: application, advantages, features, history of the invention, characteristics, advantages and varieties of material, advice and recommendations of specialists.
Comparison of foam glass with other heat insulators
Foam glass is sold in blocks, sheets and granules. If we consider granulated foam glass, then its main competitor is expanded clay. By weight, these materials are approximately the same, but, unlike foam glass, expanded clay is capable of being saturated with water, and this is a significant drawback. When wet, expanded clay adds up to 24% in weight and loses its thermal insulation properties.
If we talk about the sheet form of foam glass, then in this niche its main competitor is expanded polystyrene. It is much lighter than foam glass, has a lower thermal conductivity coefficient. But in terms of strength, it is inferior to foam glass, and nevertheless, expanded polystyrene burns, but foam glass does not. And yet - expanded polystyrene has a limitation in service life - 50 years, and for foam glass this period is from 100 years, and no one knows its limit yet. So, if you are interested in leaving the house to your descendants, you should fork out for more expensive material. Of course, you need to combine foam glass with those building materials that can withstand the test of time just as well.
For the third form of foam glass - blocks - aerated blocks can be called an alternative. They are also very durable and have a wide operating temperature range. Aerated concrete is about 4 times cheaper than foam glass, and it seems that you can give it the palm on this, but do not rush. Aerated concrete absorbs water 10 times more intensely than foam glass. Being fed with water, it collapses, so there is no longer any need to talk about the service life.
And more interesting facts about foam glass:
So, foam glass should be borne in mind as a heat-insulating material if you want to build efficiently and for centuries. And what do you think? Share your opinion in the comments!
The apartment was not impressed, but the main thing is for the owner to feel comfortable in it! Photograph ...
I would have been younger, so that I have such a bed.
I saw how people build interesting terraces. I wanted to build too. I figured out the financial ...
Sabbat workers build houses from timber of natural moisture. Then shrinkage occurs and it is necessary ...
We painted ordinary paper wallpapers with a special paint for wallpaper. And the chorus looks like ...
I remember they decided to paint the radiators at home, and decided to take not enamel, but colored paint. sconce ...
I really enjoyed working with Dulux paint. Any color can be found (which between ...
It was not the sage who said this, but Kulich, he is Lukich ...
Well done, Alexander Glebovich! Talented writer, journalist and TV presenter. My applause ...
Let ballet, beauty, art, kindness be crowned, than anything else
Better to be crowned ballet, beauty, art, kindness than anything else
So there is no mention of the working area at all. The tool is hung / laid out. But where is the work ...
The most important thing is missing - a bench vise. This is a special area where p ...
It is very difficult to criticize. Especially criticize those in power. Remember 600 seconds, ka ...
Why are you fooling people. He has not lived in this apartment for a long time. Somewhere I read ...
You must be ashamed. Watching Nikolai dancing is looking at a miracle! Sorry for ...
Yes, I agree too! We pass museum photos as Nikolai's living room... Ugliness
