When building buildings, the question of the choice of building material almost always arises. In this article, we will consider two types of materials for building walls: foam blocks and gas blocks, and we will try to find out what to build a house from and which is better - foam block or gas block.
Technology for the production of gas blocks and foam blocks
These are two types of building materials that are made from different components and in different ways.
Foam blocks
Foam blocks are made of foam concrete - a porous material consisting of cement, sand, water and foam. Sometimes some other ingredients, such as ash, may be added to them. Foam concrete acquires a porous structure due to special chemical reagents that are part of the solution. This foamy solution is poured into special molds and, after hardening, finished products are obtained, including foam blocks. Due to the porous structure, foam blocks are lightweight, have low thermal conductivity and good sound insulation. This building material is very durable and strong.
Gas blocks
Now, to answer the question of which is better - a foam block or a gas block, consider
properties of aerated concrete. Gas blocks also have a porous structure and the same properties that are inherent in foam blocks, but they are made using a different technology. The composition of aerated concrete includes cement, lime, sand, aluminum powder and water. Pores appear when aluminum powder reacts with cement. The finished mixture is stirred and kept for a certain time until it acquires the desired condition. Then the resulting array is cut into blocks using special strings. Then they are placed in an autoclave, where all excess water evaporates from them, they acquire their final form and properties, and become ready for consumption. They are light and have good soundproofing characteristics, as well as foam blocks. Gas blocks have high strength and low thermal conductivity. These figures are slightly higher than those of foam concrete, but still it is not easy to determine which is better - a foam block or a gas block due to the many advantages of foam concrete.
Differences between foam blocks and gas blocks
In search of an answer to the question of what is better - foam block or gas block, it must be said that these materials have only one difference - the high hygroscopicity of aerated concrete. Foam concrete, on the contrary, has low hygroscopicity.
What is better to build from
Both materials have many similar benefits. So what is the best way to build a house? The foam block is just as good for this as it isgas block Both materials make excellent one-story and two-story houses. They have thermal conductivity indicators that compete with wood and are in many ways superior to ceramic bricks. Since they do not contain harmful substances, they are environmentally friendly for humans. But gas blocks have one drawback, due to which it is inferior in efficiency to foam blocks - this is the complexity of the technology for building walls from this material, due to its hygroscopicity. Gas blocks are delivered from the factory with a high level of humidity, therefore, after the construction of the house, it is impossible to immediately carry out exterior decoration. It is necessary to wait several seasons until the walls are completely dry or to equip a ventilated facade, and this leads to an increase in construction costs. So, when determining which is better - a gas block or a foam block, the scales tilted towards the latter because of its efficiency.
