Dear Belinda Carr, please note that this material has some drawbacks that I don't think that you have mantioned. We live in house build of Autoclaved Lightweight Concrete (Ytong manufacturer) for few years noew and in time I have learned pros and cons of this material. First: it is awesome. You have mantioned almost all good sides of it. Dont remember if you said that it is quicker to build with it compared with traditional masonry. Probably also more versatile because you can scrape or sand it to desirable shape. People build statues out of it, so it is no problem to send it to semi circle or something similar. As of cons, be aware that is corrosive to the iron. When you do reinfcement (for example, for windows and doors), rebar must be inbeded in concrete, not in its mortar. You can easily put nail or screw in block, and it will hold rather well, but if vibration is present, it will increase hole diameter which will losen screw or nail. Also, in time, screw or nail will rust. When metal is in direct contact with AAC, it should be galvanized. Regarding moisture - it can soke quite a bit, and it will need some time to dry up again. If it happen in winter, material will deteorite due freezing cycle. With increased moisture content material will have reduced insulated propertie. Manufacturers usualy don't advertise it this way, but if you are persistant, you can find moisture content to insulation ratio. Almost always, they show numbers only for fully dry product. All that said, I would use it again for my home. Our walls are 37,5 cm thick and we have also roof made of it. For now, we are very satisfied with our home climate through all seasons, and we have relative low heating and cooling bills. If you need any informations (from me as actual user) or pictures how we did it, I will be glad to share it with you. Please note that our home is located in Europe, but I don't think it would be any different regarding building processes in America. I'm eagerly anticipating new content from you.
Can agree with most what you said except with the moisture in the walls and freezing cycle? Something ain't right here is your house completely finished ? Do you have a proper facade on the walls, drainage, wapor bariers..?
@@altergreenhorn Not for my house, but for material itself. Finished house won't have those issues. Manufacturer stated that facade need to be applied. Just comparing with regular masonry, for example brick, where finish facade is nice, but not mandatory. Regarding moisture, I tried experiment: I left AAC block in water for one hour. It soaked water about 30% of it weight. I left it to dry for 48 hours, and after that it had still more than 10% more weight. In real life it won't be issue, but if flooding occurs, or you have broken pipe, it's nice to know limitations. Perhaps American "stick house" would sustain more damage in this situations. Also this materials do not need vapor barriers. You have only 3 layers. Block itself, interior plaster on inside and exterior plaster outside.
@Valhalla It's suitable. AAC is widely used in/comes from Europe, northern parts are not exception. It'll be fine with few freeze cycles (YTONG states their products stand 100 cycles).
@Valhalla It's OK. It's great material for winter. Good insulator compared with regular masonry. Just I don't think that you can use mortar in freezing temperatures to build your home. You should make it with water not with ice :) If rain or snow make blocks wet, they will dry out. Don't worry.
Agreed. My country home is AAC on a slab foundation and it couldn't be a better choice. May I through in one not-so-small drawback though. Costs of interior finishes. Frame-and-drywall walls are smooth by design. AAC walls need tons (many tons) of mortar coat.
I built my last house with these blocks and 50mm kingspan. Heating costs were non existent. You are a breath of fresh air. Someone who speaks common sense with research and intelligence. Keep up the good work. Rob in the UK
I wish that all of my teachers were you! I'm not even interested in building, but all your videos are fascinating. Thank you so much for these invaluable contributions.
We specified 10" AEC exterior construction on a new home we built in Albuquerque, NM (USA) in 2010. We also specified that interior walls bordering the AV room be made of AEC. (for sound insulation). We have had absolutely no problems with the materials and our heating and A/C costs are the lowest per SqFt in our high-end neighborhood. The sound insulation is absolutely outstanding as we designed the AV room with an isolated split-air system with all electrics and AV wiring being integrated into the concrete floor. The latex fortified exterior stucco looks new after 10 years of exposure to extreme heat and cold as well as extreme day/night mountain temperature variations. We were able to find a concrete contractor who had built using Hebel AEC in several other structures and the construction process (as to the AEC) went without problems other than transportation delays from Mexico).
Cost difference compared to stick framing (materials, labor, etc.)? Certainly seems promising, but it always comes down to money (both upfront and longterm).
@@quintessenceSL We were told by our architect that the use of AEC would increase the cost of construction of the house by @4%. This 4% kicker would be reduced to 2% if we had gone with spray-on insulation (which we would have done) rather than batt insulation. IIRC the 10" AEC walls are rated for R50 in our climate.
@@leadlearner6391 Sorry, no. We were not in the State while the AEC block was being laid although I arrived on an inspection trip shortly thereafter. The AEC contractor had cut the blocks with a power saw and routed the electric traces and plumbing line runs with a carbide router. There was about 10mm of white fine dust on the foundation concrete (which it did not pit) which was later washed off with water. No aggro at all.
@@joegoldberg8770 That's not bad. You could easily spend that (or more) getting equivalent soundproofing, insulation properties, etc. on a traditional build. To get all those benefits at only a modest price increase is a bargain.
I just had my home built using AAC blocks. Here in Bahrain we have a choice between that and sandwich blocks. I avoided making any load bearing walls whatsoever, just in case because it isn't as strong. Most contractors don't know how to use it, so they end up laying it with cement mortar rather than its special glue.
@@helenhobbs5472 No, nothing like that. Just bear in mind it's fixed with a special a glue and the plaster later is made with a regular cement site mix, except there's a special additive. Without the additive, the plaster may not stick.
@@EbrahimHasan Dear Ebrahim, I will be experimenting with aircrete in Iraq and considering large scale implementation in case of success, I have many questions regarding this technique and have many ideas for improvement, would you be open to talk about this?
This was extremely interesting. I don't believe we have anything similar to this here in Norway. Would you mind if i use some of your videos in my class in first year trade school construction, showing from YT ofc so you get the views and ad revenue. Really enjoy your views and takes on different products and learning of new products.
@@BelindaCarr Thank you very much. I really hope my students are atleast 15% as interested in construction as i am and give you a follow after i introduce them to you.
You might have them in Norway, but under a local brand name. Or then maybe not, they are only midling insulators and quite ugly. I did the numbers for a construction here in Belgium but decided for a 25cm "stick frame" + mineral wool (rockwool)which insulates about 4x as well as cellular concrete/AAC
@@Witcold That might be, but we have very different building codes here in Norway compared to Sweden. Not saying we can't use them, but most people here just chug along with the old faithful sadly.
@@astranger448 I don't see how people think aircrete is ugly when it's being covered up anyway by drywall on the inside and stucco or some other facade in the exterior.
Nice video Belinda. I renovates mine 100 years old cottage with aircrete. It is light, really good isolator and biggest plus for me was simplicity of adjustment. For cutting you need just simple handsaw no need grinders like when you cutting bricks. Another positive is that they are so precisely made so you need just really thin layer of mortar. I think overall it is one of the best materials for building homes. Greetings from Slovakia.
Airrated concrete was really popular in Sweden in the 1960-tys. But we have had a lot of radon problems with it. That might only be because of the concrete using lot of granite based aggregate that is very high in Thorium. While the radioactivity of Thorium don´t really escape the wall, some of the rest product of the decay does. One of those is Radon. It takes decades for the radon emission to even out, and its virtually undetectable the first couple of months. Now that airrated concrete is not identical to the one in the video, but its fairly similar. While it also have a decent insulation properties, it really need to have some additional insulation as a break. (at least in climate that have sub zero temperature regularly)
@@MilosMoravac Its hardly used in sweden, its probobly more about the reputation than anything else. But it was the sand that was radiactive. They use very fine sand, and it turned out it was very high in thorium. Thorium by it self is not really neither that radiactive, or really that much of a problem. Its the Xenon that is made of it that is dangerus.
@@matsv201 I found only a few articles about this in English, so a Swedish comment is very useful. You have lots of experience with it. To me, it also seems like there is a lot of bad reputation and rumors around aerated concrete. My logic is, if it's really still radioactive, it would have been banned a long time ago. But then again, with all things going on in the world, you can't really trust institutions 100%. There is always money behind every word written in articles, researches, studies etc. So, the only way for me to know for sure if aerated concrete is radioactive is to buy a Geiger counter, haha! I hope it isn't, it has some really great properties.
@@MilosMoravac Well this happens a long time before my time. But my understanding of is that they use montesand sand because its very fine grain, and hence work well with ariated concrete. Its very high in Thorium, that is mildly radioactive, but more importantly produce radon that is also mildly radioactive, but because you breath it in, its somewhat dangerus.
Proving once again, when in doubt... That just complimenting a woman will always get a more positive response than an depth evaluation of what was said in a post.... Note to self :)
My grandparents used to own perlite mines in Arizona. I can remember my great aunt Fay experimenting by casting blocks made of cement mixed with perlite to make a form of "aircrete" that was light in weight and had insulating quali9ties. This was in the 1950's.
We are AAC manufacturer in Vietnam and have exported to many countries, the creator of this video has deep knowledge about AAC and very mutual in sharing pros n cons of AAC, love to see AAC get more popular around the world.
Behind my house in Thailand, a small development of 11 homes all are built with concrete pillars usually about 2-3 meters apart and the spaces filled with aerated concrete blocks. I think they are a foamed concrete product but I am not sure. In my house, we remodeled a bathroom and had to move an interior wall. We also used the same type of aerated concrete blocks to reduce the weight. The blocks for the development and my remodel were easily sawn with hand saws and drilled. I used heavy-duty anchors to mount a wall-mounted sink and cabinet.
Belinda, We are a passive science based New York State builder (PHI CPHT/ PHIUS CPHC) that builds exclusively in AAC. We have a very new wall assembly that uses only three components; AAC, Mineral board and U-Stucco. We would love to hear your opinions on this, maybe even have you do a video on what you find. We are building our first AAC home with this wall design right now, hope to have testing for this assembly soon. BTW, we get around the corosiveness of the material, and the issues with steel in concrete, with basalt rebar. Thought you would like that... If AAC is the future, this wall assembly is bleeding edge. It's not our 'invention, it's just that we brought AAC to it instead of poured concrete, which is used in Europe extensively. We currently have three more buildings under contract and in process, 2 more on the way to contract before year's end. We have been getting amazingly positive response to this product and we feel we are on the cusp of a true breakthrough. We buy from Aercon, who DOES have a plant in the Florida, USA I love your videos, I send them to my clients as explainers ( I have really well informed and engaged client!)
I think you're practically the only TH-camr that gets samples of building materials sent to them (aside from the Texas construction people). You're on to something here. This channel is hitting a niche/scratching an itch.
Best review so far that I watched. Very professional. You are not wasting time like others. Aircrete is not popular because it CAN NOT support 2nd Floor! But this is thoughless because, who needs 2nd floor if you build outside the city or on cheaper land? Saving surface of land is only important in big cities. This will take off once someone like me, designs ground floor stand-alone house. As for outside, I would use Epoxy or Marine Paint that is used on ships. That would be my waterproofing for walls. As for floors, I would waterproof with just laying down tarps. The corners would be reinforced with 4x4 and the top horizontal bars would be from 2x4". This way it could support the roof. Roof would have frames from 2x4 and plywood. Keep in mind that Roof doesn't have to carry any weight. They build roofs that are unnecessarily strong.
Good call and thank you for your comment about marine paint. Also, although some firefighters are not being allowed to go on house roofs anymore, let your local fire department know about your roof. Happy and Safe Winter holidays.
i realise i've been very critical in my comments on your channel on other videos so just want to say i do love your channel and agree with 99% of the stuff you say just passionate about the subjects you cover ;)
I love your videos. Thank you very much. I have a question about the airated concrete use in Florida for cat 5 hurricanes . Do you know anything about its ability to hold up when hit with 200 mile an hour projectiles and wind? Yes I would like to know more about that thermal camera
Different way of adding closed air-filled structures into the concrete. This product: AAC, uses a reaction of aluminum to lime, presumably, and blown air-crete uses a soapy mixture to express air-filled voids. I hope that helps
@@audigit that's not the only difference. "Autoclaved" part of AAC matters a lot. As mentioned in the video, you get a different mineral (tobermorite) after autoclaving the mixture. As a result, compared to aircrete, you can get higher compressive strength at a given density, or lower density at a given compressive strength. And density basically defines the insulation properties of these materials.
This was a fascinating video. I've never heard of AAC. I thought your video was very informative. I love that you create videos like this, as it really expands my views on materials/construction methods.
Most of Europe has been building with this stuff for decades. Its so common Ytong has almost become a generic term like Xerox or Tasers in the US when people think about buildingmaterials.
I've been a fan of aerated concrete for many years, I too would like to see it more frequently in the US. Back in the 90's a couple of buildings were built from this material near me in a very cold climate.
Also good to know, AAC has a denser variant for use in foundation work, they might go by the name of AAC course block. They have more of the look and feel of the regular concrete blocks the industry is used to, for similar weight and strength (they are solid, not hollow like real concrete ones)
If you use latex paint mixed with cement for a surface coating, it does exceptionally well for a monolithic dome. A soap foam based aircrete is a very good way to go. Very DIY friendly. Thanks for your video. I hope to be turning out some on this subject soon.
I’m so glad that I stumbled across your channel yesterday. I’m planning to sell my farm next summer, purchase a smaller piece of land and build a smaller house. I want to avoid having a mortgage and I want to use more environmentally friendly, cost effective building materials. Initially, I was exploring hemp-Crete and rammed earth, but I’m now also interested in this light weight concrete. You are very good at explaining everything about building materials and making it interesting. Thanks for the information!!
I really appreciate your insights and the topics you choose to focus on - your good self and the B1M are the finest construction channels on youtube :)
Dear Belinda, I am a trained cellular concrete building contractor and you mention that it is a good sound insulation, which is relative insertion coming from comparing to actual other insulation materials like mineral wool or fiberwool. However air is not a good sound insulation ! So in absolute cellular concrete isn't a good sound insulation, somehow it is one of the drawback of this wonderful material. My experience is if the project insulation target is around 8 to 10 (m².K/W) you cannot use only cellular concrete but you can add heat insulation with a good sound insulation like lime hemp concrete (Tradical) or wood wool (Steico). Thank you for the quality video !
Another excellent in-depth review of a construction product by Belinda Carr! And more proof that the internet has a lot of useful knowledge to be found, if one looks to the most informed sources. I think we might find some uses for aircrete on our future homestead, including a root cellar/storm/fire shelter. Thanks for all that you do Belinda. Hope you will be feeling better soon.
@@lyudmylasharma7768 Yes. If anybody do it that dumb. This material must be covered against water and other problems. Stupid builder => building in problems. :) This material is good. If You use it right. BTW: is it really in Europe? :P
@@CzKaa Obviously you're not the smartest here with your assumptions. Yes, in Europe houses are built with similar technology. The external walls are covered with proper plasterwork. There's an insulation preventing capillary moisture between walls and foundations.
We are currently designing and engineering homes in Paradise, CA and other parts of Northern CA and NV from AAC. A lot of the current issues we have been facing are outdated codes. One cannot classify AAC as CMU, unfortunately a lot of building departments are trying to lump them together. We have to do a lot of educating, but it's a great alternative to stick framing and wish it was more widely recognized in North America.
Watched a video, was not subscribed, back looking for that video ignoring those silly Yt recommendations. Every homeowner or person thinking of building-buying a home should watch this channel. Subscribed now.
Thanks for this review. HAve you ever seen or tested the foam concrete, made with water, cement and a foaming agent? I did made a few samples myself and was amazed by the insulation and soundproofing propierties, also you used a lot less cement since it's airated, but can be poured on site as a liquid, or made in a mould on a factory, but you don't need the autoclave.
Hello Javier, Would you mind talking more about foam concrete? I’m building a school and would love to know more and see if this would be a good option for the construction.
@@meetankush Hi! you can find more info and some test in the youtube channel of "honey do carpenter", that's where i learned how to do it. Also try to find agricultural foaming agent, it's used for marking where the tractor has already passed, its kinda expensive but you use just a little each batch. Also always weight your foam and don't use too much water or the concrete will be very soft.
I have worked in construction: concrete, stick, pitched and flat roof. I find this very interesting. Living in northern Iowa, freeze /thaw is a consideration, so surface covering is important. This could make inroads for twenty year lifespan building planning.
Always heard this described as "aircrete". Glad to have a proper name for it now!... 😃 ...I had a friend in Mexico who made customized blocks out of this material. He mentioned to me that standard rebar was not necesssarily needed to reinforce these because of the light weight (don't know how that would be received in American building codes). He said that ceramic pins could be utilized for equal or better effect, without the corrosion effects. For the kind of projects I do, I love this stuff!...
In Poland it's pretty much go to material for homes, real good stuff, however it's now considered inferior compared to latest technology Here rising in popularity are expanded clay blocks, exceptional material for home building Also... it's expanded clay, production line is heavily automated, material is local, abundant and cheap, can buy ready to go production line from Sweden
@@meetankush expanded Clay like pellets you use in garden, often glued together with small amount of concrete/other binder Put in to n shape where middle is pretty much hollow, allows for moisture to escape from building easily, removing risks of rot You would need to see whole systems/solutions to build with it, since expanded clay blocks won't work as intended if you just swap them with aircrete
@@taith2 I see. Thanks for your elaborate description and application. This sounds like something I can include in the building I’m trying to make in a heavy rainfall area. Will read and consult more about this. Thanks for your time. 🙏🏽 Also, much respect to the Polish people who are already using it extensively.
Great, youtube has never seen such excellent video quality in the entire space. I built myself a house from this material, and as an energy engineer I think that we need to talk more about it.
I recall seeing something like this from eastern Europe. They were using a hand saw to cut it and laying the blocks with a thin set type material. One would think California would be jumping all over this one
It is common material in most of europe not just in eastern part in the past it was used for non structural walls ( my condo from 1972 have it) since 1990/95 it is also used as main building material. It is prfect for DIY because it is light and easy to stuck. It can be cut with a hand saw however the saw must have a proper teeths, wood saw doesnt last long
True, its decades old but not just in Europe. Shame we are so backward in the USA about adopting the use of advantageous construction materials.... smh...
I think that it's because autoclaves are really, really, really expensive to build and maintain. The larger the autoclaves the thicker(and more expensive) the walls need to be in order to not rupture(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinder_stress). We would have to build a bunch of them for this material to be a sustainable building material, and California has some the the biggest population in the US.
Hi Belinda, have been following you for awhile now. Love the content!! In light of all the discussion about housing affordability in the US, might I suggest a series of videos on construction costs/ options / ideas that can help address the problem
AAC is getting popular now in the Philippines. It's easy to work with and has superb thermal insulation properties. It's water-repellant but still needs to be waterproofed.
I've used such a product, brand name "Ytong Stein", when I lived in Germany back in the 90s. I used it instead of traditional framing to skirt the quarter-round bathtub, then covered it with cobalt blue Penny tiles. I also used it in the kitchen to create "open" cabinets under the counter. These blocks were used to create partitions that also supported the L-shaped countertop which was made of 3cm thick laminated wood, with cutouts for range top and double-sink. I covered the partition with square tiles, then cut laminated 2cm shelves to fit between the walls. We used a curtain to hide the plumbing under the sink and bio-waste bucket, otherwise the shelves were all open (no cabinet doors). For the oven, it was only about 2 ft high, so I made a drawer on wheels to fit under the oven. I didn't use tiles to cover the blocks facing the oven and left it as is with about 1 cm air gap on the sides. Very easy to use and as you mentioned, I used plastic anchors for the shelf brackets, so the shelves could easily be lifted out for cleaning. If I ever did such a remodel project again, I wouldn't hesitate and would find ways to use it on other projects wherever I could. The possibilities are endless where compression strength, noise abatement, fire/heat resistance etc are adequate for the project. Another advantage is the relative "thinness" is a plus. A finished wall would be thinner than traditional 2x4 framing, as the thickness would only be 5cm (2") - - even if sheet rock was glued on both sides. Glad to know it's showing up here in America finally.
In Europe this product is sold under the name Ytong. It comes in multiple sizes and can be cut with a hand saw. The blocks are mounted with glue instead of cement. Fixing something th the wall is tricky. I suggest to cover the walls with osb which allows you to fix anything to the wall. Great video Belinda.
I became interested in lightweight concrete, and to try it out made a pair of speaker stands. I found instructions online for simply substituting the gravel aggregate with vermiculite or pearlite. This technique is apparently used for making things like garden sculptures, which don't need structural properties, and need to be moved from time to time, so it's advantageous if they're not extremely heavy. Same with my speaker stands: I don't want them to be so heavy that they damage the floor if they fall over. A worthwhile experiment, but they are a bit crumbly (probably because the ratios in the concrete mix could be more optimal). I was glad to see in the video that a commercial product is available. The most promising applications I saw in the video were the interlocking construction blocks (can mould them in any shape you like) and making sound-barrier walls between highways and housing. These walls only need to bear their own weight, so it seems AC has the structural qualities required for this application.
This is really cool. The high R value, light weight, and sound deadening makes it seem perfect for passive homes. Chip board is very weak and brittle, but in the final stage before curing it is run through a roller compressor. This makes gives the board a tough outer “shell” to protect it. It’d be cool if this stuff could be given a similar shell of sorts to make it less permeable and brittle. I’m not a Materials engineer or knowledgeable architecture person, but watching passive house videos and then all of your informative videos on different materials is really exciting.
A fiberglass mesh applied with mortar would give you the shell you're talking about, add waterproofing additive and you have a nice stucco like shell. For a passive house you also need thermal mass, a nice Cobb or lime plaster inside would be great. Not to mention the porous surface is perfect for this.
My thought has been to use AAC on "Tower" home. Circle of same area as a square uses 17% less material for outer wall. Withstand winds much better. Mesh around outside with stucco turns it all into one solid unit. 40 foot diameter home will give you about 1200 square feet or 2400 if you make it 2 story. Plus roof. Run circular track and you can have rotatable solar panels on roof that track the sun. All lines could be run down a central shaft that contains all the utilities. inner area for kitchen, baths being next to central shaft.
Seems like the biggest hurdles holding it back in North America: 1) lower holding power for fasteners. Solution : provide specific pullout resistance numbers with appropriate anchors 2) costlier- solution: provide specific example of what typical final build cost in the different scenarios (basement, above ground exterior walls, interior walls, etc) Ultimately it has to stand up on its own in terms of cost, installation, and utility if you want it to overcome wood and traditional masonry. Green building is great, but it won’t overtake traditional methods of it doesn’t win out on those 3 aspects.
I have worked with the product and found it to be too limited for my needs. I think it would be better suited for small residences or even better for unconditioned storage facilities. I found the 12" block has an actual r-value of 7 but they claim much higher performance, relying on thermal mass while wording their promotion in ways that can be misleading as to the real r-value. One of the projects was a work shop. Fastening to the walls to hang heavy things was a continual problem in that circumstance. I build very large residences and the structure required a concrete pier and beam system where the AAC was an infill. Installing utilities like electrical lines was cumbersome because of the need cross through the concrete piers. My neighbor built with AAC and had no real problems except for the interface to the wood roof structure. I think you do a great job with your videos but this may be one product where hands on experience is required. Research of AAC is not enough to gain a sufficient understanding of the implications of building with AAC. I find it similar in several ways to building with straw bale in that it is easy to be drawn to its positive attributes without understanding the associated costs of interfacing it with the other required parts of the building process. Anyway it is too complicated to have the discussion in a meaningful way in the comments section so I will leave it there and thank you for the hard work you do and the intelligence that you bring to the subjects you cover.
Can I use this for planting crops on my farm? How long can a mold retain water? Can it be used in Hydroponic farming? How can I increase volume for molding with aircrete? Thanks.
How about doing a video on ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) construction, followed by SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) as alternatives to traditional stick-built homes and AIRCRETE. Both ICF and SIP have been around for a while (25+ years?). Love the videos. They are very informative. Ignore the "haters".
Great video! I also hope aircrete becomes more widely adopted! I think it's an excellent structural material for smaller houses. I've never encountered it in any of the US based projects I worked on, but I'd say it's not nearly as popular in Europe as it should be.
Thank you for covering important & interesting topics. Please if you can, make a separate video featuring the NON-autoclaved Air concrete - which I believe is the next big thing ahead, moving toward more natural & ecologic ways of building. I have seen a strength & durability study- video. where the non autoclaved (non burned): air cured - air concrete was compared to the autoclaved one. and the non burned one outperforms the industrial autoclaved one in every category. it also makes the reliance on expensive manufacturing methods/factories, thing of the past. It absorbs much less moisture, (as it doesn't become over dried & brittle in the auto-calve.) Natural fibers like hemp can be added in the mix for extra strenght (as these flexible materials aid bonding & will not burn in the ambient temp. manufacturing process. (burning them in high heat leaves the material full of veins/ cracks. It wont crack in time or under pressure, instead it seems to petrify into rock in time, whereas regular concrete (as we know) develops cracks and autoclaved option cracks although much later. Also the foaming of it, is resolved/ achieved with a low tech dish detergent additive, making the trapped bubbles to be of air instead of hydrogen that's much more likely to escape in the curing process. there's no need for expensive industrial autoclaves with their additional energy consumption as they only weaken the product - while maintaining the impression that this material is difficult / impossible to make without industrial facilities. Planned obsolence is what I am calling out here, before it gets to be applied on massive scale. Whereas if let to cure on it's own pace, in ambient earth like conditions, - it reaches a balanced level of moisture equillibrium with the surroundings. This material can & will truly revolutionize how we build, in harmony with ambient nature: I'm currently working on a start up to design, cast and later 3d print non-auto-claved air concrete into elegant & affordable self-supporting shapes like domes and aches. to create accesible housing buiding blocks with spirit elevating aesthetics. namaste to all
a few comments. First of all, just because it looks porous doesn't mean it needs plaster or anything like that. Decades of experience, as well as the fact that it is used for facades, indicate the opposite. The second is about fasteners. A typical concrete dowel can withstand more than 100 kg. A piece of plywood with two diagonally driven nails can also withstand more than 100 kg. Belinda also didn’t say that the blocks come in different densities. Well, about the shortcomings. The main one is that the block arrives wet and dries already in the structure. This delays construction. Where I live, they usually build the box in the first summer, then it sits for the winter and the finishing is done the next year.
Some of this stuff washes up on beaches near where I live. I use it for back-fill in landscaping. Its light weight makes moving it uphill less tortuous than stone blocks or even bags of gravel.
This has been a very informative episode. Thanks for highlighting the Hebel product. I'm always interested in seeing new products introduced to my industry/trade. I'd be interested in seeing what types of waterproofing are actually applied (beyond stucco or the old fashioned EFIS coatings) If an 8" (200mm) block rates R-50 that seems 6.5 per inch. Quite good compared to batt insulation and not too far off from foam like XPS. I do have to point out that most conventional concrete is going to have a compressive strength of 3,000 psi or higher. Perhaps you are showing a figure for gypcrete, that is more often used for floor leveling than structural work?? Your FLIR camera is going to be helpful as you renovate your new home. It's sure to point out ducts, windows or weatherstripping that will cause condensation in a cooling climate like Dallas. Thanks again for bringing your perspective and integrity to share on TH-cam.
Have not heard of aircrete. Since you're in Dallas I hope you'll come to the Texas hemp convention in November 20 and 21st at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. I'm sure you already know about hempcrete but maybe you could do a story on hempcrete and it's viability as well as hemp insulation drywall and other construction Products. Learned so much from your 3D printing video! And from the tiny home video! You're very knowledgeable I'm glad I found your Channel!
One thing that can be fun with the Flir camera is to look for thermal breaks from the inside of your house to the outside. If you have poor insulation, you can use it as a stud finder on a hot day.
Thought about getting that camera & some negative reviews scared me off - I would love a longer video on it. Thank-you for your perspective on this material, I am a total home-loss wildfire survivor & we are going through the process of figuring out how we can rebuild in a way that acknowledges wildfire as a neighbor who will inevitably come through again at some point. Do you have any thoughts about SCIPs (Structurally Insulated Concrete Panels)? I'd love to see a video about SCIPs, and one on your thoughts about Appendix Q (the tiny house building code, it was recently adopted in California) - we want to rebuild a 400 square foot house on a foundation after our tiny houses on wheels were lost in the fire & we're cautiously optimistic about the changes that seem to actually put it within reach in our county, which otherwise has a very strict, expensive, and burdensome permit process. Thanks again, great content.
Belinda, very interesting topic. It would be nice to see a more across-the-trades look at installation, finishing, and remodeling. Thanks for the channel.
Here in Ireland they use similar blocks for the bottom course of blocks on both sides of a cavity wall. It's to stop heat transfer from the ground into the slab/wall. I just had a garage built that way and it has been amazing at retaining heat. Though the 150mm thick cavity insulation probably helps too...
Do most U.S. building codes allow them as the primary structural component? I was under the impression they can only be used as infill in walls that have frame members.
Great video! We will eventually be building a sizable greenhouse on our property, and given its mildew and termite resistance, as well as its thermal value, I wonder if this would make a logical material choice.
This material is normal construction materials in Romania, i worked in lots of countries but never seen it used, my house is built with it. Is very easy to build because light, good sound and termal insulation and because is light it doesn't need a heavy concrete structure
Fascinating. I was vaguely aware of this material, but didn't know it's had practical use for quite a while now. Would like to find/see examples of its use here in the UK, especially on larger developments.
@@barnie8282 I guess a lot of those blocks / breeze blocks are aircrete. Did see a uk gov paper on identifying RAAC - reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - especially in 60s-80s built schools. Seems to be an issue, I guess again that maybe it's often identified as just concrete and assumed to have its strength ending up being overloaded or drilled inappropriately.
Is this (Ytong)? We use it almost everywhere in Europe. It is excellent for walls. You can make a concrete frame that supports the weight - like columns and joints and then build lightweight, heat and sound blocking walls from Ytong. It's fast and easy and you don't have to worry if there is support underneath the wall. Plus you can cut it in every shape you want and make decoration pieces inside and out the building.
Another awesome product they won't sell at retail level here in rural GA. anyone know where I can buy this. They don't even say on the Hebel website. It's like it's a secret!
I am from Dominican Repúblic. In my country we built some basketball courts, metal structure, seating, bathrooms and office with aircrete. It is soft to work, easy to cut, but unsafe on Doors, at least with tradicional methods. I worked the electrical part and usted emt tubing
Great vjdeo, to the point, great chemical detail, because it is also clearly spoken I will subscribe to learn more from you. Thanks for making it free to me.
What refers to Autoclaved aerated concrete, it has several drawbacks: 1. Once it get moisture inside, it keeps it for a long time. This is extremely bad for areas where temperature fluctuates around 0 degree Celsius many times per season. Generally, you need to protect it from water, which is almost impossible to achieve in the process of building in some rainy areas. 2. It is difficult to hang the cabinet on the wall of aircrete. You will need special fasteners for aerated concrete. When we were choosing the material for our house, we were fascinated by the Papercrete. It has all the advantages of aircrete, without drawback of the latter. Would like to view your opinion about Papercrete.
You usually show us something new or unusual and I was confused because we use it a lot in Serbia and then you explained it is mostly used in Euroasia :D so it make sense :D
I have been hoping to see a video like this for a while now. One thing I would have have loved to see touched upon in the video is the efficacy the DIY aircrete methods that make it by means of mixing concrete with a foaming agent such as dish soap. Given this can theoretically be made on site it may in some circumstances have more benefits than premade blocks.
Battled through allergies to make this long-overdue video. Apologies for sounding sick!
I think you sounded fine; another great video great video
Get better soon! Additionally any comments on EPIC concrete? Concrete mixed with expanded polystyrene?
Belinda, take 10 grams a day of vitamin c spaced throughout the day. This eliminated my lifelong allergies. I'm in centex.
Exellent work, health and peace to you!
.
Dear Belinda Carr, please note that this material has some drawbacks that I don't think that you have mantioned. We live in house build of Autoclaved Lightweight Concrete (Ytong manufacturer) for few years noew and in time I have learned pros and cons of this material. First: it is awesome. You have mantioned almost all good sides of it. Dont remember if you said that it is quicker to build with it compared with traditional masonry. Probably also more versatile because you can scrape or sand it to desirable shape. People build statues out of it, so it is no problem to send it to semi circle or something similar.
As of cons, be aware that is corrosive to the iron. When you do reinfcement (for example, for windows and doors), rebar must be inbeded in concrete, not in its mortar. You can easily put nail or screw in block, and it will hold rather well, but if vibration is present, it will increase hole diameter which will losen screw or nail. Also, in time, screw or nail will rust. When metal is in direct contact with AAC, it should be galvanized.
Regarding moisture - it can soke quite a bit, and it will need some time to dry up again. If it happen in winter, material will deteorite due freezing cycle. With increased moisture content material will have reduced insulated propertie. Manufacturers usualy don't advertise it this way, but if you are persistant, you can find moisture content to insulation ratio. Almost always, they show numbers only for fully dry product.
All that said, I would use it again for my home. Our walls are 37,5 cm thick and we have also roof made of it. For now, we are very satisfied with our home climate through all seasons, and we have relative low heating and cooling bills.
If you need any informations (from me as actual user) or pictures how we did it, I will be glad to share it with you.
Please note that our home is located in Europe, but I don't think it would be any different regarding building processes in America.
I'm eagerly anticipating new content from you.
Can agree with most what you said except with the moisture in the walls and freezing cycle? Something ain't right here is your house completely finished ? Do you have a proper facade on the walls, drainage, wapor bariers..?
@@altergreenhorn Not for my house, but for material itself. Finished house won't have those issues. Manufacturer stated that facade need to be applied. Just comparing with regular masonry, for example brick, where finish facade is nice, but not mandatory.
Regarding moisture, I tried experiment: I left AAC block in water for one hour. It soaked water about 30% of it weight. I left it to dry for 48 hours, and after that it had still more than 10% more weight. In real life it won't be issue, but if flooding occurs, or you have broken pipe, it's nice to know limitations. Perhaps American "stick house" would sustain more damage in this situations.
Also this materials do not need vapor barriers. You have only 3 layers. Block itself, interior plaster on inside and exterior plaster outside.
@Valhalla It's suitable. AAC is widely used in/comes from Europe, northern parts are not exception. It'll be fine with few freeze cycles (YTONG states their products stand 100 cycles).
@Valhalla It's OK. It's great material for winter. Good insulator compared with regular masonry. Just I don't think that you can use mortar in freezing temperatures to build your home. You should make it with water not with ice :) If rain or snow make blocks wet, they will dry out. Don't worry.
Agreed. My country home is AAC on a slab foundation and it couldn't be a better choice. May I through in one not-so-small drawback though. Costs of interior finishes. Frame-and-drywall walls are smooth by design. AAC walls need tons (many tons) of mortar coat.
I built my last house with these blocks and 50mm kingspan. Heating costs were non existent. You are a breath of fresh air. Someone who speaks common sense with research and intelligence. Keep up the good work. Rob in the UK
I wish that all of my teachers were you! I'm not even interested in building, but all your videos are fascinating. Thank you so much for these invaluable contributions.
if only she was honest about what moisture does to AAC blocks th-cam.com/video/GPxv_PrXdFs/w-d-xo.html
We specified 10" AEC exterior construction on a new home we built in Albuquerque, NM (USA) in 2010. We also specified that interior walls bordering the AV room be made of AEC. (for sound insulation). We have had absolutely no problems with the materials and our heating and A/C costs are the lowest per SqFt in our high-end neighborhood. The sound insulation is absolutely outstanding as we designed the AV room with an isolated split-air system with all electrics and AV wiring being integrated into the concrete floor. The latex fortified exterior stucco looks new after 10 years of exposure to extreme heat and cold as well as extreme day/night mountain temperature variations.
We were able to find a concrete contractor who had built using Hebel AEC in several other structures and the construction process (as to the AEC) went without problems other than transportation delays from Mexico).
Cost difference compared to stick framing (materials, labor, etc.)?
Certainly seems promising, but it always comes down to money (both upfront and longterm).
hi Joe, do you have a video of the construction of your house? or could you create a corresponding video to Belinda's excellent video about Aircrete?
@@quintessenceSL We were told by our architect that the use of AEC would increase the cost of construction of the house by @4%. This 4% kicker would be reduced to 2% if we had gone with spray-on insulation (which we would have done) rather than batt insulation. IIRC the 10" AEC walls are rated for R50 in our climate.
@@leadlearner6391 Sorry, no. We were not in the State while the AEC block was being laid although I arrived on an inspection trip shortly thereafter. The AEC contractor had cut the blocks with a power saw and routed the electric traces and plumbing line runs with a carbide router. There was about 10mm of white fine dust on the foundation concrete (which it did not pit) which was later washed off with water. No aggro at all.
@@joegoldberg8770 That's not bad. You could easily spend that (or more) getting equivalent soundproofing, insulation properties, etc. on a traditional build. To get all those benefits at only a modest price increase is a bargain.
I just had my home built using AAC blocks. Here in Bahrain we have a choice between that and sandwich blocks. I avoided making any load bearing walls whatsoever, just in case because it isn't as strong. Most contractors don't know how to use it, so they end up laying it with cement mortar rather than its special glue.
Does it have any special needs for air conditioning, heating, or clothes dryer?
@@helenhobbs5472 No, nothing like that. Just bear in mind it's fixed with a special a glue and the plaster later is made with a regular cement site mix, except there's a special additive. Without the additive, the plaster may not stick.
@@EbrahimHasan Dear Ebrahim, I will be experimenting with aircrete in Iraq and considering large scale implementation in case of success, I have many questions regarding this technique and have many ideas for improvement, would you be open to talk about this?
This was extremely interesting. I don't believe we have anything similar to this here in Norway. Would you mind if i use some of your videos in my class in first year trade school construction, showing from YT ofc so you get the views and ad revenue. Really enjoy your views and takes on different products and learning of new products.
Absolutely! Thanks for watching.
@@BelindaCarr Thank you very much. I really hope my students are atleast 15% as interested in construction as i am and give you a follow after i introduce them to you.
You might have them in Norway, but under a local brand name. Or then maybe not, they are only midling insulators and quite ugly. I did the numbers for a construction here in Belgium but decided for a 25cm "stick frame" + mineral wool (rockwool)which insulates about 4x as well as cellular concrete/AAC
@@Witcold That might be, but we have very different building codes here in Norway compared to Sweden. Not saying we can't use them, but most people here just chug along with the old faithful sadly.
@@astranger448 I don't see how people think aircrete is ugly when it's being covered up anyway by drywall on the inside and stucco or some other facade in the exterior.
Nice video Belinda. I renovates mine 100 years old cottage with aircrete. It is light, really good isolator and biggest plus for me was simplicity of adjustment. For cutting you need just simple handsaw no need grinders like when you cutting bricks. Another positive is that they are so precisely made so you need just really thin layer of mortar. I think overall it is one of the best materials for building homes. Greetings from Slovakia.
Airrated concrete was really popular in Sweden in the 1960-tys. But we have had a lot of radon problems with it. That might only be because of the concrete using lot of granite based aggregate that is very high in Thorium. While the radioactivity of Thorium don´t really escape the wall, some of the rest product of the decay does. One of those is Radon. It takes decades for the radon emission to even out, and its virtually undetectable the first couple of months.
Now that airrated concrete is not identical to the one in the video, but its fairly similar.
While it also have a decent insulation properties, it really need to have some additional insulation as a break. (at least in climate that have sub zero temperature regularly)
Does it still have those radioactivity problems, or do they use different ingredients now?
@@MilosMoravac Its hardly used in sweden, its probobly more about the reputation than anything else.
But it was the sand that was radiactive. They use very fine sand, and it turned out it was very high in thorium.
Thorium by it self is not really neither that radiactive, or really that much of a problem. Its the Xenon that is made of it that is dangerus.
@@matsv201 I found only a few articles about this in English, so a Swedish comment is very useful. You have lots of experience with it. To me, it also seems like there is a lot of bad reputation and rumors around aerated concrete. My logic is, if it's really still radioactive, it would have been banned a long time ago. But then again, with all things going on in the world, you can't really trust institutions 100%. There is always money behind every word written in articles, researches, studies etc. So, the only way for me to know for sure if aerated concrete is radioactive is to buy a Geiger counter, haha! I hope it isn't, it has some really great properties.
@@MilosMoravac Well this happens a long time before my time. But my understanding of is that they use montesand sand because its very fine grain, and hence work well with ariated concrete. Its very high in Thorium, that is mildly radioactive, but more importantly produce radon that is also mildly radioactive, but because you breath it in, its somewhat dangerus.
Not trying to be hyperbolic, but you may be the greatest youtuber in existence. I greatly enjoy your videos and keep up the amazing work🥳
Lol! Not sure how to respond to that. Thank you :)
Proving once again, when in doubt... That just complimenting a woman will always get a more positive response than an depth evaluation of what was said in a post.... Note to self :)
shed be better if she wore less clothing.
My grandparents used to own perlite mines in Arizona. I can remember my great aunt Fay experimenting by casting blocks made of cement mixed with perlite to make a form of "aircrete" that was light in weight and had insulating quali9ties. This was in the 1950's.
We are AAC manufacturer in Vietnam and have exported to many countries, the creator of this video has deep knowledge about AAC and very mutual in sharing pros n cons of AAC, love to see AAC get more popular around the world.
Behind my house in Thailand, a small development of 11 homes all are built with concrete pillars usually about 2-3 meters apart and the spaces filled with aerated concrete blocks. I think they are a foamed concrete product but I am not sure. In my house, we remodeled a bathroom and had to move an interior wall. We also used the same type of aerated concrete blocks to reduce the weight. The blocks for the development and my remodel were easily sawn with hand saws and drilled. I used heavy-duty anchors to mount a wall-mounted sink and cabinet.
Belinda,
We are a passive science based New York State builder (PHI CPHT/ PHIUS CPHC) that builds exclusively in AAC. We have a very new wall assembly that uses only three components; AAC, Mineral board and U-Stucco. We would love to hear your opinions on this, maybe even have you do a video on what you find. We are building our first AAC home with this wall design right now, hope to have testing for this assembly soon. BTW, we get around the corosiveness of the material, and the issues with steel in concrete, with basalt rebar. Thought you would like that...
If AAC is the future, this wall assembly is bleeding edge. It's not our 'invention, it's just that we brought AAC to it instead of poured concrete, which is used in Europe extensively. We currently have three more buildings under contract and in process, 2 more on the way to contract before year's end. We have been getting amazingly positive response to this product and we feel we are on the cusp of a true breakthrough. We buy from Aercon, who DOES have a plant in the Florida, USA
I love your videos, I send them to my clients as explainers ( I have really well informed and engaged client!)
Thank You 😊
From Florida ...
I think you're practically the only TH-camr that gets samples of building materials sent to them (aside from the Texas construction people). You're on to something here. This channel is hitting a niche/scratching an itch.
I'm really glad that youtube suggested this channel. I didn't know that I wanted to learn about building materials, but here we are
Best review so far that I watched. Very professional. You are not wasting time like others. Aircrete is not popular because it CAN NOT support 2nd Floor! But this is thoughless because, who needs 2nd floor if you build outside the city or on cheaper land? Saving surface of land is only important in big cities. This will take off once someone like me, designs ground floor stand-alone house. As for outside, I would use Epoxy or Marine Paint that is used on ships. That would be my waterproofing for walls. As for floors, I would waterproof with just laying down tarps. The corners would be reinforced with 4x4 and the top horizontal bars would be from 2x4". This way it could support the roof.
Roof would have frames from 2x4 and plywood. Keep in mind that Roof doesn't have to carry any weight. They build roofs that are unnecessarily strong.
Good call and thank you for your comment about marine paint. Also, although some firefighters are not being allowed to go on house roofs anymore, let your local fire department know about your roof. Happy and Safe Winter holidays.
i realise i've been very critical in my comments on your channel on other videos so just want to say i do love your channel and agree with 99% of the stuff you say just passionate about the subjects you cover ;)
I love your videos. Thank you very much. I have a question about the airated concrete use in Florida for cat 5 hurricanes . Do you know anything about its ability to hold up when hit with 200 mile an hour projectiles and wind? Yes I would like to know more about that thermal camera
Thank you. That was interesting. I didn't know that aircrete was made commercially. I'm used to seeing DIY recipes for making it.
Different way of adding closed air-filled structures into the concrete. This product: AAC, uses a reaction of aluminum to lime, presumably, and blown air-crete uses a soapy mixture to express air-filled voids. I hope that helps
@@audigit that's not the only difference. "Autoclaved" part of AAC matters a lot. As mentioned in the video, you get a different mineral (tobermorite) after autoclaving the mixture. As a result, compared to aircrete, you can get higher compressive strength at a given density, or lower density at a given compressive strength. And density basically defines the insulation properties of these materials.
Just what I was thinking! I would love to hear her opinion on Domegaia or honey do carpenter 😁
This was a fascinating video. I've never heard of AAC. I thought your video was very informative. I love that you create videos like this, as it really expands my views on materials/construction methods.
Most of Europe has been building with this stuff for decades. Its so common Ytong has almost become a generic term like Xerox or Tasers in the US when people think about buildingmaterials.
I've been a fan of aerated concrete for many years, I too would like to see it more frequently in the US. Back in the 90's a couple of buildings were built from this material near me in a very cold climate.
Also good to know, AAC has a denser variant for use in foundation work, they might go by the name of AAC course block. They have more of the look and feel of the regular concrete blocks the industry is used to, for similar weight and strength (they are solid, not hollow like real concrete ones)
If you use latex paint mixed with cement for a surface coating, it does exceptionally well for a monolithic dome. A soap foam based aircrete is a very good way to go. Very DIY friendly. Thanks for your video. I hope to be turning out some on this subject soon.
I’m so glad that I stumbled across your channel yesterday. I’m planning to sell my farm next summer, purchase a smaller piece of land and build a smaller house. I want to avoid having a mortgage and I want to use more environmentally friendly, cost effective building materials. Initially, I was exploring hemp-Crete and rammed earth, but I’m now also interested in this light weight concrete.
You are very good at explaining everything about building materials and making it interesting. Thanks for the information!!
👍
Great work on this product. It makes sense how it can be so effective yo mitigate sound waves due to the high number of small air holes.
Very informative, thanks. I've only watched a few of your videos so far, but they've all been easy to follow from start to finish.
Thanks!
I really appreciate your insights and the topics you choose to focus on - your good self and the B1M are the finest construction channels on youtube :)
Dear Belinda, I am a trained cellular concrete building contractor and you mention that it is a good sound insulation, which is relative insertion coming from comparing to actual other insulation materials like mineral wool or fiberwool. However air is not a good sound insulation ! So in absolute cellular concrete isn't a good sound insulation, somehow it is one of the drawback of this wonderful material. My experience is if the project insulation target is around 8 to 10 (m².K/W) you cannot use only cellular concrete but you can add heat insulation with a good sound insulation like lime hemp concrete (Tradical) or wood wool (Steico). Thank you for the quality video !
My new favorite channel that I just found today!! :)
Belinda here you go again with another quality video... Thank you!
Another excellent in-depth review of a construction product by Belinda Carr! And more proof that the internet has a lot of useful knowledge to be found, if one looks to the most informed sources.
I think we might find some uses for aircrete on our future homestead, including a root cellar/storm/fire shelter.
Thanks for all that you do Belinda. Hope you will be feeling better soon.
Thanks a lot, Alan!!
FYI, there are DIY methods to make "AirCrete" using a air compressor and other basic materials. YT is a good friend!
In Europe we have many houses (50 years old) that was built from this kind of material. :)
and many look like this
th-cam.com/video/GPxv_PrXdFs/w-d-xo.html
@@lyudmylasharma7768 Yes. If anybody do it that dumb. This material must be covered against water and other problems. Stupid builder => building in problems. :)
This material is good. If You use it right. BTW: is it really in Europe? :P
@@CzKaa Obviously you're not the smartest here with your assumptions. Yes, in Europe houses are built with similar technology. The external walls are covered with proper plasterwork. There's an insulation preventing capillary moisture between walls and foundations.
We are currently designing and engineering homes in Paradise, CA and other parts of Northern CA and NV from AAC. A lot of the current issues we have been facing are outdated codes. One cannot classify AAC as CMU, unfortunately a lot of building departments are trying to lump them together. We have to do a lot of educating, but it's a great alternative to stick framing and wish it was more widely recognized in North America.
I am rebuilding after the Paradise Camp Fire in Butte CreekCanyon. How can I contact you?
how far did you get? are you a company specializing in aircrete? I would love to explore these options in Iraq as building material
I love Aircrete! What a saving in cement. Thanks Belinda for your interesting videos.
Watched a video, was not subscribed, back looking for that video ignoring those silly Yt recommendations. Every homeowner or person thinking of building-buying a home should watch this channel. Subscribed now.
Thanks for this review. HAve you ever seen or tested the foam concrete, made with water, cement and a foaming agent? I did made a few samples myself and was amazed by the insulation and soundproofing propierties, also you used a lot less cement since it's airated, but can be poured on site as a liquid, or made in a mould on a factory, but you don't need the autoclave.
Hello Javier,
Would you mind talking more about foam concrete? I’m building a school and would love to know more and see if this would be a good option for the construction.
@@meetankush Hi! you can find more info and some test in the youtube channel of "honey do carpenter", that's where i learned how to do it. Also try to find agricultural foaming agent, it's used for marking where the tractor has already passed, its kinda expensive but you use just a little each batch. Also always weight your foam and don't use too much water or the concrete will be very soft.
My entire recommended page is concrete related.
Who knew concrete would be so interesting.
I have worked in construction: concrete, stick, pitched and flat roof. I find this very interesting. Living in northern Iowa, freeze /thaw is a consideration, so surface covering is important. This could make inroads for twenty year lifespan building planning.
Always heard this described as "aircrete". Glad to have a proper name for it now!... 😃 ...I had a friend in Mexico who made customized blocks out of this material. He mentioned to me that standard rebar was not necesssarily needed to reinforce these because of the light weight (don't know how that would be received in American building codes). He said that ceramic pins could be utilized for equal or better effect, without the corrosion effects. For the kind of projects I do, I love this stuff!...
In Poland it's pretty much go to material for homes, real good stuff, however it's now considered inferior compared to latest technology
Here rising in popularity are expanded clay blocks, exceptional material for home building
Also... it's expanded clay, production line is heavily automated, material is local, abundant and cheap, can buy ready to go production line from Sweden
Expanded clay as in pellets or bricks?
Thanks for your response.
@@meetankush expanded Clay like pellets you use in garden, often glued together with small amount of concrete/other binder
Put in to n shape where middle is pretty much hollow, allows for moisture to escape from building easily, removing risks of rot
You would need to see whole systems/solutions to build with it, since expanded clay blocks won't work as intended if you just swap them with aircrete
@@taith2 I see. Thanks for your elaborate description and application.
This sounds like something I can include in the building I’m trying to make in a heavy rainfall area. Will read and consult more about this.
Thanks for your time. 🙏🏽
Also, much respect to the Polish people who are already using it extensively.
Great, youtube has never seen such excellent video quality in the entire space. I built myself a house from this material, and as an energy engineer I think that we need to talk more about it.
I recall seeing something like this from eastern Europe. They were using a hand saw to cut it and laying the blocks with a thin set type material. One would think California would be jumping all over this one
Has California *ever* done anything that is in their best interest?
It is common material in most of europe not just in eastern part in the past it was used for non structural walls ( my condo from 1972 have it) since 1990/95 it is also used as main building material. It is prfect for DIY because it is light and easy to stuck. It can be cut with a hand saw however the saw must have a proper teeths, wood saw doesnt last long
True, its decades old but not just in Europe. Shame we are so backward in the USA about adopting the use of advantageous construction materials.... smh...
@@Bob_Adkins Yes. th-cam.com/video/Qc7HmhrgTuQ/w-d-xo.html
I think that it's because autoclaves are really, really, really expensive to build and maintain. The larger the autoclaves the thicker(and more expensive) the walls need to be in order to not rupture(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinder_stress). We would have to build a bunch of them for this material to be a sustainable building material, and California has some the the biggest population in the US.
The algorithm directed me to your channel and i am ever grateful! you have awesome content, keep it up! :) *subscribed*
Hi Belinda, have been following you for awhile now. Love the content!!
In light of all the discussion about housing affordability in the US, might I suggest a series of videos on construction costs/ options / ideas that can help address the problem
AAC is getting popular now in the Philippines. It's easy to work with and has superb thermal insulation properties. It's water-repellant but still needs to be waterproofed.
I really enjoy your program, you seem to have a good grasp of the sciences. Hopefully, I'm not insulting you . . .
I've used such a product, brand name "Ytong Stein", when I lived in Germany back in the 90s. I used it instead of traditional framing to skirt the quarter-round bathtub, then covered it with cobalt blue Penny tiles.
I also used it in the kitchen to create "open" cabinets under the counter. These blocks were used to create partitions that also supported the L-shaped countertop which was made of 3cm thick laminated wood, with cutouts for range top and double-sink. I covered the partition with square tiles, then cut laminated 2cm shelves to fit between the walls. We used a curtain to hide the plumbing under the sink and bio-waste bucket, otherwise the shelves were all open (no cabinet doors). For the oven, it was only about 2 ft high, so I made a drawer on wheels to fit under the oven. I didn't use tiles to cover the blocks facing the oven and left it as is with about 1 cm air gap on the sides.
Very easy to use and as you mentioned, I used plastic anchors for the shelf brackets, so the shelves could easily be lifted out for cleaning.
If I ever did such a remodel project again, I wouldn't hesitate and would find ways to use it on other projects wherever I could. The possibilities are endless where compression strength, noise abatement, fire/heat resistance etc are adequate for the project. Another advantage is the relative "thinness" is a plus. A finished wall would be thinner than traditional 2x4 framing, as the thickness would only be 5cm (2") - - even if sheet rock was glued on both sides.
Glad to know it's showing up here in America finally.
In Europe this product is sold under the name Ytong. It comes in multiple sizes and can be cut with a hand saw. The blocks are mounted with glue instead of cement. Fixing something th the wall is tricky. I suggest to cover the walls with osb which allows you to fix anything to the wall. Great video Belinda.
Thanks, Fred!
@7:22 "Large headed square shank cut nails"! My new favorite set of words! Well done getting that tung twister out!
Wow, that video was so informative, and I don't say that often. Thanks for the thorough look!
Absolutely fantastic video one of the best I've seen on this topic. And yes you should definitely make a video on the thermometer.
This was very thorough. I immediately subscribed.
Make the video of the thermal imager as well as the ones claiming to see through walls. Love your unbiased discussion with facts.
I became interested in lightweight concrete, and to try it out made a pair of speaker stands. I found instructions online for simply substituting the gravel aggregate with vermiculite or pearlite. This technique is apparently used for making things like garden sculptures, which don't need structural properties, and need to be moved from time to time, so it's advantageous if they're not extremely heavy. Same with my speaker stands: I don't want them to be so heavy that they damage the floor if they fall over. A worthwhile experiment, but they are a bit crumbly (probably because the ratios in the concrete mix could be more optimal). I was glad to see in the video that a commercial product is available. The most promising applications I saw in the video were the interlocking construction blocks (can mould them in any shape you like) and making sound-barrier walls between highways and housing. These walls only need to bear their own weight, so it seems AC has the structural qualities required for this application.
This is really cool. The high R value, light weight, and sound deadening makes it seem perfect for passive homes.
Chip board is very weak and brittle, but in the final stage before curing it is run through a roller compressor. This makes gives the board a tough outer “shell” to protect it. It’d be cool if this stuff could be given a similar shell of sorts to make it less permeable and brittle.
I’m not a Materials engineer or knowledgeable architecture person, but watching passive house videos and then all of your informative videos on different materials is really exciting.
A fiberglass mesh applied with mortar would give you the shell you're talking about, add waterproofing additive and you have a nice stucco like shell.
For a passive house you also need thermal mass, a nice Cobb or lime plaster inside would be great. Not to mention the porous surface is perfect for this.
My thought has been to use AAC on "Tower" home. Circle of same area as a square uses 17% less material for outer wall. Withstand winds much better. Mesh around outside with stucco turns it all into one solid unit. 40 foot diameter home will give you about 1200 square feet or 2400 if you make it 2 story. Plus roof. Run circular track and you can have rotatable solar panels on roof that track the sun. All lines could be run down a central shaft that contains all the utilities. inner area for kitchen, baths being next to central shaft.
Seems like the biggest hurdles holding it back in North America:
1) lower holding power for fasteners. Solution : provide specific pullout resistance numbers with appropriate anchors
2) costlier- solution: provide specific example of what typical final build cost in the different scenarios (basement, above ground exterior walls, interior walls, etc)
Ultimately it has to stand up on its own in terms of cost, installation, and utility if you want it to overcome wood and traditional masonry. Green building is great, but it won’t overtake traditional methods of it doesn’t win out on those 3 aspects.
Great Video! We are planning to build our house out of aircrete. It will be a learning experience for sure.
I have worked with the product and found it to be too limited for my needs. I think it would be better suited for small residences or even better for unconditioned storage facilities. I found the 12" block has an actual r-value of 7 but they claim much higher performance, relying on thermal mass while wording their promotion in ways that can be misleading as to the real r-value. One of the projects was a work shop. Fastening to the walls to hang heavy things was a continual problem in that circumstance. I build very large residences and the structure required a concrete pier and beam system where the AAC was an infill. Installing utilities like electrical lines was cumbersome because of the need cross through the concrete piers. My neighbor built with AAC and had no real problems except for the interface to the wood roof structure.
I think you do a great job with your videos but this may be one product where hands on experience is required. Research of AAC is not enough to gain a sufficient understanding of the implications of building with AAC. I find it similar in several ways to building with straw bale in that it is easy to be drawn to its positive attributes without understanding the associated costs of interfacing it with the other required parts of the building process. Anyway it is too complicated to have the discussion in a meaningful way in the comments section so I will leave it there and thank you for the hard work you do and the intelligence that you bring to the subjects you cover.
Can I use this for planting crops on my farm? How long can a mold retain water? Can it be used in Hydroponic farming? How can I increase volume for molding with aircrete? Thanks.
Yes .
How about doing a video on ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) construction, followed by SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) as alternatives to traditional stick-built homes and AIRCRETE. Both ICF and SIP have been around for a while (25+ years?). Love the videos. They are very informative. Ignore the "haters".
WOW, & MORE WOW !!!
THANK YOU, I Have Learned A Great Deal On This Product From You.
Well Delivered Explanation. Great Video.
Great video! I also hope aircrete becomes more widely adopted! I think it's an excellent structural material for smaller houses. I've never encountered it in any of the US based projects I worked on, but I'd say it's not nearly as popular in Europe as it should be.
Thank you for covering important & interesting topics.
Please if you can, make a separate video featuring the NON-autoclaved Air concrete - which I believe is the next big thing ahead, moving toward more natural & ecologic ways of building. I have seen a strength & durability study- video.
where the non autoclaved (non burned): air cured - air concrete was compared to the autoclaved one. and the non burned one outperforms the industrial autoclaved one in every category. it also makes the reliance on expensive manufacturing methods/factories, thing of the past.
It absorbs much less moisture, (as it doesn't become over dried & brittle in the auto-calve.)
Natural fibers like hemp can be added in the mix for extra strenght (as these flexible materials aid bonding & will not burn in the ambient temp. manufacturing process. (burning them in high heat leaves the material full of veins/ cracks.
It wont crack in time or under pressure, instead it seems to petrify into rock in time, whereas regular concrete (as we know) develops cracks and autoclaved option cracks although much later.
Also the foaming of it, is resolved/ achieved with a low tech dish detergent additive, making the trapped bubbles to be of air instead of hydrogen that's much more likely to escape in the curing process. there's no need for expensive industrial autoclaves with their additional energy consumption as they only weaken the product - while maintaining the impression that this material is difficult / impossible to make without industrial facilities.
Planned obsolence is what I am calling out here, before it gets to be applied on massive scale.
Whereas if let to cure on it's own pace, in ambient earth like conditions, - it reaches a balanced level of moisture equillibrium with the surroundings. This material can & will truly revolutionize how we build, in harmony with ambient nature: I'm currently working on a start up to design, cast and later 3d print non-auto-claved air concrete into elegant & affordable self-supporting shapes like domes and aches. to create accesible housing buiding blocks with spirit elevating aesthetics.
namaste to all
The camera sounds interesting. I wonder how it compares to a dedicated device with its own display.
Those camera are good for relative measurements but not good for absolute accuracy. The emissivity of the object matters a lot.
FLIR make the worlds best thermal image cameras. I have seen $15,000 cameras on job sites. The new attachment cameras for phones are ground breaking.
Precast aircrere, sounds awesome. Their method of getting the bubbles is intriguing. All homemade methods use soap primarily
a few comments. First of all, just because it looks porous doesn't mean it needs plaster or anything like that. Decades of experience, as well as the fact that it is used for facades, indicate the opposite. The second is about fasteners. A typical concrete dowel can withstand more than 100 kg. A piece of plywood with two diagonally driven nails can also withstand more than 100 kg. Belinda also didn’t say that the blocks come in different densities. Well, about the shortcomings. The main one is that the block arrives wet and dries already in the structure. This delays construction. Where I live, they usually build the box in the first summer, then it sits for the winter and the finishing is done the next year.
As a home designer I would definitely use/recommend this product to my clients.
Some of this stuff washes up on beaches near where I live. I use it for back-fill in landscaping. Its light weight makes moving it uphill less tortuous than stone blocks or even bags of gravel.
I appreciate all your videos.. Especially debunking the hype!!!! Keep it up!!
This has been a very informative episode. Thanks for highlighting the Hebel product.
I'm always interested in seeing new products introduced to my industry/trade.
I'd be interested in seeing what types of waterproofing are actually applied (beyond stucco or the old fashioned EFIS coatings)
If an 8" (200mm) block rates R-50 that seems 6.5 per inch. Quite good compared to batt insulation and not too far off from foam like XPS.
I do have to point out that most conventional concrete is going to have a compressive strength of 3,000 psi or higher.
Perhaps you are showing a figure for gypcrete, that is more often used for floor leveling than structural work??
Your FLIR camera is going to be helpful as you renovate your new home. It's sure to point out ducts, windows or weatherstripping that will cause condensation in a cooling climate like Dallas.
Thanks again for bringing your perspective and integrity to share on TH-cam.
Now *that* was a run-down. Very obviously researched in depth, well done!
Have not heard of aircrete. Since you're in Dallas I hope you'll come to the Texas hemp convention in November 20 and 21st at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
I'm sure you already know about hempcrete but maybe you could do a story on hempcrete and it's viability as well as hemp insulation drywall and other construction Products.
Learned so much from your 3D printing video! And from the tiny home video! You're very knowledgeable I'm glad I found your Channel!
excellent video on using Aircrete Belinda; it just makes sense to use it in the construction industry.
You are just amazing. Every single video.
One thing that can be fun with the Flir camera is to look for thermal breaks from the inside of your house to the outside. If you have poor insulation, you can use it as a stud finder on a hot day.
Thought about getting that camera & some negative reviews scared me off - I would love a longer video on it.
Thank-you for your perspective on this material, I am a total home-loss wildfire survivor & we are going through the process of figuring out how we can rebuild in a way that acknowledges wildfire as a neighbor who will inevitably come through again at some point.
Do you have any thoughts about SCIPs (Structurally Insulated Concrete Panels)? I'd love to see a video about SCIPs, and one on your thoughts about Appendix Q (the tiny house building code, it was recently adopted in California) - we want to rebuild a 400 square foot house on a foundation after our tiny houses on wheels were lost in the fire & we're cautiously optimistic about the changes that seem to actually put it within reach in our county, which otherwise has a very strict, expensive, and burdensome permit process. Thanks again, great content.
Belinda, very interesting topic. It would be nice to see a more across-the-trades look at installation, finishing, and remodeling. Thanks for the channel.
Here in Ireland they use similar blocks for the bottom course of blocks on both sides of a cavity wall. It's to stop heat transfer from the ground into the slab/wall. I just had a garage built that way and it has been amazing at retaining heat. Though the 150mm thick cavity insulation probably helps too...
This was brilliant Belinda. thank you
Do most U.S. building codes allow them as the primary structural component? I was under the impression they can only be used as infill in walls that have frame members.
Excellent presentation. I hope AC products receive more support from our building communities.
Thanks, Great video, Why is the U.S so slow on a great idea.
You are awesome. I will be studying you thoroughly. I am a leading research scientist with a lot of 'pull'. You open my eyes to new ideas.🤗🖖😂❤️jpk
Great video! We will eventually be building a sizable greenhouse on our property, and given its mildew and termite resistance, as well as its thermal value, I wonder if this would make a logical material choice.
Thank you so much for this video, explanation was so clear and easy to understand.
This material is normal construction materials in Romania, i worked in lots of countries but never seen it used, my house is built with it. Is very easy to build because light, good sound and termal insulation and because is light it doesn't need a heavy concrete structure
Fascinating. I was vaguely aware of this material, but didn't know it's had practical use for quite a while now. Would like to find/see examples of its use here in the UK, especially on larger developments.
it is used on larger developments. Its used on loads of new build houses.
@@barnie8282 I guess a lot of those blocks / breeze blocks are aircrete. Did see a uk gov paper on identifying RAAC - reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - especially in 60s-80s built schools. Seems to be an issue, I guess again that maybe it's often identified as just concrete and assumed to have its strength ending up being overloaded or drilled inappropriately.
In Israel we use it for more then 50 years. I remember playing with it as a kid at Construction sites bcz it was so light. Called Etung Blocks.
Is this (Ytong)? We use it almost everywhere in Europe. It is excellent for walls. You can make a concrete frame that supports the weight - like columns and joints and then build lightweight, heat and sound blocking walls from Ytong. It's fast and easy and you don't have to worry if there is support underneath the wall. Plus you can cut it in every shape you want and make decoration pieces inside and out the building.
As always, you've done an excellent job on this video. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Love watching your videos, always learn something new.
Thanks, Sean!
Another awesome product they won't sell at retail level here in rural GA. anyone know where I can buy this. They don't even say on the Hebel website. It's like it's a secret!
I am from Dominican Repúblic. In my country we built some basketball courts, metal structure, seating, bathrooms and office with aircrete.
It is soft to work, easy to cut, but unsafe on Doors, at least with tradicional methods.
I worked the electrical part and usted emt tubing
Great summary of these aerated cement products Belinda. Thanks.
Great vjdeo, to the point, great chemical detail, because it is also clearly spoken I will subscribe to learn more from you. Thanks for making it free to me.
Love your Videos.A topic that has not been discussed here is the thermal characteristics of the windows/windows frames.
What refers to Autoclaved aerated concrete, it has several drawbacks:
1. Once it get moisture inside, it keeps it for a long time. This is extremely bad for areas where temperature fluctuates around 0 degree Celsius many times per season. Generally, you need to protect it from water, which is almost impossible to achieve in the process of building in some rainy areas.
2. It is difficult to hang the cabinet on the wall of aircrete. You will need special fasteners for aerated concrete.
When we were choosing the material for our house, we were fascinated by the Papercrete. It has all the advantages of aircrete, without drawback of the latter. Would like to view your opinion about Papercrete.
You usually show us something new or unusual and I was confused because we use it a lot in Serbia and then you explained it is mostly used in Euroasia :D so it make sense :D
I have been hoping to see a video like this for a while now. One thing I would have have loved to see touched upon in the video is the efficacy the DIY aircrete methods that make it by means of mixing concrete with a foaming agent such as dish soap. Given this can theoretically be made on site it may in some circumstances have more benefits than premade blocks.
Foamed Crete is not as strong (unless you add fibers). It *will* crack. It's hard to get the recipe just right. But... much cheaper, no shipping
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