Mud bricks offer inexpensive building materials. With the harsh economic times, most people are going through, they are slowly being embraced by those looking for durable structures without the need to spend too much money on achieving what they wish to achieve. The mud bricks are used in different kinds of structures including areas of worship and work, monuments, agricultural building, and even residential areas to serve different needs. They have plenty of advantages, but here are some of the facts you probably never knew about soil blocks.
The Health Factor
The Earth has a way of regulating house climate and since the compressed mud bricks are not fired, they offer unique moisture regulation as well as heat accumulation properties. They are properties preserved in the bricks with your walls absorbing moisture in wet weather and giving it back when it is dry. The bulkiness of the blocks makes it possible for them to store heat amazingly well and give it off thus lessening temperature fluctuations. They are good for health since they do not emit any hazardous substances such as gasses to the atmosphere and can actually neutralize cigarette smoke. Earth houses tend to offer fresher breathing air which is good for people with airway issues.
Production Process
Compressed mud bricks rely on a mobile compressing machine in production. The machine has the ability to produce the blocks on a large scale to cater to larger construction projects and this can actually be done on site if the ground has the needed soil quality for the production. The topsoil which is fertile will in most cases be moved aside to allow the underlayer which is clay retaining to dry under the sun and the wind before pulverizing is done. Mixing and moistening depend on clay proportions. Then this mixture is fed to the compressing machine for the making of uniform earth blocks. The blocks are then allowed time to dry before they are ready for use in construction.
The Environment and Sustainability
Most areas have clay, sand and silt present in a natural form up to 30 centimeters under the top layer which is the fertile layer of the soil. This makes it possible for local extraction and the soil can also be dug from building excavations or got as a by-product of waterway and road projects. It is for this reason that the bricks are inexpensive since the soil is readily available. During the production process, earth properties are not damaged in any way; hence the soil can still be used without limits. This is especially possible if the same earth serves as mortar and plaster for the structures. Any painting of the bricks using natural breathing paint will also make it reusable in the environment without any worries. There is actually no need for the soil bricks to be processed before they can return to the ecological system. This is something that cannot be said for most other building materials.