Re: SB: Re: Bales in Floor: Thanks

["Robert W. Tom" <archilogic@yahoo.ca>]

12/20/01 9:29:36 AM, Kimber & Elizabeth Janney <kivaconstruction@mindspring.com> wrote:

>We used a 6" layer of a cob/pumice mixture underneath our radiant adobe
>floor. Pretty hard to put an R value to it but it seems to be working well.
[snip]

Kimber & Elizabeth;

R-0.9 per inch would be a very optimistic R-value for the 
cob/ pumice mixture, or R-5.4 for 6 inches of  the stuff 
(ie a little better than one inch of XPS or 1.5" of EPS.)

This would be based on an assumption of a 50/50
mixture of the lightest density (and best insulating) 
pumice possible (20 lbs/cu ft) and a straw/clay mixture
which does not exceed a density of 70 lbs per cubic foot.

In reality though, I suspect that the density of both
would be higher, and consequently, the insulating value 
would be lower . 

Further, I suspect that there would be a greater proportion 
of straw/clay in the mix, further lowering the R-value. 

And if moisture were present in the insulating layer,
(quite likely unless a moisture barrier were installed beneath
the insulating layer) one could expect a further drop in R-value.

A less optimistic and more realistic value might be closer
to R-0.5 per inch.

--- * ---
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
<ChaffArchiLogic@yahoo.ca>
(winnow the "chaff" spamguard from my edress in your reply)

Please visit http://www.theHungerSite.com daily



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