[Cob] thick walls etc

[Dean Sherwin]

At 03:00 PM 12/22/2008, Shody Ryon  wrote:
>I think the thermal attic system is the most energy efficient
>http://thermalattic.com/
>system and it can be built at a very low cost. The site is
>new, so it doesn't show all the ways to use it yet. Perhaps
>you can use this info some how. The attic should have its own
>insulation envelope separate from the living space, but if you
>can not afford it, perhaps it can be planned for and built
>over time. The attic has shelves for +- 3,000 2L soda bottles
>filled with water. I suspect 3,000 might be for a smaller house.
>
>The weight of the bottles might need to be calculated but in
>most cases it falls with in the amount a house built to code
>can hold.

Code loading for residential is usually 40 lb /SF I think  but I 
don't believe attics have any specified loading, if there were it 
might be 25 Lb/ SF  (Now we have the IRC in most parts of the country 
(USA), replacing BOCA for us & I'm not up to speed.)  Let's see, 1 L 
of water = 1 kilogram so 3,000 is 6,000kg, thats 13,200 Lb.  Only 330 
SF of floor area needed to support the load if constructed the same 
as other floors, or more likely 530 SF for attic framing, not too bad indeed.
Thanks for the ref to heated attic site.  Its uncannily similar to a 
project a local solar guy showed me, John Constanza. He used glass 
pickle jars because the client had worked in a pickle factory or 
something! Of course the diagramming of sun's angles is really 
oversimplified as usual but it gives the general idea.  Swing seasons 
are tough, I can get a lot of unwanted solar gain in the afternoon in 
late August or September even with lots of shading.


Dean Sherwin CPE
Certified Professional Estimator
LEED Accredited Professional
CONSTRUCTION COST MANAGEMENT
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