[Cob] Insulative Values of Cob & Strawclay (Frank Hanlan)

[Mike]

Frank,

Having lived in cob and worked with state of the art insulation folks in my
new home, I couldn't agree more. Cob leaches heat like it's its job (which
it is, given it operates as mass). I've seen a number of engineering
articles that suggest the operating R value is around a generous .5/inch,
IF that.  In mild climates or where you've got really hot days and cold
nights, cob seems to work decently - but once we hit 40s during the day or
on gray days, that cob cottage was COLD fast, and stayed cold... though
with a wood stove it stayed hot much of the night.  But it was NOT
insulated, and that's with a bale north side and 18" walls in "moderate"
NC.

And currents in framed cells (even with batted) DOES make a difference -
which you can address by spray foaming the joins of the framing to its
sheath.

Still curious about cob-straw.  I'm a month or two away being ready to
cob-straw my framed workshop, and very curious about how it will turn out.
 I'll keep you all in the loop.

mike

On Wed, Nov 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM, <coblist-request at deatech.com> wrote:

> Send Coblist mailing list submissions to
>        coblist at deatech.com
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>        http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>        coblist-request at deatech.com
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>        coblist-owner at deatech.com
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Coblist digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: Insulative Values of Cob & Strawclay (Frank Hanlan)
>   2. greetings from inside (Tys Sniffen)
>   3. Re: greetings from inside (Marilyn Pratt)
>   4. Re: greetings from inside (Jill Hogan)
>   5. Re: greetings from inside (Deborah Terreson)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 14:47:53 -0700
> From: Frank Hanlan <fhanlan at hotmail.com>
> To: Coblist <coblist at deatech.com>
> Subject: Re: [Cob] Insulative Values of Cob & Strawclay
> Message-ID: <BAY168-W114FFB5B802524C926333AEADD70 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> @ Sky
>
> "Cob can be either, but if you make a tight cob house, it'll outperform a
> batt-insulated house any day."  Sorry Sky, I don't agree at all and I
> strongly doubt that any energy efficient builder would either.  Energy
> efficient builders are building tight would frame houses with .5 to .9 air
> changes per hour (ach) at 50 pascals which is key together with mass to
> hold heat and moderate temperature swings.  In these houses they are
> including whole wall insulation values from R38 to R60, attics from R50 to
> R100, basement walls from R20 to R40 and under slab from R10 to R20.
>  Without insulation cob house simply cannot match the performance of these
> houses.
>
> I certainly agree with and support Christopher's & Shannon's concerns
> about R values.  I live in Edmonton, AB and in the winter we often get high
> temperatures of 0 degrees F and less with wind chills from -20F to -40F for
> days and even 1 or more weeks at a time.  The result is that any exposed
> wall or wall without thermal breaks would get cold and take a large amount
> of heat to warm up and keep warm regardless of the amount of sunshine we
> were getting.  Since we are further north we get fewer hours of sunshine
> even on sunny days.
>
> If you are looking to super insulate exterior walls and or roofs for both
> new builds and retrofits I highly recommend Larsen trusses.  Martin
> Halladay, the Energy Nerd of www.greenbuildingadvisor.com, recently did a
> great blog post on them.  see
> http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/all-about-larsen-trusses
>
> Sincerely yours,
> Frank Hanlan
>
> Edmonton, AB
>
> If you have not demonstrated that you can hear the true state of the world
> and still act then don't expect to be told the truth.
>
> Despite of the agreement in Cancun, Mexico we have still a great amount of
> work to do to ensure that global greenhouse
> emissions have peaked and started down by the end of 2015 and to keep the
> average temperature rise under 2C to stop
> widespread flooding and the displacement of 400 to 500 million people.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 19:55:06 -0700
> From: "Tys Sniffen" <tys at ideamountain.com>
> To: <coblist at deatech.com>
> Subject: [Cob] greetings from inside
> Message-ID: <006901cc990a$d438d9c0$7caa8d40$@com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"
>
> Just had to crow a bit - hello from inside our finished cob house. Only
> took
> 4 years and 8 months, the two of us working full time.  outside isn't done,
> or the patio, or the deck, or the tool shed.etc etc.  but still, we're
> sleeping inside a clean, finished house tonight!
>
>
>
> Tys
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 21:02:11 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Marilyn Pratt <marilyn.pratt at sbcglobal.net>
> To: Tys Sniffen <tys at ideamountain.com>, coblist at deatech.com
> Subject: Re: [Cob] greetings from inside
> Message-ID: <1320206531.12658.YahooMailRC at web82202.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> TYS!!!  That's FABULOUS!!!  Congratulations!
> -an excited-for-you Marilyn
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Tys Sniffen <tys at ideamountain.com>
> To: coblist at deatech.com
> Sent: Tue, November 1, 2011 7:55:06 PM
> Subject: [Cob] greetings from inside
>
> Just had to crow a bit - hello from inside our finished cob house. Only
> took
> 4 years and 8 months, the two of us working full time.  outside isn't done,
> or the patio, or the deck, or the tool shed.etc etc.  but still, we're
> sleeping inside a clean, finished house tonight!
>
>
>
> Tys
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coblist mailing list
> Coblist at deatech.com
> http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:33:59 +0200
> From: Jill Hogan <jill.hogan at mat.org.za>
> To: coblist at deatech.com
> Subject: Re: [Cob] greetings from inside
> Message-ID: <4EB11C97.8050006 at mat.org.za>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Congratulations!!!!!!!!!
> One of the happiest nights of my life was the first night I slept in my
> house, and looked up at the ceiling and thought "I did this" It was also
> an amazingly humble moment.
> Enjoy the house every moment and inch of it
> Jill Hogan
>
> On 2011/11/02 04:55 AM, Tys Sniffen wrote:
> > Just had to crow a bit - hello from inside our finished cob house. Only
> took
> > 4 years and 8 months, the two of us working full time.  outside isn't
> done,
> > or the patio, or the deck, or the tool shed.etc etc.  but still, we're
> > sleeping inside a clean, finished house tonight!
> >
> >
> >
> > Tys
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coblist mailing list
> > Coblist at deatech.com
> > http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
> >
>
>
> --
> *Jill Hogan*
> McGregor Alternative Technology Centre "MAT"
> PO Box 365
> McGregor
> 6708
>
> www.mat.org.za <http://www.mat.org.za>
> Phone: 023 625 1533
>
> Signature
>
> "Be the change you wish to see" Mohandas Ghandi
>
> If you do not wish to receive these mails, email us with unsubscribe in
> the subject. Thanks
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 2 Nov 2011 10:53:31 -0400
> From: Deborah Terreson <foodandart at comcast.net>
> To: Tys Sniffen <tys at ideamountain.com>
> Cc: coblist at deatech.com
> Subject: Re: [Cob] greetings from inside
> Message-ID: <7D34FE61-1120-4880-B1AC-5592423D33AB at comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> Well, don't be  tease.. send pictures of your cobbed glory!  :-) yes, yes,
> yes please!
>
>
> On Nov 1, 2011, at 10:55 PM, Tys Sniffen wrote:
>
> > Just had to crow a bit - hello from inside our finished cob house. Only
> took
> > 4 years and 8 months, the two of us working full time.  outside isn't
> done,
> > or the patio, or the deck, or the tool shed.etc etc.  but still, we're
> > sleeping inside a clean, finished house tonight!
> >
> >
> >
> > Tys
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coblist mailing list
> > Coblist at deatech.com
> > http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Coblist mailing list
> Coblist at deatech.com
> http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist
>
>
> End of Coblist Digest, Vol 9, Issue 127
> ***************************************
>



-- 
-------------------
"The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances."
~Atisha

"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life,
are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances
to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts,
the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor."
~Henry David Thoreau