Cob: use wood ash /pumice to insulate

[Charmaine R Taylor]

To be really green you could do what  solar expert Barbara Kerr and
others at Aprovecho Research  learned to do: use wood ash as the
insulating  element between walls of their metal can rocket stoves.  I
make these little rocket stoves stoves too, and  ash from the fireplace
"steals" the least amount of heat from the cook fire flames, and is
therefore a great solution., but getting enough of it is a problem.  .

In fact cob is so labor intensive, that building a reg. cob wall first,
then laying long sacks ( ala' earthbags full of wood ash or pumice
scoria-(not free) against the poustside wall, with a  1-2" thick cob
plaster over it could give advantage.

WHy anyone would want any kind of EPS foam in a  natural cob wall.?

Kelly hart of twin earthbag dome "fame: filled his earthbags not with
earth, but with scoria, and can keep his house warm down to 0 deg.
without buring fuel in the fireplace!!   Pumice filled bags may prove a
solution encircling the outside, sort of a combo bag/cob hybrid.  He is
in cold N. CO sso he planned ahead to not have a high mass house to heat
& keep warm.

Charmaine  Taylor/ Taylor Publishing
http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com
http://www.papercrete.com