[Fwd: Re: Cob: Stewing. Long.]

[Darel Henman]

Information intended for group as well. Forwarding.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Cob: Stewing.  Long.
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 2003 23:34:58 -0600
From: Miranda <miranda at clearlightsoap.com>
To: Darel Henman <henman at it.to-be.co.jp>
References: <5.1.0.14.0.20030106205814.00a51b60 at pop.mail.yahoo.com>

Gosh, thanks Darel!

When the summer gets to be really hot, like late July, August,
September, 
(can start earlier and go longer in some years) the nighttimes don't 
usually cool down much more than 80-90 degrees.

I am living in a regular house right now, like a normal American, so I'm 
not doing any rainwater collection at all.  There is city water where I 
live, but no sewer.

The house I'm in now has central air and heat.  Last summer, I did very 
well by not using it until later in the season, and later in the day. 
I'd 
open and close doors and windows and blinds selectively through the day, 
and when it got completely hot in the late afternoon, I'd finally close 
everything and turn on the air for 4 hours.

Sleeping on a cold waterbed is also nice!

I think a better-built house, with more earth and insulation would allow
me 
to use air conditioning even less.  Charmaine just wrote and suggested I 
use fidobe, mix paper with my caliche.

I know about composting toilets, and am willing to create some, but as
far 
as I know, the rules about septic are firm here.  We're in an aquifer 
recharge zone, or near one, anyway.  I don't agree with the rules, but 
can't afford the fines.

Fortunatly, those are the only rules I have to worry about!  No building 
codes out here.

Thank you for your other thoughts!  They are useful.

Miranda



At 02:33 PM 1/7/2003 +0900, you wrote:


>Miranda wrote:
> >
> >  A mild summer is 100 degrees for a couple of months; a hotter one can
> > get over 110 and stay there for a long time.
>
>What are the daily low temperatures compared to the hottest part of the
>day, 100 F you gave?
>
> > We can have droughts that last all summer long, with no rainfall
> > whatsoever  (I believe the song, Not a Drop of Rain, was written here), or
> > we can have a couple of months of rain several times every week, with
> > rivers flooding and washing away some structures.
>How have you managed so far?   Are you harvesting the rain?
>
> > There are juniper trees and scrub oak all over my acre, with some
> > clearings.  Septic tanks are required here, and I'm looking at about
> > $10,000 to install one, no way around that.
>I'd recommend looking into compost toilets, even California allows them
>to some degree. This kind of toilet would also save you about 300
>gallons (guesstimate) a month of potable water.
>I know some people in Texas use them as well, but don't know about
>permits.  If you could use it you'd save all way round and have some
>good product from it for your vegetation.
>
> > Whatever I use, cob or earthbags or anything, it's going to have to get
> > lifted up high, once I build above my own reach.
>Build a one story, use those rigs like painters use to walk on along the
>wall at about 4' high or so and no problem.
>
> > Earthbags are commonly placed on the wall and then filled, with one person
> > handing soil up and another perched on the wall filling the bag.  If I can
> > pulley a 5 gallon bucket up to the wall, that almost sounds easier than
> > lifting cob, which is exactly the same, only filled with water, much 
> heavier.
>Build a conveyor belt type transport, it can hold as little or much as
>you want.
>
> > Or maybe not.  I really have not decided.
>Consider light-clay or wood-chip clay?  What about compressed earth
>brick/blocks (C.E.B.)?
>
> > Cob is cheaper;
>Not if you count time.
> > you don't have to buy the bags or the barbed wire to go between the 
> courses.
>Shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.
>
> > With strawbale, you have to buy the bales.
>Or if you asked some farmer, he might give you some.
>
> > Many of the
> > roads around here are made with caliche (we say co-LEE-chee, what do you
> > say?)
>A hard subsoil encrusted with calcium-carbonate.  Used in Texas as a
>home building material as well.
>See the "caliche" section in here:
>     http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/EarthMaterials.html
>
>Darel
>
>
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