Cob: Thermal Mass

[Buckaroo]

Chandra,
   I do not think it has less than mass than a cob wall or other massive 
wall, I know it.  Finding out how much you have is very essay to 
calculate.  All you need is the thermal characteristics of the plaster 
and other materials along with their volume and densities and you have it.  

I have lived without a/c to.    

But the point is you can not, get a thermal lag for months, weeks, or 
even over a day with a low mass house.   A thin plaster on lath is not 
going to have much more mass than drywall.  It may perform better.   
 But probably not if you painted it.

Opening the house and cooling the inside air and materials as much as 
possible, could give you a little lag, probably until about noon.   From 
10:00 to 14:00 the sun's energy can overcome any little mass sink, and 
keep getting the house warmer.   It will then take the house several 
hours after sunset to get down to a more comfortable value.    

To try to store energy or sink energy for a three month lag, is not 
possible.   So I'm saying it is no point in heating the house up over 
normal for a few months in hopes that it will carry you over the winter 
or even well into it.   The reverse as well for summer.

Now if you have a nice big basement, you have added other 
considerations, which you did not mention.   I am discussing a low  mass 
house as you described.   Basements were popular in Kansas, as I recall 
from that tale Dorothy told me about an adventure she once had with her 
pet dog.

I admire your attitude about what temperatures are proper for what 
season.   Someone wrote somewhere that it's amazing that the human body 
has evolved a wonderful system to keep us going is various temperature 
times, and now modern people try desperately to live in only one 
temperate zone all year round.     It's easy to think that remaining at 
the same temperature all year round is not good for the human race in 
the long run.

Darel
-----------------------------------------------
Chandra Shakti wrote:

> Y'all must think that old lath and plaster homes have a lot less 
> thermal mass than my experience leads me to believe. I have lived 
> several Kansas summers in such homes without any air conditioning but 
> following my suggested strategy and have NOT been uncomfortable - 
> except when I go into grocery stores and other businesses which they 
> keep TOO cold. (yes, 65 or even 70 degrees is crazy during the 
> summer!) -Chandra
>