[Cob] Tires For a Foundation? what about toxic off-gassing?

[dirtcheapbuilder-Charmaine Taylor]

I seriously doubt   vulcanized   rubber can "absorb" oil or   gasoline 
( fumes which evaporate in open air.  )     Any dirt or  oil is simply 
scrubbed off.

  what gasses does rubber ( or tires)  give off?  there is metal in 
tires, but I think you are worried about something inert.

Now, a pile of  burning tires is a whole nother thing...but  tires 
filled with stones or clay, buried?

   I stabilzed a   steep corner of my property with a really big tire, ( 
and 2 smaller ones flanking it) placed a huge stone inside and filled 
with more stone and earth.   The  forest contractor on the property 
behind me had "nipped" off the  edge of my property line with a back 
hoe, and I had to build it up before a dog fence could be put in.   the 
tires  had the top rim taken off, and  filled with a slurry of lime+ 
clay around the  smaller rocks to make a natural cement.  It's been 5 
years and  there has been no change or erosion around that area.

I have another S facing sloped area which needs to be built up,  I was 
thinking of using maybe a dozen  tires ( top rim off) lined up as a  
long "step" in the lowest part.,, again filled with rubblestone, and  
then overfilled with sandy clay. I need a low tech way to level an area 
needed for back yard use.  in earthquakes the  stone filled tires will 
ride out any movement, I can fill in with more clay-lime slurry and I 
had planned to lay a bed of slates over the entire area to create a 
passive solar mass storage area, and get a flat  useable "deck"  out f 
it too.


Charmaine Taylor Publishing
   PO Box 375 Cutten CA  95534 USA  707-441-1632
www.dirtcheapbuilder.com    www.papercrete.com


On Sep 17, 2005, at 5:23 PM, ocean wrote:

> I know why folks like to build with used tires, but I'm very concerned 
> about toxic off-gassing.  Used tires have absorbed lots of oil and 
> gasoline from the highways, which will outgas over time.  Especially 
> if we build a "tight" solar heated home, with very little ventilation.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Ocean Liff-Anderson
> _____
>