Ya' know Kim,
You could put the matter to test quite simply. Build a six bale yard bench
and wait and see.
Construction in winter might also address the humidity issue in the
presence
of open bales.
If all else fails, there's still conventional thick-wall or
dual-wallconstruction, high R insullation and radiant barriers.
Todd Swearingen
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim & Garth Travis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 9:39 AM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Creating a cool room storage in a hot climate
> Greetings Doug,
>
> Actually, unless you are rich and can afford a large construction crew,
> your bales are going to get wet during construction, so knowing how
they
> will react is important. A water proof covering that does not breath
will
> rot bales faster than leaving them outside due to condensation. There
is
> no way in an extremely humid climate to get real dry bales, they are
going
> to have a fairly high humidity. Seal them in and let the weather
happen,
> and temperature dropping 40degrees F in 10 minutes are not unusual as a
> blue northern blows in, and you have a major condensation problem in
your
> wall. Considering that I have watched fire ants eat through concrete,
I
do
> not believe that it is possible to seal the critters out of any wall,
> eventually they will be in your bale wall.
>
> I make it a habit to test materials in the harshest kind of tests
before I
> build with them. I want to know how much damage the weather can do to
> them. I have been hit once already by a tornado, winds of 130 mph have
> happened more than once. Buildings do get damaged in storms, it takes
time
> to repair the damage, especially since the living must be cared for
> first. If the trees and plants need attention or if the shelters for
the
> animals need attention, that must be done before the house.
>
> In an ideal world you may be able to keep your bales perfect, but I
don't
> live there.
>
> Bright Blessings,
> Kim
>
> At 04:24 PM 9/12/2004, you wrote:
> >But straw bale building relies on the straw being encased in a
> >water/vermin-proof wrap. Leaving a bale outside I think, is not a
valid
test.
> >
> >regards Doug
>
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