Cob: Re: Insulating in cold climates

[Bill Hunt]

Hi Julie- That's an interesting idea.  It would take a great deal of fleece
to insulate a house.  Do you have large volumes available to you?  One
thing that would complicate using it with cob is that generally you are
better off with most of your thermal mass (such as cob) inside of the
insulation, so it can store heat from passive solar, or any other heat
source.  If the fleece is outside of the cob, then it needs some type of
framework to hold it there, and a weather protective layer.   Perhaps a
layer of fleece could be "stitched" to the cob wall with twine, with a
layer of burlap or something similar on the exterior, then a layer of earth
plaster.   You'd want good overhangs to protect the fleece from getting
wet, sort of like strawbale detailing. {I don't see why you couldn't
insulate cob with blown cellulose insulation  (which is primarily recycled
newspapers, with some mineral fire retardants) , for that matter. Has
anyone insulated cob on the exterior? Interior?}  Maintaining a thick,
fairly even layer of fleece would be the trick.   Sounds like a nice, thick
wool house-sweater ;-). 
Cheers- Bill

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> From: Julie Newhook <julie.newhook at nf.sympatico.ca>
> To: Coblist <coblist at deatech.com>
> Subject: Cob: Insulating in cold climates
> Date: Sunday, June 18, 2000 2:10 PM
> 
> Hi.  I live in Canada too.  What's everyone's feelings about insulating
> with sheep fleece? (presuming you can aquire it at a decent price).  How
> would one go about incorporating sheep fleece insulation into a cobhouse
> design? Would you need to go as far as an inner and outer wall?
> 
> Julie
>