[Cob] Floor Insulation

[Shody Ryon]

Thanks for sharing what it is and that you would have increased it if you were to do it again.
XPS (store bought underground rigid insulation, correct me if I have this wrong) With an R value of 3.6 to 5.4 per inch and I am assuming the floor system is the primary heating system next located next to a membrane, gravel next to the earth which, I am assuming, tends to be 20 degrees F cooler than what you want in the house, could easily use R 30 and justify the one time expense of the insulation. I am throwing numbers around also with little justification, but this what I think in absence of more complete info. Given more numbers, I do not know enough to modify this post, so this is very unprofessional, it is just my uneducated opinion. Part of the justification of the expense usually is the elimination of a central heating and cooling system with the substitution of portable area heaters, and they make efficient portable AC units too, that can be vented in reverse to be heat pumps that will heat at about 4.5 times as efficient as electric resistance
 heaters, but only down to some unknown temperature that I assume is around 40 F.

I love warm floors, but in a super insulated house everything is about the same temp, so the floors would only be about 65-70 degrees, the same as they would be if they were not warmed and just insulated well. We are back to square one. Now what? Perhaps cob is not super insulated and we are back to heating the floor?
Shody 


--- On Fri, 2/6/09, Dulane <silkworm at spiderhollow.com> wrote:

> From: Dulane <silkworm at spiderhollow.com>
> Subject: Re: [Cob] Floor Insulation
> To: coblist at deatech.com
> Date: Friday, February 6, 2009, 2:51 AM
> Sorry for my error. The insulation was just 1 in thick.
> 
>  
> 
> Dulane