Daniel's Bootcamp Journey

Coydon Wallham wrote:
Wood is roughly 1R per inch so you'd be adding around a third of an R to the insulation, but if it is tongue and groove airtightish, I'd guess you'll gain a bit more with a slight pocket between the wood and the paper...?

Thank you for this information! It is very helpful. The wood won't be airtight but the layer of craft paper will ideally slow the convective loss of heat.

Yeah, the kraft paper is there to keep air from blowing through the wall.  It's a natural version of the plastic used on normal construction.  Insulation doesn't work well if the air is being pushed by wind, or the stack effect, through the wall.  It just takes the heat out with it.

So the 3/8ths inch boards are functionally to hold the paper and insulation in place and protect them.  It also gives you something solid to bump into with your shoulders or to mount stuff to.  And it's pretty.  Its insulation properties are negligible compared to the rockwool behind it.

Thank you for clarifying all of that Mike.

BRK 14:

Me and Grey have been working on overhauling the rocket mass heater in the red cabin. We are replacing the barrel for a larger one, but we are not replacing the smaller riser barrel that it is sitting on top of. In order to accommodate the larger barrel, we started by removing the sand that filled the box above the burn tunnel. Then we surrounded the riser with a rock and cob wall to support the new barrel. Stephen and Caleb stepped in today to cut the lower barrel with a plasma torch to create a channel so that air does not slow down or stagnate where the larger barrel will overlap the smaller one. Tomorrow me and Grey will mix some more cob so that we can place the new barrel on and seal it in.

BRK 15:

We started the day by mixing cob and then using it to put the finishing touches on the rocket mass heater in the red cabin. After sealing in the barrel we are allowing it to slow dry for a day or so before firing up the rmh to prevent cracking in the cob.

After we finished up with the rmh, me and Grey carved 4 more logs to be used as solar light posts. These will be placed by the entrance to the classroom just in time for the garden master course which begins on Sunday. Then I spent the whole afternoon on firewood duty, stocking the shop/classroom, love shack, and the bun warmer in preparation for next week's events.