<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0cm;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-AU link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Greetings all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>My experience when people are talking about very dense bales it “export Bales” they are talking about.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>These are highly compressed some ending up as small as 450mm x 350mm x 200mm with a weight of 12kg.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Giving a total m3 weight of around 380kg. and strapped with steel or polly straps.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>These bales will perform more like timber , perhaps a lower R value.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>But due to their weight will have increased mass as well as thermal mass.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>As 3 or more standard small square bales are compressed into the space of one,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>They become a 2 person lift, along with the additional overall Wall weight this has an impact on footing design.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Garden mulch bales less than 100 kg / m3 may well have a reduced R value , along with other issued if used in construction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Construction grade bales around the 115 /120 kg per m3 will achieve great performance , as shown by any existing R value testing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Export grade bales of over 350 ( even 200 kg ) per m3 may not ( I suggest will not) show any increased R value , but only add to construction costs.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>While the abo does not add any information about testing the idea, to me it does add to the greater discussion of<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>R5-6 as a standard ( construction grade) bale produced on farm, as to making more work / inputs into product ( bales ) for perceived minor gain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Regards Lance Kairl<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>House of Bales<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Ausbale member.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Gsbn [mailto:gsbn-bounces@sustainablesources.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Swearingen<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, 5 October 2016 6:17 AM<br><b>To:</b> Global Straw Building Network <gsbn@sustainablesources.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [GSBN] Maximum Density for straw insulation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>I would agree...I've never seen evidence of crushed straw in our industrial-strength 3-string bales. Softer bales would allow more air-exchange and convection, reducing the effectiveness as insulation--but I think the differences will be small.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>John "I might be dense, but I'm still soft" Swearingen<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Tue, Oct 4, 2016 at 4:41 AM Rene Dalmeijer <<a href="mailto:rene.dalmeijer@hetnet.nl">rene.dalmeijer@hetnet.nl</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><p class=MsoNormal>Rikki,<br><br>I see nobody is reacting to your mail. I have not been doing any testing myself but as far as I have been able to determine on the tests I have seen, it is almost impossible to compress strawbales sufficiently to decrease the effective insulation value. One of the reasons for this is that in thicker samples some convection takes place in the cavity with open cell insulation like straw bales. This means in many cases increasing the density improves the effective insulation value to some extent. As far as I am aware how much variation has not been determined conclusively as there are too many variables influencing insulation values for hole wall systems. What I dare to venture to say this variation is not significant given a building grade 115kg/m3 straw bale giving an R Value of 5-6 (metric, 28-34 imperial) for the finished wall. (but as you know this is debatable)<br><br>Snug in some warm bales (R 5-6) in the reclaimed swamp at the mouth of the Rhine<br>Rene Dalmeijer<br><br>On Sep 13, 2016, at 12:10, Rikki Nitzkin wrote:<br>Garden <br>> Hi everyone,<br>><br>> Recently returned from our national gathering, I have a question about thermal transmission testing….<br>><br>> There was a debate going on at our event about what is the “best” density for a bale, referring to insulation (not structural) is.<br>><br>> Some people were under the impression that “the denser the better” and others that an “overly” dense bale will insulate less, as the fibers of straw would be crushed and retain less air - therefore insulating less.<br>><br>> Has anyone tested this? Is there data anywhere on what the Maximum or Minimum Density would be for best insulation?<br>><br>> thanks, Rikki<br>><br>><br>> Rikki Nitzkin<br>> Strawbale Building and Clay Plaster:<br>> education, consulting, and building<br>> <a href="http://www.rikkinitzkin.worpress.com" target="_blank">www.rikkinitzkin.worpress.com</a><br>> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TallerConCo" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/TallerConCo</a><br>><br>> <a href="mailto:tallerconco@gmail.com" target="_blank">tallerconco@gmail.com</a><br>> (+ 34) 657 335 162<br>> (+ 34) 974 032 950<br>> <PastedGraphic-3.tiff><br>><br>> Coordinator & Professional Member of:<br>><br>> <PastedGraphic-7.tiff><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Gsbn mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:Gsbn@sustainablesources.com" target="_blank">Gsbn@sustainablesources.com</a><br>> <a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn" target="_blank">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn</a><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Gsbn mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Gsbn@sustainablesources.com" target="_blank">Gsbn@sustainablesources.com</a><br><a href="http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn" target="_blank">http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div>
<br /><br />
<hr style='border:none; color:#909090; background-color:#B0B0B0; height: 1px; width: 99%;' />
<table style='border-collapse:collapse;border:none;'>
<tr>
<td style='border:none;padding:0px 15px 0px 8px'>
<a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus">
<img border=0 src="http://static.avast.com/emails/avast-mail-stamp.png" alt="Avast logo" />
</a>
</td>
<td>
<p style='color:#3d4d5a; font-family:"Calibri","Verdana","Arial","Helvetica"; font-size:12pt;'>
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
<br><a href="https://www.avast.com/antivirus">www.avast.com</a>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
</body></html>