36" in Seattle

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

So, as per some recent posts, I poured the vermicrete for the first terrace, 8:1, hydrated about 3:1. Seemed to go pretty well, hardened up after a day or two. However, the exposed horizontal surface (I have no exposed vertical surfaces since I poured the vermicrete behind a permanent hardibacker form) is very rough-textured (of course) and quite crumbly. I would go so far as to say that much of the top layer of aggregate is totally "unstuck"; it would merely brush away if attempted.

Bear in mind as you read the following questions that the goal (the design) is to put some shallow brick walls around the terrace to form planter beds and then encase the entire structure (vertical hardibacker walls, vertical and horizontal faced brick planter walls, horizontal vermicrete planter beds) in surface bonding cement (with acrylic fortifier) then further waterproof as best as possible with various concrete sealers.

Three questions:

• Should I parge the extremely rough-textured vermicrete with some portland/sand combination before applying the SBC?
• Should I brush away the loose vermiculite aggregate before parging or applying the SBC?
• Will the SBC definitely adhere to (and support itself up) a vertical 20" hardibacker wall? It won't "fall away" from the hardibacker or fold/buckle/collapse like a ribbon under its own weight? Should I wrap the walls in expanded diamond lathe first? I have read that this shouldn't be a problem, but it is difficult to imagine a thin sheet of concrete standing up in this fashion (unless it really glues solidly to the hardibacker), it just seems like a weird concept.

Thanks.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Third and fourth curing fires, with some wood drying around the perimeter.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I have exactly one of those heaters. I used it in my basement workshop throughout the build. I've only run a workshop halogen out at the site so far, never an actual heater...although the halogen was freaking hot! Kept the inside at 70 when the outside was 30.

Thanks for the reminder that the heater is an option.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Might I suggest a small, electric heater like a cheepo under desk plastic type with 2 heat settings and small fan) since you're having humidity. You've already put your insulation on (a good thing I think) since it will start to hold and absorb heat when you get up to the 300 deg day but it could also make drying it out take longer and more change for steam expanding (a bad thing). You could set the heater on the landing blowing in for a few hours each day when you're not doing a curing fire. I've read where others did that in humid or rainy conditions. Just a thought. Cheers, dino

[fxpose]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Great job so far! This is turning out real nice!

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Well, my curing "schedule" has been shot to hell. I fired my first curing fire. Then immediately thereafter I decided to fill some brick gaps in my arch merges, so that was fresh mortar than I wanted to let sit for several days. In the intervening week Seattle got really wet, like humid, not just rain...so when I did my second fire yesterday I figured I was basically starting over from scratch...although as you saw I might do some of my curing fires as multiple smaller fires on the side of the oven. I don't want to crack the apex by putting too much heat into it and likewise I don't want to shock the sides with later hotter fires due to their not being exposed to any real heat by the earlier fires...thus the logic of curing with multiple fires around the perimeter sometimes, and one fire in the center other times.

I just fired my third curing fire right now (just came in doors as a matter of fact). I was trying desperately to get the apex up to 200F, but even with a ton of 1" pieces of wood I just couldn't do it. The paper, cardboard, and wood were smoldering badly. It was hard to get a good burn. It is soooo humid here right now, everything is just damp. I was using materials from inside the house (admittedly stored in a basement), and they just weren't bone dry.

As this "fire" was bumbling along, I started putting lots of wood in the oven around the perimeter to dry out for the next fire (this afternoon?)...but I dunno. It'll dry out, but by the time I come back to it, sitting outside all day, it might all be fog-logged again anyway. I'll have to see.

My intended schedule, to answer your question, was to do the basic 100F per day over a week (perhaps two fires a day in the earlier stages) and get up to pizza temperatures within a week of starting my curing fires. The humidity around here right now may or may not permit me to do that. It's just impossible to keep my material dry. I'll have to store in the house proper, not the basement...which is fine for paper and cardboard, but I'm not keeping wood in the house, I don't have room!

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: 36" in Seattle

That's a well insulated dome you've got going! You're going to be really pleased with the heat holding ability.
I think that slightly spreading your 1st couple of low temp curing fires is a good idea. From your reading on-line, what is your curing strategy going to be?

Curing fires! Hurray, did you ever think this day was coming last year?

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Did you have an incomplete number, or a space between brackets? Hit "edit" to check your code: I can't see it.

Go figure. There was, in fact, a space. Pure carelessness on my part. Thanks.

[dmun]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Test:



Seems to work for me. Did you have an incomplete number, or a space between brackets? Hit "edit" to check your code: I can't see it.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I thought I could embed youtube videos with {youtube}videoCode{/youtube}, replacing the curly brackets with square brackets. Why didn't it work in my post above?

[EDIT: fixed in the post above, just the seeming illogic of the presence of this post...I guess I could just delete this message, but whatever.]

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Continued from previous post.

Second curing fire. Instead of one fire in the middle, I did two fires on the side, to even things out a bit.

Cheers!

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Continued from previous post.

Photos continued in next post.

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

I poured the vermicrete for the first (of three) terraces today. This was my first time mixing vermicrete. It was as weird as everyone said it would be.

The photos show that I went ahead and inserted bolts with offset washers through the hardibacker to lock the hardibacker to the vermicrete. This is unnecessary since the hardibacker will (presumably) stick to the vermicrete, but whatever. I wanted to use nylon bolts to minimize loss of heat, but I couldn't find them over two inches. There won't be much heat loss through the bolts since they start outside several inches of InsWool HP and then a few inches of vermicrete.

I used 300 quarts (60x5 quart increments, very close to 10 cubic feet) of vermiculite mixed 8:1 with portland. I then converged after a few tries on a water mixture of about 1/3rd to the dry mix which is in close correspondance to other reports on FB.

I made the dry mix in a garbage bag the same way you coat chicken with flour (shake & bake style): Put the vermiculite and portland in the bag, twist the end closed, turn it over loosely a few times and dump it in the wheel barrow. Worked like a charm. I found that for mixing the water into the dry mix, I used a combination of a trowel and gently digging elbow deep through the wheel barrow with no tools (gotta love those long masonry gloves). This was by far the most effective way to get the wet mix evenly yet gently mixed up.

I made two videos of mixing the vermicrete:
YouTube - mixingVermicrete1

YouTube - mixingVermicrete2


Photos continued in next post.

Cheers!

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: 36" in Seattle

hey keb,,,
I put my ashes in a metal pail if they are hot.... I also have 2 holes in they yard where i am digging out tree stumps that i didnt finish before the winter and i dump them in there, Yes they are "ashholes" After a few fires the space between your bricks will fill up quickly so i wouldnt worry about the insblock....

There are also video's on youtube telling you how you can make lye soap with the ashes, You will need rain water or softwater, I am collecting rainwater in a plastic 55 gal drum and will make some lye in the spring.. I hear that stuff can be very caustic though...

I also put some in the garden and compost pile.. and since were having the snow out here now many people recommend it for putting on sidewalks for a non slip on ice,,

Heres a link to a thread, I also asked this question a few months ago

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f30/...shes-8169.html

P.S. I like your peels

Cheers
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: 36" in Seattle

Thanks. The first thing I need to do with my ash is thoroughly rake it over the floor of the oven to fill up the cracks. I'm a little nervous about exposing the InsBlock 19 to a cooking area, but I fully expect to have the cracks filled from the curing fires before I put any food in there...nevertheless...