GSBN:Fwd: [Fwd: Fire Damage]

[Huff and Puff Constructions huffnpuff@...]

****** Forwarded Message Follows *******
>To: strawbale@...
>From: Huff and Puff Constructions huffnpuff@...
>Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 21:19:00 +1000
>


>
>
>G"Day Strawbalers
>
>Here is a further update on the fire at Whyalla.  Lance Kairl is a straw 
>bale builder based in South Australia and has done some great straw bale 
>buildings.
>
>If any of you have some ideas please let Lance know:
>
>Lance is on:	sabale@...
>
>  My two bobs worth would have been to have left the render alone and 
>not touch it after the fire but to have cooled the external render down 
>with water.  However having not been there I do not know how much damage 
>was done to the render before the fire services got there.  As the New 
>Mexico fire test showed the charred portion of the bales acted as a 
>barrier/sealer to the rest of the fire penetraing further into the bales 
> ie a 2" wall of charcoal.
>
>So if the walls could have been cooled down before any render was broken 
>off then........??  Always 20 20 vision in hindsight.  As for the repair 
>job:
>
>Water damage; Whyalla has little or no rain so the bales should dry out 
>in time and the hot weather we have had should speed that up.  So I 
>would wait a while before any one agrees to the Insurance mob's request 
>to replace all water damaged bales.  Again I am not on the scene so I 
>can only summise.
>
>As for repairing the smoke damaged render well I do not know but surely 
>we could use something a little more friendly such as a breathable 
>substance such as Grimes's water repellant?  The areas that need re 
>rendering well here I would go with an earthen render but then we would 
>have to match the rest of the building which has a great colour to it 
>from the original render.
>
>Anyhow to those that responded to the first news about this attempt to 
>burn down the Buddhist SB here is a first hand report.  IMHO SB has won 
>out here as any other building would have surely burnt to the ground.  
>However I am pretty one eyed about these things as you all well know.
>
>Kind regards The Straw Wolf
>http://strawbale.archinet.com.au
>61 2 4465 1624
>
>
>Return-Path: sabale@...
>Received: from dove.mtx.net.au (dove.mtx.net.au [203.15.24.1])
>	by python.shoal.net.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id WAA61090
>	for huffnpuff@...; Sat, 11 Mar 2000 22:26:12 +1100 (EST)
>	(envelope-from sabale@dove.net.au)
>From: sabale@...
>Received: from dove.net.au (wwwmail.mtx.net.au [203.15.24.33])
>	by dove.mtx.net.au (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id VAA36745;
>	Sat, 11 Mar 2000 21:59:04 +1030 (CST)
>Sender: sabale@...
>Reply-to: sabale@...
>To: huffnpuff@...,  strawbalia@...
>Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 11:58:50 +830
>Subject: Fire Dammage
>X-Mailer: DMailWeb Web to Mail Gateway 2.4b, http://netwinsite.com/top_mail.htm

>Message-id: 38ca34fa.7853.0@...
>X-User-Info: 203.15.24.37
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>X-UIDL: 009655f21d1a20fe8b29b15a8989c578
>X-Mozilla-Status: 0005
>
>  John , have posted this message to a Stawbale users Group,
>  The extent of (lack of )damage to the building has NOT impressed some, and

>has ( impressed ) others. In This instance there was more dammage done by WATER/

>Fire Services than by fire.
> Perhaps we need to devise an efective technique for extingurishing smoldering

>within a bale wall?
>
>
> Arson attack on the Strawbale Budhist Temple at Whyalla on Tuesday 7/3/00.

>
>
> A stack of jarrah flooring provided a large ammount of fuel,
> The resulting heat generated from this ment that fire tranfered thru the render

>into the wall cavity.
> As The fire test info states the direction of travel was along Joins in bales

>and up and down the joins.Some damage to render on the top of the bale wall

>when fixing roof sheets may have created a chimney effect within the wall.
Air
>getting in from 
> fine cracks in render, at wall floor junction and window  / door junctions

>fueled the smoldering within the wall.
>
>Most air entering the wall was obviously from under the timber 
> bottom plate , as smoldering burnt DOWN ( yes Down as well as up  in the wall)

>much to amazement of Fire Services. In two places top timbers of bottom plate

>was burnt thru , dinner plate size holes.
>
> Insurance Loss Adjuster was concerned about the ammount of water poured into

>the wall , and his enquiries suggested that 
> the wet straw may Spontaniously Combust, in a day, week, month.
> Not an risk they ( THe insurer ) wanted to take however small.
>
> the Decission; remove all of the damaged / wet SBwall and rebuild. Wall section

>involved 6ml x 4mh .
>
> The questions I have are to do with;
>      There has been masive smoke dammage, staining inside and 
>   outside render, Loss Adjuster wants to paint a Stop Stain Sealer on walls

>, then possiably re-render with thin colour coat.
>   The Temple was built on an Eco City site , with a high earth friendly bias.

>
> Is there a Earth friendly stop stain product?
> If so is it Breathable, as both int. / ext . need to be done?
> Are any of the Chemical sealers Breathable?
>
> A good OLD tradesman ( plasterer) suggested a mix of 1:1
> fresh green cow manure and cement as a wash on wall just prior
> to re- rendering, I believe it works , is there any confirmation of this out

>There, as its not me who needs convincing?
>
> The other Question relates to creating an expansion joint
> where the new and old renders will meet when we replace the 
> dammaged wall section; Again Loss Adjuster is going for the Technical Fix
,
>a two pack  product, can any one suggest a good 
> low tec solution to this problem?
>
> If you have any pearls of wisdom out there feel free to suggest them.
>
> Thanks Lance Kairl. House of Bales.
>
> 
>
> 
>    
> 
>
>
>
>
>