Would there be any drawbacks to this aproach. I believe a standard size square bale hase an R value of fifty. Not for sure though.
Use loose straw or bales for insulating tanks
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stee6043
Minister of Fire
Inside or outside? How far from your boiler? My first concern would be the tendency of stray to...say...burn. I wouldn't want it inside my house or anywhere near the boiler. Next would be the size it takes up. It may be R50 but you could get R50 by taking up a lot less space with fiberglass or even blow-in, spray foam or others...
my boiler is in a shed 50 ft from the house. Thinking of knocking out a wall to extend the barn to add storage. If it takes up an extra foot it's not that big of a concern. I would build a box around whatever I use to insulate with. I wouldn't think a spark would be a likely issue. One more note is I have my boiler insured for anything. I'm only thinking is the cheaper cost worth the idea.
and what other pro's and con's are there
and what other pro's and con's are there
NHFarmer
Feeling the Heat
kenny chaos
Minister of Fire
People use straw bales to build houses...they shouldn't decompose unless they get wet. Sounds interesting.
shoeboxlen
Member
what about the tendency for straw to spontaniously combust. Granted this is usually when the stuff is drying that the gases are produced. but I know from alot of local farmers that it is imparative to have ventilation for hay storage to be safe. ignore my spelling its monday morning nuff said...
Do some searches on straw bale construction. They completely cover the bales with stucco. I think that would be hard to do in an existing structure. If they aren't completely covered I think you'll have a terrible rodent problem. Straw is worse than hay for attracting rodents because is has enough grain left in it to make it a rodent house and diner.
I really doubt that straw can spontaniously combust. There can be a fire when fresh baled straw that still has some moisture in it gets packed into a barn and the tempreature makes that moisture start to "heat", decay some of the hay. It reaches high temps," composting" which could cause a fire. Otherwise straw is safe from spontanious combustion.
Really I could, (for the price of straw) replace it every year.
Really I could, (for the price of straw) replace it every year.
I bought fiberglass insulation to fill in the gaps around my tank. Home Depot has R30 unfaced rolls 25' long x 15" wide for around $9.40/roll right now. Save the slip and you'll get 30% of that back at tax time. That's pretty cheap insulation that won't burn. I got 3 rolls to tuck around the tank.
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