The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-11-12
shavnss
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Of the building. The rotting and the
consequent heating cause the sawdust
to settle and leave open spaces which
further weakens the insulation. When
sawdust is to be employed 1t should be
thoroughly dried before use.
There are several makes of com
mercial insulators that are a great
deal better than either shavings or
sawdust and are cheaper in the end,
but their initial cost is somewhat
greater. They are nearly uniform in
their insulating value, and moisture
has but little effect upon them. They
are practically fireproof, occupy but
little space, and will retain their eff
cheney indefinitely. To get the best
results, however, they should be in
stalled by experienced men.
Drainage.
Provision should be made for thor
ough drainage In houses that have
the floor below the level of the ground,
sufficient drainage usually can be OBJ
tanned through the soil, especially IL
the soil is porous. 1t may be neces-
sary, however, with clay soil, to ex-
cinders or gravel, and to place a g.
inch porous tile under the floor. This
drain should be properly trapped or
sealed to prevent warm air from enter
ing the building through the floor. In
place of the tile satisfactory drain
mn hn cff AZ Cd IN, I,ox
a ground floor by digging a ditch un-
| der the floor of the house and filing
the ditch with broken stone or gravel,
we'll packed into place. This drain
| should be led out with sufficient fall
to carry away the water.
All floors should be sloped down
ward toward the center of the room
to prevent the ice from falling against
the walls of the building and in houses
having water-tight floors to carry the
water to the drain.
| Ventilation.
There is bound to be more or less
melting of ice, no matter what the
| construction of the building may be,
and this will cause moisture to settle
on the walls and ceiling of the room.
| II the building is of wood construction
| the moisture is absorbed by the wood,
and rot and decay follow. Therefore
wooden houses should be provided
with means of ventilation which can
be controlled at will. The ceiling OF
such houses should be sloped up to
| the center In order to assist the circu.
lation and carry the warm, moisture
laden air to the ventilator. In those
| houses In which some form of COM
| mercial insulation Is used that will
take cement finish on the interior
| no ventilation is considered necessary.
| The building should be so constructed
that there will be circulation Of air
through the outer walls and at the
caves to. the ventilator on the roof
as these air currents tend to break
up the heat radiation through the
walls and roof.
Waterproofing.
| 1t is of the utmost Importance that
brick, concrete, and wooden buildings
| be waterproofed. Brick and concrete
work may be rendered waterproof by
painting the outside of the wall with
white lead and oil or by coating the
walls with a preparation of paraffin
or asphalt, or by some of the patented
compounds. The preparation contain
ing paraftin or asphalt should be ap
piled hot. and the walls should also
be heated previously tc application.
There are on the market several wa
ter-excluding paints and compounds
for preserving wood. Creosote is con
sidered one Of the best preservatives
provided the wood is thoroughly i'm
pregnated with 1t, but on account Of
it's odor it should not be used in
houses where food products are
stored
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