I am still (or rather returning to) the fire retardant issue. I just got a permit for an adobe house with the north wall being 2 x 10 frame with insulation. I want to present my case to the code enforcement department (CID here in NM) that papercrete treated in some way to be flame retardant would be as good as or better than the insulation they currently approve. I will slip form the papercrete insulation between the 2 x 10s. The adobe code says insulation should be approved or alternatives will be considered for approval. I notice the recipe you gave me back in Sept is for a solution to be soaked into the surface of the material. Do you think there would be an advantage to adding the borax and boric acid to the mix? I would add it to the water and dissolve it completely before adding the paper. In that case, would I multiply the ingredients to use with 200 gal water? That would require a lot of the chemicals (112 lbs borax and 48 lbs boric acid. Maybe my math or reasoning is off). I also would use pumice fines, probably equal to the amount of paper, to bring up the mineral content without having to use any portland. Once I decide on the best flame retardant and method of application I'll make some samples, make an appointment and plead my case. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for your very understandable answer to my former email. Judith
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
From: recyclist@humboldt1.com
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:26:08 -0700
Subject: Re: [papercreters] fireproofing papercrete
I have tested a similar solution as described below and it worked great.
Papercrete surface must be soaked not sprayed! Similar formulas are
approved by local fire departments in major cities in the US.
I encourage all papercreters to never say papercrete is fireproof! Only
hucksters and the inexperienced say it is so. I have had papercrete that
was 1 part cement, 1 part clay, 1 part paper with sand also smolder in a
wall behind a wood stove.
I however do tell people that during a forest fire I would run into a
papercrete building but run out of a wood building. A 1 foot thick
papercrete wall has about an 8 to 12 hour burn/smolder time. This is much
longer than a drywall 1 hour fire wall. Of course one can soak a
papercrete wall before a fire and increase life expectancy.
Textile Fire Retardant Treatments
Many chemicals used as fire retardants can be toxic, difficult to apply,
or can significantly alter the quality of the fabric. The 1977 edition of
NFPA 701 include some uncomplicated sample formulas:
Formula 1: Borax - 6 parts, 6 lbs, Boric acid - 5 parts, 5 lbs, Water -
100 parts, 12 gallons. Steep fabric in cool solution until impregnated.
Heavy applications by spray or brush are usually reasonably effective.
Repeat if necessary. This is good for theater scenery fabric, and
recommended for rayon and natural fabrics. Yields a 8 - 12 % weighting.
Formula 2: Borax - 7 parts, 7 lbs, Boric acid - 3 parts, 3 lbs, Water -
100 parts, 12 gallons. Water can be varied according to the absorptive
capacity of the fabric. For rayon and sheer fabrics, these same amounts
of borax and boric acid can be used with 17 gallons of water. Hand-wring
for an 8 - 10% weighting on fabric.
Flexibility and softness will be retained without dustiness, and
microorganism growth is also prevented.
Art Hazard News, Volume 17, No. 2, 1994
>
> Hi, I hope you're checking email tonight. I'm giving a presentation
> tomorrow on papercrete and realize I have to say something about
> flammability so I've been going through old emails and came across one by
> you about borax. Here's the thing: I am totally non-scientific and can't
> seem to translate all the info about precentages and amounts of borax or
> boric acid to add to the mix. I don't want to give misinformation. I am
> convinced that papercrete is the best material to build with but if it's
> not safe then I'll have to find a way to change that. Can you give me a
> simple to understand way that I can add borax to my mix so it won't burn?
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