This is a subject that comes up regularly - Maybe this will help -
where the paper in papercrete does take on moisture, it also gives it
up very fast . The culprit for holding on to that water is the excess
lime (calcium carbonate) left from incomplete crystalisation of the
Portland Cement. Later the lime will unite with water and carbon
dioxide, from the atmosphere and cause efflorescence on the surface of
the papercrete. This can be ameliorated by combining Pozzalon in your
mix , making the papercrete give up the water easier, when it does get
wet. Concrete stem walls defeat the advantage of insulating all the
way to the ground. In fact papercrete generally requires no foundation
at all, as it is monolithic and self supporting. Most important is to
keep water away to start with (wide overhangs, drainage away from the
base and in my case LATEX (( MEANING ACRYLIC PAINT)) Once I began
using pozzalon I could no longer use Drylock masonry sealer, it reacts
with lime and the pozzalon had already used it all up.
There is another problem worth mention here- that of TOO MUCH WATER TO
START WITH- Regardless of your brick mix, all bricks should be dry
before they are used - Mixes can be enhanced radically with the
addition of aggregate (without loss of insulation value,as proved by
Barry Fullers tests of my brick) I am an old fart and sand got heavy
so I switched to lightweight aggregate (Perlite), which is hollow and
insulating also. I shipped the perlite 600 miles with less footprint
than moving sand- P.S.- Do not be misled by purists insisting that
lime is better - not in this case -Clyde - www.evesgarden.org
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