[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Perimeter insulation (again)

[Lawrence Lile]

Lawrence wrote, "I don't trust the termite shields."

>If you don't trust them, why did you install them in the first place?

Same reason I keep jumper cables in the car.  I might need them, and
they might get the car going.  Termite shields might be needed, and they
might slow down the hungry little devils. I would have more faith in a
soldered copper temite shield system, but I just couldn't spring for it,
would have cost thousands.    

"The best shields are made of copper, soldered together at the joints. 
Mine are made of galvanized steel, overlapped, mopped down with tar, and
mopped together with tar at the joints. Not the best design, but
affordable compared to copper.  Then we took a caulking gun of roofing
tar, and caulked the edge between the termite chield and the concrete."

>Is tar known to effectively obstruct termites? 

No.  There is no research I know of saying tar is an effective termite
barrier material.  It was the best thing we could think of at the time.



>My idea is to set the
shields in thinset mortar to even out any irregularities around the
anchor bolts. Joints would not need to be sealed because they are held
closed by the weight of the building.

Might work. 

>"50F, according to several sources I googled."

>Is 50F the air temperature or ground? I'm in Georgia where the average
winter daytime air temp is above 50F, which I suppose implies that I
could never assume termite dormancy.

Yup, that's the ground temperature.  Even if they don't go dormant, they
are most active in the spring.  

--Lawrence