[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Insulating slab legally in Texas

[Chris Green]

Lawrence Lile wrote:
> Here is how I did my house.  I am also worried about termites, although
> there is no state law. 
> <snip> 
>
> 2. I put a sand barrier around the house.  There is a 3 foot wide by 1
> foot deep layer of river sand at the edge of the house, with a roll of
> weed barrier fabric underneath it.  Termites can dig through sand,
> however there are special sizes of sand that they CANNOT dig through.
> Since sand is soft and easy to move, I can replace this sand with the
> special sizes if I get an infestation.  Termite sand is approved as a
> termite control measure in Hawaii, (where the termites take steroids I
> hear!), however it is too expensive to use unless the little buggars are
> actually there.  I believe, however, that a DRY area of sand will not be
> preferred by termites, they will be prone to look elsewhere. My use of
> river sand is NOT based on building science, just practicality and a
> suspicion that any sand will make termites less than welcome.
re: Termite Sand Barriers. Some sands are better than others:
> Sand grains of the correct size (called 16 grit; with a diameter of 
> 0.06 to 0.1 inches) can be used as a termite barrier because termites 
> are unable to dig through or move sand grains of that size. A field 
> test in northern California showed that installing a sand barrier 18 
> inches wide and 3 inches deep in crawl spaces along the inside of the 
> foundation wall effectively stopped termites. For long-term success, 
> these researchers recommend careful installation of the barrier and 
> regular monitoring.(4)
>  Sand barriers have been used successfully under concrete slabs. They 
> are installed during construction before the slab is poured.(4)
>
> Stainless steel mesh is also a successful termite barrier, according 
> to the U.S. Forest Service.(5) These mesh barriers are installed 
> during construction or remodeling and are currently commercially 
> available in Florida, Texas, and Hawaii.(6)
http://www.pesticide.org/subterraneantermites.html

And: (on-line article)
Development of the Sand Barrier Method of Excluding Termites
Timothy G. Myles
Final Report for External Research Program Grant (CMHC CR File 6585-M094)
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. 53 pp.  (1994)
> These studies determined that four standard soil separates from 1.4 to 
> 2.8 mm are impenetrable. Further studies with mixtures revealed that a 
> broader range of particle sizes can be used when the distribution is 
> within certain limits.
more about it here:
http://www.utoronto.ca/forest/termite/sand-bar.htm

Basically, the idea is to have sand, or even crushed glass, that are too 
large for the chompers to grab on and move with their mandibles, but 
which also doesn't have 'interstices'--spaces and tunnels-- they can 
wriggle through. So the above 16 grit size is right if you want to order 
the screened stuff or buy some screen and make your own.

I'll guess that the stainless steel mesh is breathtakingly expensive...


Cheers,

Chris Green.