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GBlist: Re: greenbuilding-digest V1 #238




>Mike O'Brien wrote
>
>We also have seen many houses and commercial buildings built with EPS under 
the slab, with no known deterioration from freeze/thaw.
>
>Admittedly, we don't have that much of a problem with termites. Our local
>pesky critter is the carpenter ant, which will chew through EPS unless it's 
the borate-treated type. In a way, carpenter ants are helpful, because they 
are an indicator that there's moist wood someplace--sort of an early
>warning system for dry rot problems. When you see carpenter ants, you know
>it's time to check for leaks.

I seem to recal reading that ants and termites are fierce enemies, 
constantly warring with each other for turf (it seems humans are not the 
only crazies around), so that if you see ants, you're not likely to have 
termites in the immediate vicinity.

As for durability of EPS in soil contact, the higher density EPS that has a 
low water absorption rate should maintain its properties for a long time, 
especially as below grade they are not subject to UV degradation.

Long term contact with moisture shouldn't be a problem - anyone who's been 
on a floating dock will know that it's EPS that is used for buoyancy - and 
those docks stay in pace for quite a long time

>For a time in the 80's, we could buy fiberglass insulation boards that were 
part of the Warm-N-Dry/Tough-N-Dry basement waterproofing system
>(fiberglass boards plus elastomeric sheet). Seems like fiberglass would be
>termite-proof. Are rigid fiberglass boards still available?

Owens Corning in Canada sells a 3/4" thick rigid fiberglass product called 
Base Clad. 

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