WALL TIES
FOR SUPER INSULATED

CONCRETE BLOCK WALLS

Now you can build heavy concrete block walls that will withstand a hurricane, provide better insulation value than the best timber framed structures but with out the noise transmission and have the bonus of easier construction than conventional brick or block walls and super thermal mass to make hot days cooler and cold days warmer in the core of the building. All that is required is a new Wall Tie from Practically Green.

If a single cavity wall is built of concrete blocks the two skins are tied together with wall ties - traditionally a wire bent into a figure of '8 ' . Unfortunately, when the cavity width is increased to more than about 4" the wall ties fail.

Wall ties for a 300mm cavity in a wall suitable for blown glassfibre insulation have now been created for the Solar House and have proved to be extremely effective.

These are more expensive than the traditional wire type - but then the heating bills saved in the first year will pay for the extra cost which for bugetary purposes would add about 1% to the price of a building.

We recommend the following construction technique:

• Outer Skin - conventional heavy concrete block wall
• Practically Green Wall Tie for 300mm cavity wall (catalogue no.
• Inner Skin - also a conventional HEAVY concrete block wall - this provides enormous thermal mass on the user side of the insulation - like adding several lorry loads of storage radiators to the inside of the building but without the electrical heating system. On hot days, the surplus heat is stored in the heavy block, on cold days the building is heated by the heavy block.
  

Method

• Build the cavity wall - the bricklayers will find it much easier because 'buttering' the inside of the cavity is easier because they can get an arm down the cavity without the restriction of a narrow gap.
• Put the wall plates on the top of the wall and on window ledges - make sure thermal breaks are in place at all times to prevent thermal bridging around window and door details.
• Ensure there are no rodents trapped in the cavity
• Call in a contractor to drill the wall and blow fibre into the cavity.
• Plaster and paint.
  

Call us for a quotation. We will need to know the area of cavity wall to be built i.e.. the total width of wall x height less the openings for windows and also the intended building height.