Compressed Earth Blocks: Why and How, Here and There
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- In this presentation, Jim Hallock explains why compressed earth blocks are the most environmentally sound building material that also happens to be very healthy for humans too. He uses real world projects to illustrate points and explains in detail how the technology works.
Website | earthblockinternational.com
Hey guys! To give an update, we are back in business and we’re going strong! Check out our website at www.earthblockinternational.com
U.N. Agenda 21 aka sustainable development is the biggest fraud that's ever been used against mankind. Our evil govt working with the U.N. have been deliberately CREATING what we now have, through their filthy greed. Please watch and share this with your sheriff. Also click my icon and watch the vid about the implants I discovered, and that I believe all of us have some of in our brows, and we need to scrape them out! czcams.com/video/PZt03ko-R2I/video.html I am totally in favor of this construction, but that really doesn't make the facts better that our evil govt is ELIMINATING the right to even OWN your own home, or ANYTHING AT ALL!
Hey my friend, I appreciate your well informed presentation. You can incorporate fire bricks for free if you fire them using parabolic mirrors, or a magnifying lens set up. If you want an apprentice please let me know, I’d love to join your efforts.
Advantages of compressed earth blocks
@@ghanjahman I'd be interested in knowing more about this technique. Have you tried it so far?
Hi Jim. Have you started holding Workshops again
Watching from NIGERIA 🇳🇬..
I have the machines.. Its an amazing innovation and people have started embracing it
Jim gave this presentation in 2010 at EWB Conference in Louisville, KY. This talk was soon after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. That talk was formative for me. Jim, almost 10 years later, you're still my CEB Hero!
Compressed Earth Blocks are amazing! Jim does such a great job articulating why Earth Blocks rock!
Adam De Jong h
Absolutely brilliant presentation! Thank you
Mr. Hallock, I applaud you from here, too! It's good to see people like you, who wants to make a great impact for a better future of planet Earth.
Such great information, and presented perfectly. This video gave me the confidence that I needed to use earth as a material to build my house.
Thank you so much for uploading this video. I will be sharing this video..
I have 2 questions and a request about rammed house building.
1) How does construction of rammed earth homes integrate electric wiring and water/sewer plumbing especially for a 2 plus more floors?
2) Since the walls are made of earth, how do the walls survive in the shower or if rained on?
3) Is it possible to make/share a video that shows how the electric wiring and water/sewer plumbing lines are constructed and integrated into the walls?
Answers to the above questions will be very helpful in deciding about rammed earth homes and help shed a light on how electricity and water will be incorporated in rammed earth building. Thank you so much for the informative information.
Saw this video several years ago.. over time with looking at a lot of building science and various kinds of alternative construction methods under my belt. This is a beautiful way to build. It means a lot more to me than the last way I viewed this.
Amazing presentation. I wish there were a comparison with relative costs and benefits between rammed earth and compressed earth construction. Huge thanks!
This is very informative and a nice presentation. I learned a lot. Thanks.
Super presentation! Thank you!
Best and very informative video on the subject.
Love this man, wonderful work and great idea you are promoting may God Blesses you and your family!
Inspirational presentation. We’ll done. And 7 years ago too !
Awesome video!
VERY GOOD PRESENTATION
Thanks for that great video.
Awesome product!
excellent talk! thanks!
Love this video! Would love to see this technology catch on better.
By far the best presentation iv seen yet kept me interested from start to finish. I have a question though michigan temps drop extremely low in winter with no insulation in walls can passive solar and say a stove be enough for these temps.? Sometimes overcast for weeks at a time
Thanks for your information really inspiring
In India we have also been using cow dung as an ingredient. My question is what is the ratio I need to build a block from > clay, sand, lime, straw, water & cow dung*. Also what shall be a substitute for cement as a filler between these bricks ? 🙏
This is it-love it.
How about bringing earth blocks to Zimbabwe? Love your presentation Jim!
awesome!!!!
Hey Jim, I'm curious to know more about the seismic resistance system that creates a "cage" around the building; any links or other information? Thanks.
I love this presentation! One question: how tolerant have you found the blocks to varying soil compositions? I have watched quite a few videos on these and rammed earth and it seems like the goal is around 30-40% clay, but how far out of these bounds remains usable?
What are the advantages or disadvantages of stabilizing with lime vs cement?
Great presentation.... why not make the blocks interlocking so that they can be dry-fitted together and eliminate the need for skilled labor and mortar?
Yes. In Kenya, we are already using interlocking earth blocks. The machines for making them are also locally manufactured. Google "Makiga". Pauline
We are going to use the interlocking style to build homes in the inner-city to turn blighted properties into homes. By removing the need for skilled labor we can offer the homeowner a way to offset the home's cost... they can build their own walls, with a project manager to guide them. We just posted the video for our first concept home, the LuAnne. czcams.com/video/f4nHeNtufyA/video.html
@@abundantearthglobalcdc4290 how effective is dry stacking tho? If there is an earthquake would it fall over, without a little mortar inside? He said they just use 1/4 inch which is not alot.
Do you have any CEB construction in AZ / N. Sonoran Desert? Where our temp extremes are 22-120F?
I've probably watched this video 10 times because I love the simplicity and beauty of the presentation and living with nature.
For anyone that knows, because I have a sandstone quarry right next to my house, what could i add to it to make blocks like these? Clay I assume, but also lime?
Yes. Clay 30% and some lime. Maybe 8% that should do the trick
@@davejones4269 Is that by weight or volume?
I would love to see if there is anyone doing compressed earth roof tiles
I'm sure there are. You would just make thinner blocks with more surface area. People also do a wattle and daub on the roof, usually with a waterproof membrane although the daub can be waterproof with a decent pitch.
amazing
Have been thinking about Earth blocks seems like with a good mold one could use a large log splitter to compress the earth.
I wish you demonstrated how to make one.
Very good machine quick building
+tchip Pat It's not actually faster and in fact can take longer to construct than a stick house. But the extra time and labor costs are offset by cheaper building materials. Then long term they are FAR cheaper than stick homes, not to mention safer, better for the environment, etc.
Thanks for the very instructive talk Jim. I am about to build a Spanish style house in Australia. Originally i was interested in Earthbag, then got more interested in Rammed Earth (but the contractors were talking big money). But when we put the plans through our NATHers software (the Australian standard for checking energy efficiency) the figures were not very good (2.9 stars out of maximum of 10; see explanation below). They were good for summer temperatures (and we get up to 48° C; 120 F here), but in winter the heat leaked out slowly. I was reluctant to put insulation on the outside of the Earthbag or Rammed Earth and destroy the beauty of the wall and risk the render cracking later. So then I leaned towards using double brick with the cavity insulated. We were able to get the rating up to 7.5 stars. 8-10 stars is Passivhaus level, requiring almost nothing to heat. I will heat it with Solar water panels, re-circulating ceiling heat under the slab (3-5° C temp increase in rooms) and a wood stove for times when sun is not shining.
Then I started looking at CEB and am wondering if I can use a double block wall (perhaps 5" or 6" wide blocks) and install insulation in the cavity. What can you tell me regarding this?
And do you know of any CEB making machines available in Australia?
Build your own CEB press. wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/CEB_Press
Never knew Lime was water repellent. It would be interesting to know the roofing using Compressed Earth Blocks.
First, is that talk being given in the old Martin Baker hanger in Denver? Second, more important, is there any comparative data on Lime stabilised versus Cement stabilised and the respective percentage/s?
I would love to be able to have a part in building Adobes in Lincoln Park or Lincoln Square and every other neighborhood in Chicago.
looking to replace my roof. what is the cost factor,, and time factor? how would I get help in doing this? and can this be added to an existing fired brick home?
Great video, sound quality, good information without wasting our time. Love it! Only issue I have is with the graph of greenhouse gas emissions. It seems like a small sample of emitters and only includes CO2. The production of animal products is in fact the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions.
I couldn't find the sizes of the blocks what"s the end size walls?
For colder climates, the question is; how much of the wall acts as thermal mass and how much is insulating that mass from the outside, much colder (ambient) air? Doesn't the heat energy radiate right through that wall without insulation?
For very cold climates sometimes walls are built two blocks thick with a layer of insulation between them. Jim built many CEB structures in Colorado.
I’m in Ohio right by the lake… I use compressed stabilized earth block. 4 parts sand, 4 clay, 1 part Portland cement 1 part high strength concrete… I use a manual press. My blocks are 5” tall 6” wide and 12” long. 2-2” holes in them to run rebar and various pipe thru. I apply stucco to both inside and outer walls. Still breathable. Remains between 65-70 thru the winter this past winter. One block thick. I have a 4’ wraparound porch on the home with roof over hang. Works like a charm. I have it solar powered and have an electric forced air fireplace in the living room only. No HVAC system at all. My solar system is grid tied and I have a battery backup for the absolute basics only. After a year I finally got the approval from 3 counties & 6 different cities building departments to build to sell these homes. Got independent lab tests, fire department certifications, even the local police and sheriff shot up a small wall to test if it’s bullet proof(it is), I am currently working with the VA and habitat for humanity to develop an apartment complex to get our homeless disabled vets off the streets.
Tera Block in Orlando, FL on Orange Ave near Michigan
Are there any restrictions in the US building codes? I would love to build a small cottage/cabin but afraid local building codes won’t allow it.
I would like to see hard numbers on the energy required to make portlant cement (concrete) and concrete blocks VS the energy required to produce CEB. Hype isn't enough.
Also, by what mechanism is CEB breathable, and concrete not? A concrete block wall is typically coated with a waterproofing on purpose, to prevent air and moisture infiltration. Just leave it bare or coat it with mud like the CEB wall, and I bet they would be the same.
The portland in a Stabilized CEB is a very small percentage of the block. You can also stabilize with lime if you dislike portland. However the curing process by which the block is stabilized takes more time with lime. The energy used to run a very large CEB press is similar to that used to run an automobile. The clay in stabilized and Unstabilized CEB even when cured absorbs and releases moisture. This has the pleasant effect of heating up the block when the temperature drops and cooling it when the temperature rises. sanantoniosustainableliving.blogspot.com/2009/06/john-j-morony-studies-adobe-and-latent.html
You are right in thinking there would be benefits from using clay plasters on concrete block, drywall and other surfaces. If you look for it, you can find a lot of information on it.
I have a wood splitter my wife bought for me, I was thinking I could make a rammed earth block attachment for it, I wonder if anyone has tried that.
Manuel Bettencourt great idea mate.
Yes you would need 3 separate ones that work together
Top for top and bottom, right side for right a d left compression, and front for front and back
@@randallhammer6982
If he has somebody who can machine some tension-strong steel for him....
@@randallhammer6982 no you don't, just a 3 sided mold with one compression piston. Look it up
Where can we source cactus juice?
Mr. Hallock, can you use high plastic clay?
I wonder how compressed blocks compare to rammed earth? oh rammed earth on the first floor compressed earth blocks on the second, brilliant!
They are very similar. CEB is uniform. The pounding layer by layer of rammed earth produces a look that cannot be reproduced with blocks. In the USA rammed earth is often left exposed.
I live in BC. now but was wondering about a foundation if I build in other parts of Canada? There is mostly slab foundations in BC. Else where there are full foundations and the ground is always damp, so at what point do you leave the earth bricks and go with a conventional cement foundation? Like one gentleman a few lines back mentioned what point do you use other material because of permanent dampness. Drop me a line, I am not collecting subscriptions. Thanks take care.
ryan@aectearthblock.com can answer any questions you have.
Do you create a machine that makes locking / interlocking bricks?
Hallock does not use the interlocking blocks. By using thinset mortar, wire mesh, rebar and concrete the structures become able to resist earthquakes in ways that drystacked interlocking blocks never can.
Vermeer does. $30,000.00 est.
What are the measurement units for the compressive strength of the blocks. You mentioned strengths between 1500 and 2500 compared to 300 when using manual labour
Probably PSI. Probably.
The 300 figure is for Adobes. Adobe is not compressed. They are poured.
The blocks I make with a manual press have tested 2700-3000psi… these things will crush any traditional block
How can I get in touch with Jim???
How difficult is it to wire a CB home? Full modern suburban electricity+cable. Also, do the earth walls effect wi-fi?
It is not difficult at all. Romex can be placed deep within walls in shallow grooves in the blocks cut with a rasp. Because the structures are meant to last 300 years some builders prefer to use metal conduit. You can also run romex in grooves near the surface and then cover them with wood trim or clay plaster.
In earthquake zones some CEB walls are wrapped with chicken wire inside and out which might affect cell phone reception but otherwise there isn't much metal to interfere with signal transmission.
Good question
Always worried about electric wiring.
Advantages of compressed earth blocks
It’s easy as can be depending on the style of block you make. The ones I make you do so while your building it…
the NRA hosts a Great sportsman and outdoor show where I live. There are also a whole host of other events at this venue each year. It would be great to see this product at one of the future shows. I would love to know more about the science of this, and the limits to this material as well
A little clarity needed on the Seismic stability. The video mentions a basket method for adobe, but does not talk about the methods for compressed blocks. Anyone?
There are several methods. In Mexico codes require concrete pillars at intervals. Chicken wire is sometimes wrapped around the outside and inside of the walls below the scratch and finish plaster coats. That is enough to keep the walls from collapsing. I have seen videos of it in action so you may be able to find them on CZcams.
my question is
if i have a hand press can i use the freshly pressed blocks to build then keep wetting the build through its curing process and keep it tarp covered (i am saving time because instead of making neat stacks and building after cure i take it right of press to built and maybe stronger connected cause the whole wall cures together)
nice thinking. lemme know if u get an answer.
i have actually posted this question a long time ago, i would appreciate if you try contacting them (as i have not gotten around to it)
My understanding is no. CEB and Stabilized CEB mortar is a thin, pancake batter consistency slurry of the same mix used to make the blocks. Hallock and other building the way he does literally ladles it on. The slurry soaks into the block above and the block below to make a single structure. Within seconds of connecting two blocks in this way the blocks cannot be separated. You would not want to cure the blocks in the wall because in the curing process the blocks shrink slightly. Hallock and others have therefore settled on pressing the blocks in advance and letting them cure on pallets while wrapped in plastic, though the longtime owner of AECT advocated for placing newly pressed blocks directly into walls.
Yeah it's been available for absolutely thousands years and it's HEMP!!
How was the project in Haiti ? any construction was done ?
I live in North Carolina and have been exploring earth construction for a home I want to build. The problem is permitting since the building code in NC has no section for such construction. I talked with the NC commissioner in charge of building codes and was basically told earth construction would never happen in this state. Frustrating to say the least considering the time proven benefits to this old technology. Any suggestions on what to do next?
Lol tell them its stucco they prolly wont know the difference
Where can I buy one of these compressed earth brick making machines in Zimbabwe?
Hi Barbara, did you manage getting a machine in Zim?
Would Aloe Vera be a good substitute for cactus ? Aloe grows well in more invironments
Would rice hulls work in the exterior mixture? It really absorbs moisture and releases slow. However straw may be cheaper.
Have you ever used an HRV or an ERV in your homes? How do you exhaust the bathrooms?
How about using a mini-split system to heat and cool?
I live in Michigan I would love a way to get involved in what you guys do.
I do it in Ohio by the lake… it works
Do you think earth block houses would work well in places which have a heavy rain season ? I´m in Yucatan, Mexico.
Yes.
try B.C. Canada ........ unless u have rubber boots ...
There is no problem until the blocks are compressed.
Yes, or just make an adobe house but add straw to the mix.
I built one in Nepal with 6% OPC and never added a roof. Not only did it withstand the 2015 7.8 earthquake, the bricks remain in perfect condition even after 15 years of South Asian Monsoons. So, YES! If you don't want to add a stabilizer, Lime or OPC, in your bricks, then make sure you have an overhanging roof and put a lime based plaster skirt around the bottom of the wall, also use stone for the foundation to keep the bricks from absorbing moisture from the ground.
How do you deal with humidity with a breathable building? Does this system only work in dry climates?
I do it in Ohio by the lake
I am from South India I like to built this type of home .is it 300×150×100 mm sized block good for RCC roofing and is it possible to built two story house
Jim is the man. If you are in the Southeast United States and you want to see the CEB in action the come see us at Freedom Builders www.freedomnation.me/builders - we are now producing 10,000 CEB a day at our two properties in Georgia
Plz any one. How Will they stand up to rain.
Hi I'm from India and I'm working on this cseb
I am searching admix for laterite soil ceb block making.please msg if anyone has list of admix suitable .
how much pressure required to make one block in hydraulic press
Hope you can share some information if you had the answer.
I have been looking on the required pressure to compress the earth mixture to half of its initial volume.
I'm also ineed
Does anyone out there know where I can buy a single brick, brick press?
aectearthblock.com
At one time Jim was the North American dealer for the Auroville Brick Press. It is considered the very best human powered compressed earth block press. www.earth-auroville.com/auram_earth_equipment_introduction_en.php
Www.dwellearth.com does
Compressed earth blocks will win the day when you focus on why it makes economic sense (and it obviously makes economic sense). Shouting from the rooftops that is "sustainable" makes serious entreprenuers turn on their "climate zombie" filters and tune you out.
There are many alternate systems for sustainable building but to implement them effectively you have to understand how they work. The basics of thermal dynamics and some experience with building logistics should be studied. Then the 'entrepreneurs' can make their own assessments based on performance and facts, rather than intuition and rumor.
how fast would these walls dry compared to a cob or rammed earth home?
+Mark Gailmor CEB do not need to dry, they can go directly from the machine into the wall, but the walls will continue to cure over time (I think a few weeks more or less depending on the initial humidity of the material used as well as the ambient temps and humidity).
Also I'm not sure why Jim uses mortar, but from my limited xp, we simply used a mud slip/slurry and a BIG paint brush. Just wet the faces of the bricks and stick em together and within 48 hrs. they are stuck together as if they're a single piece. This makes it extremely simple, you don't need any masonry skills since maintaining an even mortar joint requires skill and if you aren't consistent the courses can begin to undulate or become uneven, imo ;?).
Russell Russell
Thanks. My biggest problem with CEB is that, unlike Rammed Earth, or Cob, you have to hire someone to do this for you. The machines are far too expensive to buy. So, in the end, I would probably go with Rammed Earth or Cob since they can be built with a few people and no expensive exquipment. I do like these a lot though.
*****
Depending on where you live, you might find used machines for sale - I've seen some in the past for about 1/3 of their new price, and if you go with the smaller models you could be looking at a cost of around $4K - $6K. Of course you can then resell it when you are done and probably recoup much or most of your investment.
You might also find others who are looking to build their own home as well and are willing to share the cost. And there's the possibility that someone might be willing to rent their machine as well, and finally there are also plans online for building your own machine, so there are possible options. I just think that the CEB is far superior to those other materials and so worth the added expense in the long run. Good luck and hope you find a solution ;?)
Russell Russell
I think I would prefer to build a rammed earth home or cob home. I don't really need any special machinery for either. If I go the rammed earth path then I obviously need to build some form factors. With cob, it's more labor then anything else.
@@rawmark oi m8 hav u done it?
CAn you add fly ash to the mix?
There is no need because of the mass. These bricks are thick.
Can un-stablised compressed earth blocks be fired
Come to india
how can a CB home be made with a craw space?
+David Payne I thought of this before, but I believe that would possibly negate or partially cancel out the thermal mass exchange system if the floors aren't solid brick (I could be wrong). That said I suppose you could simply build in a basement if your idea is increased space withing the same footprint.
You can elevate the floor. You need to vent from the sub-floor to the outside to deal with potential radon issues that affect non-solid floor homes. A concept I like is for 3-bed, 2-bath homes. The bathrooms are back to back, where the master bathroom has the water heater. The kitchen sink is siamesed against the master bathroom. The pipes are very short and you can reach them. They're centrally located and unable to lose heat to the environment. The plumbing is pushed to a specific region of the home, so it can be elevated, insulated, and made easier to maintain.
can someone give me a recepie for such blocks?
void sure the ingredients are: 1) Earth
The exact proportions vary with the characteristics of the earth being used, particularly the clay. The mix includes sand and subsoil that contains clay. The sand needs to be sharp (not rounded beach sand). For stabilized block portland cement or lime is included.
@@SASL2000 can you plaster with that exact mixture to?
@@SASL2000 ?
I am from india, watched nird dep vdo, ytb sug this vdo
I invented waterproof soil brick without cement
sauce?
Plz share your idea
Did you use tadalekt as your final coat?
We need robots to compress earth for us.
You can manually do it aswell. But l shall take robots any day. 🤖
The key is the cement. A good, cheap cement, e.g., emulsified asphalt, will allow a less optimal dry mix. Also no compression is needed with geopolymer binders. And no mortar if an interlocking block is used. An physical binder such as basalt fiber is much better than straw.
Next, the bearing wall design has to match the needs of the area.
Hog Wallow!
Steel reinforced concrete bond beams will crack over time. Better to use Basalt rod reinforced concrete.
I like the idea where do I find a man powered michine
Www.dwellearth.com
Thank you just what I need,now can you build a 80,000 sq ft. castle or mansion
Hehe yes please gonna have to level a mountain!
you now what hier what i m going to do I build that cinva ram then start sharing this video that all I can do
now
Aren't those in Yemen susceptible to earthquakes?
Have you heard of floating bricks? They are lightweight and can float a house in case of floods.
sounds cool gotta link
Wow. Love that.
Is Hempcrete good as well
Wyndmoor PA
Paul 215-254-0475
Can u use this to renovate an old house
Does this clean the air as well
40:50
Why God forbid forced heating and cooling?
CROCK