[RE-wrenches] Strawbale wall penetration

[Phil Undercuffler]

I didn't do anything special to the rebar, with the possible exception that
I don't have a rebar cutter, so I tend to cut 3/4 of the way through with a
Sawzall and then bend the rod till it breaks. That leaves a good size burr
that works pretty well as a cutting edge.

If you're going to take a grinder to the tip, it doesn't take much more to
grind 3 flat spots for your chuck jaws. The odd nubs that make it so
effective on reaming out the hole do pretty much the same job on the chuck
jaws. At best, it keeps working loose. At worse, well, worse is you get a
new chuck. Took me a couple weeks, maybe a couple dozen holes.

Phil
On Nov 20, 2010 3:40 PM, "benn kilburn" <benn at daystarsolar.ca> wrote:
>
> Guys,Great stuff. These are just the kinds of things i was wanting to look
out for.
> I already have a 16 or 18" mason bellhanger bit, although it likely will
not be long enuf, unless i use it with my 16" bit extension which can be use
with drill bits or hole saws. I've only been out to the site once so far and
neglected to figure out the wall thickness, but that wont be hard, i'll
either check at a doorway or at the vent that i'll be pulling that existing
teck cable out of. i'll try out the rebar suggestion and make sure i have my
carbide hole-saws as well.
> Glenn, good call regarding the possibility of "required" metallic conduit
on the DC run. I'll check what Canadian Electrical Code rule covers this.
> Phil, even thou i'll likely use my mason bits to start the holes in the
plaster/stucco, do you grind down the business end of the rebar in a
particular fashion to get a "cutting" edge on it. I"m thinking either
similar to a flat screwdriver (which might skid around a bit starting off)
or a straight-across cut end with an "X" or "*" cut into the end. And how
many chucks did you go thru before you decided to flatten the drill end of
the rebar?
> Have a great weekend everyone!
> benn
>
> DayStar Renewable Energy Inc. benn at daystarsolar.ca780-906-7807 HAVE A
SUNNY DAY
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: glenn.burt at glbcc.com
> To: re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
> Date: Sat, 20 Nov 2010 15:26:40 -0500
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Strawbale wall penetration
>
>
>
> Would the walls of the bale house be considered part of the dwelling and
require careful consideration of whether metallic conduit is REQUIRED on the
DC run? 690.31 (E) -Glenn Burt From:
re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org [mailto:
re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of benn kilburn
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 2:06 PM
> To: Wrenches
> Subject: [RE-wrenches] Strawbale wall penetration Wrenches, Short of
contacting the builder, i'm looking for your experiences, practices and
"look-out's" for penetrating a strawbale exterior wall with conduit. For the
project in question there is currently a teck cable from a wind gen entering
the home by sharing a HRV vent opening that i want to fix (not my original
system by the way) and i will also be adding another penetration for a PV
array that i am relocating on the property. The original penetration for the
PV was done properly but its not in an ideal location for the re-located
array wiring. I'm wondering if it is as simple as using a hole saw extension
to go thru the ~16" wall and use an LB/box on either side. I'm sure there is
some framework and/or rebar supporting the bales, how do you locate/avoid
these when there are no corners to measure from? (it is a round home) Any
knowledge if PVC or EMT will react in anyway with the bales? I'm thinking
that PVC would be best....? ... i am trying to contact the builder to
address this, and also to ask a few choice questions regarding the wiring
methods (he?) used in the original PV system set-up. Cheers,benn
>
> DayStar Renewable Energy Inc. benn at daystarsolar.ca780-906-7807 HAVE A
SUNNY DAY
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