PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL ME?:T1NG 3 01 



thought better to divide the spaces and make them as I have, of small size, 

 than to have them all in one wide space. 



Mr. Slayton: If you built them a little larger the expense would only 

 be for the studding. 



Prof. Taft: That is all; I think, though, that so far as expense goes it 

 would be cheaper to build it this way, and 1 wonid rather have four one- 

 inch air-spaces separated by building paper, than to have a four-inch air- 

 space. 



Q: Do you think it would be better not to have it packed with saw- 

 dust? 



Prof. Taft: I would not use sawdust at all, as it causes the decay of the 

 lumber, and after settling is a better conductor than a dead-air space. 



A Member: I have built a cold-storage house here in this town. I left 

 a four-inch air-space and packed this with sawdust. We put on a tw'O- 

 inch air-space on each side, but found that the packing was not very good. 



Prof. Taft: 1 would not use sawdust at all. 



Prof. Waite: That is pine sawdust, is it? 



Prof. Taft: Ordinary pine sawdust. We sometimes have to use hem- 

 lock or something of that kind. 



Q: How about a building that has artificial heating? 



Prof. Taft : In Avhat way ? 



A Member: Well, I have been building a house for hot-storage, to 

 hold heat in, and I tamped the wall with sawdust. 



Prof. Taft: I would leave out the sawdust, and if I w^ere to use any kind 

 of packing it w^ould be cinders, as I think they are best of all. I introduced 

 them in a portion of this wall, and am keeping a record of the tempera- 

 tures, but as yet I see little difference between where the air-space is 

 packed and where it is not. 



Prof. Waite: Well, I believe the air-space is the best, if it is really 

 dead-air. 



Prof. Taft: I have taken particular pains to have all the joints come 

 over the studding, and if I happened to make a hole in the paper I 

 patched it. Every space, so far as I know, in the house is air-tight. 



Prof, ^^'aite: How about the use of i)aint or plaster or something of 

 that kind to improve the air-tight qualities? 



Prof. Taft: I do not think it would have any great effect, because the 

 ceiling is nailed closely against the paper. In ever}" case the paper is 

 between two thicknesses of boards. You could of course seal it up and 

 make it, as you would say, air-tight. 



Q: Do you put the paper between the boards, do you say? 



Prof. Taft: The studding is put up, the paper is stretched on that, and 

 the ceiling is then nailed on; the paper is between the boards and the 

 furring strips, or studding, so that every joint is air-tight. 



Mr. Kellogg: With the paper nailed to the lumber, would not the 

 shrinking and swelling of the lumber tear the paper? On my house I put 

 it on in that way once, and it tore the thing right in two; the paper did 

 no good at all. 



Prof. Taft: There is no chance for this to happen, because it goes 

 lengthwise of the house. My house is thirty f(^et long and there are thirty 

 feet of paper. 



Mr. Kellogg: If they should sw^ell they would be likely to tear it loose. 



