The Downside Risks of "Stick-Built" Construction. |
Santa Ana winds fan fast-moving brush fires in Southern California, destroying luxury Malibu homes in their path. The average wooden wall is
consumed by flame in a few minutes, while Blue Maxx Wallsystems boast a 3-hour fire resistance rating.
A tornado touched down in this Aylmer, Quebec neighborhood, spreading the wreckage of conventionally-built houses over a wide area. This
home owner may well re-consider the wisdom of rebuilding with hollow, "Stick-built" walls.
A Not-So-Subtle Nudge From Mother Nature |
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The Fire Wolf: |
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No matter how well constructed, a "stick-built" wall universally merits only a twenty-minute fire rating.
Being essentially a six and a quarter inch thick, steel reinforced concrete wall, a Blue Maxx wall earns a three hour fire resistance rating.
Moreover, expanded polystyrene burning characteristics compare very favorably with those of pine lumber in terms of flash ignition and self
ignition temperatures.
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The Electrical Outlet Wolf: |
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Poorly fitted electrical boxes, or those where insulation has been pushed aside during installation, can let cold air drafts flow through. The
Blue Maxx expanded polystyrene block allows an installer to prepare precise spaces for electrical or plumbing outlets with a small saw or a
hot knife tool, without compromising the wall's ability to stop cold drafts.
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The Noise Wolf: |
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Even a well insulated hollow wall is relatively poor barrier against sound. In a hollow-walled home or condominium, sounds both external and
internal reverberate from room to room, floor to floor, unit to unit.
A Blue Maxx wall, in typical residential construction, provides a sound transmission class rating of 50. When the system is used to build
interior walls, the result is spectacular audio integrity for each room. Midnight stereo buffs (and those who abhor midnight stereo buffs), take
note!
"Thanks to our Blue Maxx walls, there is very little outside noise audible from inside our house. We now posses the serenity and peace of
mind that comes from living in a home that is rock solid."
Mr. Jordan Ivanov, Sharon, ON, Canada. |
