Harvey in Haiti

[wroughtn_harv]

Thanks guys. We have learned that Cholera can live in the ocean on its own for fourteen days, indefinitely in a host such as clams etc.

I'm some really neat medical people and the agree the mild bleach solution would work best.

As for the question about the wire longevity, what I have told everyone to look at is telco and catv cables. They are usually held up with 24 gauge galvanized wire similar to our 12 and 14 gauge wires. If the cables are held up with wire to the strand then we are good because our wires are encased in plaster inside and outside of the block walls.

I'm really getting nervous about the community meeting Wednesday with the women. If they commit to forming a group to rebuild their community then my life will become much more complicated, fuller, chaotic, more wonderful etc. One of the things I don't want to do to these women is what has been done to them so many times before. I don't want them to feel I've broken my word. These people have been through too much not to be given an opportunity to help themselves with just a little bit of help from the outside.

 

[forgeblast]

Harv just be honest. They know what everything else looks like. They have dealt with well meaning people, who dont know/understand their situation. Be honest, be yourself and you will be busy. Best of luck.

 

[charlz]

I don't know if you could use heat, I was thinking about that earlier, it might cause the plastic to become brittle or brittle faster? If part of the plan is to use this system to clean up plastics for recycling that would probably be a problem. Something that would have to be researched.

I was also thinking to get the bleach or whatever solution to the inside of bottles and get air out you could puncture them. If you are trying to sterilize them in a tank having some full of air would be counter productive as they would float and not be submerged, you wouldn't get the insides etc. What I was thinking of was something I saw on History channel or the like where they process meat. It was a water/saline/whatever injection machine. The meat moved onto a slab in a machine, a top plate full of holes come down and held the meat and then an array of needles came down through the plate. The plate holds the meat and prevents anything from sticking/following the needles. They were injecting through the needles but you wouldn't have to do that, just flatten and use solid spikes to puncture. You could be running a general water flush though just to keep the machine clean and wash away any 'mystery fluids' that might be in some of the bottles.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Forgeblast, thank you for that.

Charlz, bottles are just now being recycled with some energy. I don't want to interfere with that business. It's not healthy in Haiti to interfere with another's business and besides that, the only source for the wire we need for the blocks is the biggest operator of the bottle recycling.

What we have found that makes the best blocks is film and foam plastics. Millions of meals are served in styrofoam trays and plates every day. Every one of those it seems finds its way into the waterways some how. That's what we are seeking to capture and make good houses out of.

Some might find this link interesting. Mark Fry

 

[charlz]

What we have found that makes the best blocks is film and foam plastics. Millions of meals are served in styrofoam trays and plates every day. Every one of those it seems finds its way into the waterways some how. That's what we are seeking to capture and make good houses out of.

Well that should make any cleaning process much easier for making blocks. I was thinking more along the lines of your 'dream' where you are fishing out plastics in mass, unsorted, quantities and want to make them clean enough to at least initially sort (bottles to the bottle guy, paper to the charcoal guy, foam etc to your project).

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Well that should make any cleaning process much easier for making blocks. I was thinking more along the lines of your 'dream' where you are fishing out plastics in mass, unsorted, quantities and want to make them clean enough to at least initially sort (bottles to the bottle guy, paper to the charcoal guy, foam etc to your project).

I still have the dream Charlz. I'm trying to get things going on a much smaller scale at this point. Haiti makes it tough to get anything going, something never done before is even more difficult.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

In a couple of hours or so I fly out of Haiti headed by way of Miami back to Dallas. It has been a wonderful visit. I've got two machines completed for less than a hundred dollars U.S. spent here in Haiti. They will be putting on demonstrations until my return.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope to be back in two to four weeks with funding for a six month pilot program. For the idea nuts I've just figured out how to do an economical lightweight concrete over trash styrofoam roof. The R value on the structure is going to be through the roof. (pun intended)