ASSEMBLY.

 

Tools
We highly recommend the use of an EPS hot wire cutting table and EPS hot knives.
IGLU PROFORM SYSTEM blocks can be cut with a saw but the cutting table will insure a better fit and a cleaner working area. A router can be used to cut the plumbing and electric grooves in the walls. However, more perfect cuts and much less dust will occur when a hot knife is used.

 

Cutting the block
For best results, always cut a block vertically, midway between the interlocking male or female interlocking nuts. Never try to cut a locking nut. This will save waste and avoid fitting issues as the wall rises.

 

Floor plan layout
A IGLU PROFORM SYSTEM block is 120cm or 47.25 inches long. It only takes minutes of planning with your Architect to make sure that the floor plan dimensions will be divisible by 5cm or approximately 2-inch increments. For example, use 39 feet 10 inches but avoid 39 feet 11 inches. The reason is to avoid cutting an interlocking lug and stay within the 5 cm grid.

The height of a block is 30cm or 11.81 inches. Attention to this dimension when planning the windows will also later save cutting and waste. A 4 cm or 1 3/8 inch spacer is sold by IGLU PROFORM SYSTEM for use with windows, lintels and other areas where spacers may be needed.

 

Planning the rebar
The structural engineer needs to remember that this is a form system for a monolithic concrete wall, It can be calculated as a tilt-up wall design. This is not a masonry wall that has different rebar requirements. Therefore, it is better to use more, thinner rebar such as number 3, than fewer but thicker number 4 & 5. This will usually save money and it is much easier to work with.

When laying out the rebar for the slab, it is very important to set the vertical rebar so that it rises in the center of the opening between the cross ties (bridge). The grid system allows to do this easily. This is a common error committed by first time users.

 

Installing the block
It is best to start at a corner and not in the middle of a wall. For corners, a closed end block is alternately used with an open end block as the wall rises. Please note that if the 20 cm width or 8 inch wide block is used, the end of each open end block used at a corner will need to be cut off 5cm or 2 inches(midway between the interlocking nut). This makes assures that the cross ties line up vertically as the wall rises for ease of vertical rebar placement.

 

Pouring the concrete
When using the IGLU PROFORM SYSTEM there is no need to glue or tape, and the need for bracing is minimal. We highly recommend that a pour be made in two steps. Start at a corner and pour around the first five feet of wall height. Then pour the balance. The best slump to use is between 6 and 7. In a hot climate a two-hour retarder is used. P- rock of ¼ “ to 3/8” is best. Some builders will use a two inch by four inch aluminum angle piece in twenty foot sections and clamp it around the top edges of the wall before pouring. This helps the top to remain rigid; clean, and helps keep the wall plumb and straight. An S-type concrete hose nozzle with a valve should be used to control the flow of concrete.

 

Drywall Installation
There are commercially available adhesives used for gluing drywall to EPS. However, in the U.S.A., the preferred method is to attach 1x 4 furring strips to the wall and then install the drywall. Leave the bottom of the furring strip short of the floor board for ease of routing the electrical wiring.

 

Exterior plaster
Roll on the bonding agent and apply the first plaster coat. Do not use fiber in the first coat to insure that plaster has completely filled the IGLU PROFORM SYSTEM ribs. The second coat of plaster may be used with micro fiber for best results. Acrylic plaster types with color pigments already mixed in are used successfully. Spray applications are usually more cost effective.

 

Storage & Handling
Sunlight/UV exposure- Due to ultraviolet radiation, long term, direct exposure to sunlight may cause yellowing and a slight powder buildup on the exposed surface. This UV exposure causes no negative mechanical impact on the product. If yellowing exists, brush the surface briskly before coating with plaster for best results. If it is expected that the block will be exposed to sunlight for more than a few weeks on the job site, then it is advisable to cover the block with a tarp or plastic cover.