Electrical in Bale Walls
Insulated cable or "Romex" may be laid down beforehand in the courses of bales. This requires foresight and the ability to accept the level at which the wires exit the walls (at course height.)
It was our attempt (after having worked on electrical in stick-framed houses for many years) to streamline the electric wiring process for straw bale housing.
The process we use utilizes a plunge router and one-inch flute to route out a channel for flexible aluminum conduit or metal pipe. The pipe when used will add even more rigidity to the wiring system.
The photo at right is poor for it's representation of depth... nevertheless the depth of the channel within which the"flex" is stuck (by using hand-made #9 wire staples) is approx. 1-1/2 inches.
Penetrations all the way through the bale wall are created (and made extremely safe and solid) by the use of EMT (electrical rigid metal conduit) connected directly to a box on both sides. These boxes (an outdoor outlet for example) can be routed into the bale wall as well. (Photo at right.)
Boxes with EMT are very stable. Boxes "floating" in the bale wall are made rigid by hand-made #9 wire staples pushed through the box and into the bale.
