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Some one told me because of Thunder storms. If lightning hits your mobile home the rubber tires act as a ground.??...
Rubber tires are a non-conductor. It's the rubber tire between your car and the road that protects you if you're in the car when lightning strikes it. Tires are on mobile home roofs to add weight in high wind storms to prevent loss of roofing. Or in some cases to keep roof metal from rattling in the wind.
Someone just asked me why so many homes in Santa Fe have tires on their roofs. I don't get there very often and had to plead ignorance. Anyone know?
Thanks!
Never seen it in SF. I have seen it out in the desert, often on reservation land, where strong winds can blow through, and threaten the roofs of mobile homes. No need for it on most standard homes.
In Earth-ship homes that are discussed in "Garbage Warrior" on an old PBS show, tires were used in building the walls because of their absorption of heat in the day time and releasing that heat when it cools off at night. The Actor, Dennis Weaver had a home built using around 80,000 tires. I'm not sure if putting them on a roof would have the same effect, but ingenuity in dealing with the summer Sun could be a factor.
Actually, just to be clear, the tires were packed with earth, and it was this mass that created the insulation (and stability) value.
And like was said, the only roofs I’ve ever seen with tires on them were some older mobile homes. Gotta keep those roofs on when the wind blows......
In Earth-ship homes that are discussed in "Garbage Warrior" on an old PBS show, tires were used in building the walls because of their absorption of heat in the day time and releasing that heat when it cools off at night. The Actor, Dennis Weaver had a home built using around 80,000 tires. I'm not sure if putting them on a roof would have the same effect, but ingenuity in dealing with the summer Sun could be a factor.
Who wants heat released at night, when you're trying to sleep after a hot day? Doesn't sound like a good idea. People living in brick houses in warm climates complain about that exact problem.
That’s why I said “insulation value.” Tires packed with earth have very high insulation values and tend to keep homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Many passive solar homes here through the 1970s were built with Trombe walls on the near-south-facing side of the house. These generally adobe walls (could also be cement) which are located inside a home next to a window on the exterior would absorb heat from the direct sun in the winter and radiate that absorbed heat into the house during the night. Brick floors also have the same effect. To do this effectively the house would have to be sited so that it would get more of the winter sun and less of the summer sun. Also, by pulling shades down on that side of the house during the the summer, less/no heat is absorbed by the Trombe walls, and thus the walls do not heat the interior of the home during the summer months.
Probably more than anyone wanted to know......(sorry).
That’s why I said “insulation value.” Tires packed with earth have very high insulation values and tend to keep homes cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Many passive solar homes here through the 1970s were built with Trombe walls on the near-south-facing side of the house. These generally adobe walls (could also be cement) which are located inside a home next to a window on the exterior would absorb heat from the direct sun in the winter and radiate that absorbed heat into the house during the night. Brick floors also have the same effect. To do this effectively the house would have to be sited so that it would get more of the winter sun and less of the summer sun. Also, by pulling shades down on that side of the house during the the summer, less/no heat is absorbed by the Trombe walls, and thus the walls do not heat the interior of the home during the summer months.
Probably more than anyone wanted to know......(sorry).
I've seen a house like that in SF, on Agua Fria, I think, near the downtown/Railyard end. It looked strange, to have a wall of floor to ceiling south-side windows with an adobe wall right behind the windows.
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Doesn't sound like a good idea. 
People living in brick houses in warm climates complain about that exact problem.
