Re: Building from the ground up

From: K. Jones (shadetree1999_at_hotmailNODAMNSPAM.com)
Date: 07/24/04 

Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 12:57:03 -0400

Hello.

My biggest concern with "earth tubes" is mold, but your idea of a heat
exchanger would solve that problem.
They would help in both summer, and winter here.

I hope to use plants and trees to help with summer cooling, like you said,
deciduous plants won't interfere much with winter heating.

When I first envisioned the project, I imagined using an eprom with a basic
language interpreter as the driver for the controls, but
now, PLC's are dirt cheap, and their programming is pretty simple nowadays.

I'm looking a wind as a means to providing electrical power, provide noise
and mechanical reliability isn't too much of an issue
(and provided I can get the local building department to play ball).

A "solar cooking ring" in the kitchen? I'd like to hear more about that!

When I envision under floor heating, all that comes to mind is a grid of
pipework buried within a concrete slab. I'm having a hard time envisioning
a
system with a wooden joist type construction.

Thanks!

K. Jones

"N. Thornton" <bigcat@meeow.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a7076635.0407240306.4d7cd6b8@posting.google.com...
> "K. Jones" <shadetree1999@hotmailNODAMNSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:<wRiMc.18503$Fj.700712@news20.bellglobal.com>...
>
> > The house is going to be 2 stories, with a full basement, "normal"
> > stick-framing. The floors are going to be a mix of carpets, wood,
ceramics,
> > etc.
>
> What an opportunity. I know nothing about your climate, but if you
> need cooling a very cost effective means is often to lay a pipe
> underground and draw air in through it with fan. You'll need to look
> elsewhere for figures, I've nothing to hand. If condensation in the
> pipe is a problem you may want to use a heat exchanger on the indoor
> end.
>
> Solarthermal panels can form some part of your roof covering, so
> although they cost you lose a bit of cost of the usual roof covering.
>
> Night time forced ventilation is a very cost effective way to reduce
> day time temps.
>
> Loft ventilation drops house temps in day.
>
> Climbing plants on a wire frame near the house can reduce house temp
> in day too by shading: deciduous plants dont lose you winter sun. The
> separate frame means no problems with decorating, repairs, or plant
> damage.
>
>
> If theres one thing I'd want to do more than anything, it would be to
> have a proper computerised heating and cooling system. There is so
> much opportunity to improve temps by doing nothing more than opening
> and closing ventilation at the right times, ditto fans. This could be
> controlled with a rock stable computer, like an old BBC for example.
> No way use a PC. You'd need sensors everywhere, and need to program
> the machine. I've had at most 10C reduction in summer doing it by
> hand, no computerisation, no proper monitoring, so doing it properly
> would likely give you better. Also it extended the unheated time of
> the year by adding 2-3C on to indoor temps.
>
>
> Theres lots of stuff you could do there. Wind would not come high on
> my list though, as in terms of result per input, its far behind the
> above stuff.
>
> Just for the hobby angle it would be nice to have a solar cooking ring
> in the kitchen. I worked out how to do it.
>
> BTW you can still use UFH to deliver a percentage of your heat if you
> want. I've never had UFH but have heard glowing reports from folk who
> fitted it. Your choice of floor coverings dont preclude it. One plus
> with UFH is it takes much lower temp water, so can be run off solar
> panels more of the year.
>
>
> Regards, NT

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