Palace GeoThermal , Apr 9, Yes, thank you for your responses. I've been reading as much as I can about this, but apparently earth tubes are still basically very experimental. There isn't a whole lot of actual numbers and side by side performance comparisons, especially not across climates. I'm looking to do this project kind of as an experiment of my own.
Humidity and condensation being the 1 thing I am planning ahead for to avoid problems down the road. It was literally condensing gallons of fresh water out of the humidity of the air per day. I could have refilled my pool with that! I should have, pure clean H2O So I have no illusions that the humidity condensation in the underground earth tube will be any less significant.
But I already have a plan for that, which will be a sump backup system at the base of a steep incline of the pipes. As to the construction. Everything I have read suggests the earth tube pipes should be at least ft long, but that there are diminishing returns after feet of length or so. After that, all the heat the earth was going to accept has already been accepted. So it would be wastefully expensive to make the tubes any longer than that. I guess I just don't know how deep to bury them is there a significant difference past 12 ft or do they actually have to go down 30 feet in this area?
Or as you mention that the air speed through the pipes needs to be slow to allow heat to disperse Just looking for some kind of numbers, estimates or guidance If the volume of my entire house is 28, cubic feet of air, how much earth tubing volume do I need? Is there a formula for this anywhere? Thank you all for reading. I will give updates as I go along on this project. Laura80 , Apr 9, I seem to remember the Rehau folks working on this idea as a sub-set.
On top of that, any cooling effect would be minuscule. Houston's humidity rules out swamp coolers. One method and one I will likely be using is earth tube cooling, and requires little more than a circulation fan. This is a true geo-thermal system, not to be mistaken for geothermal heatpumps. You would run several loops of pipe throughout the ground of your property and draw air through the pipes. Warmer air from the home will give it's heat to the cooler pipes and return slightly cooler and less humid air back to the home.
How effective it would be is determined by many factors including, ground temperatures, moisture levels in the soil, number, depth and length of tubes, insulating values of the home, air exchange rate, etc. It may not work for your location.
The one thing I know you have to watch out for if you attempt this method, is to properly pitch the pipes so they drain out condensation water. You don't want pooling in the pipes, as it exposes you to the possibility of Legionnaires disease. Also, it's not always a cheap option, considering the amount of excavation work required.
You'd have to catch and drain off condensation, and you'd want a radiator with vertical fins for the most efficient draining of condesation. Shade trees is the simplest method of passive cooling. I've experienced temperature differences as much as 15 degrees in a forest versus out in the open.
Weather tape assists in the fight against heat by keeping warm drafts from entering your home. Weather tape helps seal any air leaks in your windows. The better your windows are insulated, the less your air conditioning system will have to work to maintain a cool indoor temperature. Weather tape is an especially affordable and effective option for those who live in a particularly hot and humid climate, like here in Houston.
When there is excessive hot air entering the home, you will notice that your AC will run longer to get the space cool again. Weather tape will help to keep your AC from over-cycling. Another simple and effective passive cooling tip is to create shade outside of particularly sunny windows by planting shade or installing artificial shade.
The path to building a passive home started about three years ago, when Kyle Fagin — who owns Fagin Partners with his son, Connor — read an article about passive houses and decided it would be a great challenge for the firm. According to the International Passive House Association iPHA , which provides the rigorous standards needed to certify a home as being Passive House Certified, these are the five main building principles that should be utilized in a passive house:.
Rather than employ just one system to handle heating and cooling, filtration and other functions, the home has three different systems to handle these tasks. The system pulls in fresh air from outside, filters it, and circulates it throughout the home.
It also draws in stale air, usually from the kitchen or bathrooms, and sends that outside.
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