I AM USING THIS BLOG AS A WAY TO SHARE MY RESEARCH ON AN EARTH TUBE SYSTEM. IT WAS ORIGINALLY PART OF MY COURSE CONTENT, BUT I HOPE TO USE IT AS A WAY TO SHARE MY PASSION ON GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES. I ALSO INTEND TO USE IT AS A PLATFORM TO WORK ON MY OTHER PASSION, WHICH IS WRITING.
WHY EARTH TUBES?
Why Earth Tubes? When I first stumbled upon earth tubes, I was searching for a natural and passive means of air conditioning for homes. I remember seeing a photo of such a system in an arabic country in one of the many green architecture books I have read. I couldn't find that system, but was very pleased with what I had found. Earth tubes are a method to precondition the air for your home or building. The system is very simple, .tubes are buried under the ground where the temperature stays relativelly constant. There is an inlet for the ambient air to enter the system. As it travels through the tubes, it is conditioned by the temperature under ground. In the winter the air is warmed, in the summer it is cooled. The air then enters your building by an outlet using a small fan to keep the air flowing. Thus your air is pre conditioned.
Who am I? My name is Chris Carrier. I am a husband, a father, a student at Thompson Rivers University, an employee with the city of Kamloops, and have been a number of different things at different times and stages of my life. I am not a typical student, since I am in my early forties. I have been interested in green buildings and architecture since my days as a tree house dweller in Uclulet, BC. I am also a budding writer. My published works include "Dragon Problem's" by Hur publishing and an article entitled "Of Kids and Hobbits" published in Kamloops Momma, a local parenting magazine.
What is the goal of the research? The main goal of my research is to determine if earth tubes are a viable option for Kamloops, BC. In addition to this, I would like to find low impact technologies that could be used in the construction industry that could be used to lessen the environmental impacts of the way we do things in the construction industry. As the planet continues to warm, a leaner, meaner, way of constructing homes and buildings can be achieved, today. The technology exists to change course. I have taken my LEED Green Associate course and hope to incorporate some of the technologies into my research.
As part of my research, I have been building a small cabin on a relatives property. I have built an earth tube system and have been testing it throughout the summer. The cabin will become a sort of testing ground for different systems I am interested in. The cabin has been built old school, using a hand saw, a cordless drill, and a hammer and nails. I have been posting pictures on the blog to keep people updated with my project.
Who am I? My name is Chris Carrier. I am a husband, a father, a student at Thompson Rivers University, an employee with the city of Kamloops, and have been a number of different things at different times and stages of my life. I am not a typical student, since I am in my early forties. I have been interested in green buildings and architecture since my days as a tree house dweller in Uclulet, BC. I am also a budding writer. My published works include "Dragon Problem's" by Hur publishing and an article entitled "Of Kids and Hobbits" published in Kamloops Momma, a local parenting magazine.
What is the goal of the research? The main goal of my research is to determine if earth tubes are a viable option for Kamloops, BC. In addition to this, I would like to find low impact technologies that could be used in the construction industry that could be used to lessen the environmental impacts of the way we do things in the construction industry. As the planet continues to warm, a leaner, meaner, way of constructing homes and buildings can be achieved, today. The technology exists to change course. I have taken my LEED Green Associate course and hope to incorporate some of the technologies into my research.
As part of my research, I have been building a small cabin on a relatives property. I have built an earth tube system and have been testing it throughout the summer. The cabin will become a sort of testing ground for different systems I am interested in. The cabin has been built old school, using a hand saw, a cordless drill, and a hammer and nails. I have been posting pictures on the blog to keep people updated with my project.
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say congratulations on UREAP! I cant wait to see the cabin built its going to be a great learning experience for you hope you keep us posted on the progress throughout the summer! Your blog looks great by the way
Brittany
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, I'm looking forward to working on the cabin, should be interesting. I will be sure to keep the blog updated.
Peace
Chris
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if there is a simple answer to this or not but I was wondering if there is a reason for the 0.5% slope of the pipe beyond drainage? I'm trying to think if the slope would change the air flow rate in some fashion or if it would determine which direction it would flow. It was a combination of your sketch and the drawing on your right tab-bar that got me wondering which way to slope - towards or away from the house.
W
Hi Warren,
ReplyDeleteI was looking further into this since we talked on friday. The one website and earth tube installer I spoke to, emailed me the concerns he had about condensation build up. I think his systems were mostly in Central North America where the ground has a high moisture content.
I think I will try to look into a few other types of tube design. I am also thinking of running a pipe through the pond on the property, as Dan suggested, and test each system independently, as well as in combinations. The drain, from what I have looked into, is probably more of a safegap to keep away mold.I need to read further as to wether or not the slope will affect the air flow. I'll keep you up to date when I find a better answer.
Peace
Chris
Would there be any kind of a fan needed to draw in the air or does it work completely using convection?
ReplyDeleteHi Dale,
ReplyDeleteI have looked into both methods, the fan doubles the velocity of the air which seems like it wouldn't absorb as much temperature change. I think for my research I will try a fan on one of the inlets and see what the actual difference is. I have also thought about putting a small fan on the top of my building outlet.
Peace
Chris