thenumbersix
Member
Natural Refrigeration
This is an obvious one really, back in the old days food was stored underground in larders/cellars etc., even now most pubs store their barrels well underground, and it is chilly down there most times.
The principle is to dig a trench and lay pipe in it, the longer and wider the betterer. Then draw the air from it into a small area which you want cooling. A practical application could be an area under your barbecue where you can store essentials, such as beer, wine, oh and meat...
The idea comes from air conditioning your home. This works during all seasons as in the summer the ground below a few feet is constantly cold, during the winter it is the same temperature which is considerably warmer than the outside air, thus reducing your heating costs when it is cold...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1982_January_February/My_Mother_s_House_Part_IVThese are the basic instructions for Natural Air Conditioning
As I see it, the pipe in the ground cools, this is then piped into the area you want to cool. Now, somewhere along this system, toward the cooling end, is a chimney that is painted black and exposed to the sun so that this is heated and draws air upwards, creating the air flow that draws the cold air out of your underground pipes..
The problem I'm having at them moment to resolve in my head is how this is done without drawing the cold air straight up the hot chimney and not into your house / BBQ Fridge (NB. the BBQ can be used as a heat source to draw air).
No doubt there is some clever mechanism for doing this, most of the references I've found seem to neglect the details, though I have some good ides on it... Maybe a parrallel pipe with a small hole between the warm and cold areas so that a constant circulatory current of cold air is created in the fridge area....
We have a fire pit now in the garden with vent pipes built into the brick base, these stay extremely cold when the fire is burning (we like to burn shit). It reminds me of a patio heater where the gas bottle frosts on the outside to the level of the gas, this is pure energy exchange...
wow, someone had built this into their house : Mothers House
This is an obvious one really, back in the old days food was stored underground in larders/cellars etc., even now most pubs store their barrels well underground, and it is chilly down there most times.
The principle is to dig a trench and lay pipe in it, the longer and wider the betterer. Then draw the air from it into a small area which you want cooling. A practical application could be an area under your barbecue where you can store essentials, such as beer, wine, oh and meat...
The idea comes from air conditioning your home. This works during all seasons as in the summer the ground below a few feet is constantly cold, during the winter it is the same temperature which is considerably warmer than the outside air, thus reducing your heating costs when it is cold...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1982_January_February/My_Mother_s_House_Part_IVThese are the basic instructions for Natural Air Conditioning
As I see it, the pipe in the ground cools, this is then piped into the area you want to cool. Now, somewhere along this system, toward the cooling end, is a chimney that is painted black and exposed to the sun so that this is heated and draws air upwards, creating the air flow that draws the cold air out of your underground pipes..
The problem I'm having at them moment to resolve in my head is how this is done without drawing the cold air straight up the hot chimney and not into your house / BBQ Fridge (NB. the BBQ can be used as a heat source to draw air).
No doubt there is some clever mechanism for doing this, most of the references I've found seem to neglect the details, though I have some good ides on it... Maybe a parrallel pipe with a small hole between the warm and cold areas so that a constant circulatory current of cold air is created in the fridge area....
We have a fire pit now in the garden with vent pipes built into the brick base, these stay extremely cold when the fire is burning (we like to burn shit). It reminds me of a patio heater where the gas bottle frosts on the outside to the level of the gas, this is pure energy exchange...
wow, someone had built this into their house : Mothers House