Green air conditioning from underground cooling

Provide green air conditioning by using the cool thermal mass under buildings to cool air.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• green
• air
• conditioning

[luckyman8816]

well i have read the following comment and i have few of my own if you worried about condense just slant the tube back toward your house where the water would be collect and could be sent to your sewer system or what ever also i saw a post about aluminum pipe which is a bad idea because it will start to corrode when its under the ground the best type of pipe would be regular pvc and not corrugated bc the corrgated would caught the condensation more pipe plus more volume dirt = better AC

[1timby]

Dude earth tubes have been around for a long time. They have there pros and cons. While there is some proof under certain circumstances they offer a cheap solution for heating and cooling, they tend to have serviceability problems and problems with polluting the home air. In dryer climates they offer a better solution than in the south where air is humid and causes the circulated air to condense water. This water promotes mold.

[dpow86]

@ireland1948 you could counter this by using a liquid to air exchanger, by having the liquid being closed loop underground cooling the air being circulated from the pipes.

[1framistan]

I live in the central USA and have placed temperature probes at various depths. The underground temperatures in summer are about 60f when you go down 20ft. Less than 10 ft it is about 70f. Dirt doesnt hold a lot of coolness so lots of pipe is needed, unless you go down to the groundwater. That's where the real coolness is! The underground temps in northern states are lower. Wellwater is 50f. ..and.. down south(fla), wellwater is 70 degrees f. (to my knowledge).

[jawofthedog]

@chasmarks if you just suck in air from the cold atmosphere you will cool the ground pipe too quickly. And in summer you will warm it too quickly. The idea of circulating is essential for the benefit to last more than a few days.

[MrTpengineer]

Best material that won't rust or rot for piping and will provide near instant thermal conductivity is aluminum, if Aluminum pipeing even exists in large sizes, it's the best way to go :)

[chasmarks]

I've been thinking about this for over a year. I'm thinking about an open loop system where I would just vent the hot air to atmosphere and have a fresh air intake at ground level. I'm thinking of digging my yard up with a ditch witch and laying 200 or 300 ft of 3" PVC 4 feet down. Any Feedback?

[fred30680]

I have had the same Idea. So I looked on line and found that the avg temp. is appox 50-55% for the Southern States USA. That is if you go 4 foot below ground level. This would be perfect for summer or winter

conditions. This is what I do not know how to calculate. I know you have to take into consideration the size of your home. The diameter of your pipes. But but how much pipe do you have to run to maintain that 50 to 55 % ???

Has anyone tried this ?

[rbmdl]

very clever