You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
RE: Another frosty Spring day
I want to build one of these wallipini things. so many projects and so little time. Considering I have an average of only 106 frost free days in a row, I think they should be utilized more in my region.
I intend to run a long piece of 6 in tubing below the frost line, by circulating air through the tube I can draw ground heat into the walipini. Here that means I can probably grow plants year-round without added Heat, in your area it might give you six months. Adding additional Heat, could further increase this time for you.
The long tube below the frost line, is called an earth battery; it is used to both heat and cool. With the base of the walipini Underground, and the north side of the walipini being bermed with the removed dirt, you draw a lot of the earth temperature without using the Earth battery. With a big wall on the north side, with dirt behind it; you have good support structure for columns going down to the ground on the Southside. These columns can support the glazing for the greenhouse itself!
Then you plant like you know what you're doing, LOL!
♡♡♡♡Wow! Exciting! I have heard of a heat pump but not an earth battery. You have a lot of interesting knowledge.
Sorry, chronic reading and rain rot, LOL! I've been studying alternate energy since 1980, so I picked up a thing or two.
I'm going to use the Earth battery on my walipini to heat and cool it. They are circulating through that tube will hold about 59 degrees if it's deep enough. Locally 18 in is enough I intend to go down about 3 ft. Where you are it would have to go deeper, wheee that numberis for you I'm not sure exactly where you are. I know it would be below the frost line where you run your water lines, so I'd put it a foot deeper than your waterlines are normally buried.
They use earth batteries in Arizona on the earthships for air conditioning. So it works either way.
Stay safe and blessed.
:)>YES! Same sort of thing as a heat pump. The idea is to get 60 F temps to the surface and that works great for cooling and is easy to heat to comfortable room temp in the winter.
Apparently, we need to go down 8 feet for this earth battery to work for us. My husband just said that he would go down 10 to 15 ft because when we get a bad winter the frost goes very deep.
This is exciting! I have given my husband so many new tasks since I met you! :-P
ROFLOL! I'm glad I'm loading him up, I wouldn't want him to get bored! 15 feet is deep, my backhoe won't reach down past 8. But it is free Heat, or cool; as you need it.
I hope you get your Greenhouse! When I get around a building line I'll send you some pictures with a cattle panel roof. It makes an inexpensive way to have a good structure for a roof.
Be safe and keep prepping!
♡♡♡♡HAHA! My poor husband.
That well digging tool we have is perfect for getting down as far as we need to. Our little well experiment is already 15 feet deep. It only took him an hour total to get that far. He probably would have hit water by now, but he took the week off after he had a minor surgery. I should have him back up to speed by Saturday....muhaha!
I currently have a small greenhouse , but it is not heated. I will be posting some pics of that soon.
There is an herbal called comfrey that accelerates healing. If you can find it locally, it will help him heal up faster, so you can work him harder, LOL!
They also use it for a fertilizer 'tea' in organic farming by fermenting. Might be a good plant for you to add, but buy the Russian variant. It must be propogated by root cuttings, so it won't take over like the regular type can. It also makes a good breakfast tea that is good for the GI tract.
I look forward to your post on the greenhouse, always good to see how people build fun things, LOL!
:)>Haha! Good idea!