RE: SB: Re: SB appropriate thermal mass-heat storage

["Chuck & Linda" <clearned@bminet.com>]

Sherwood wrote:


1.  To what extend is heat transfer through the mass dependent
on slow convection through the air spaces?  Loam would have
smaller air spaces than sand.

**** I have heard that the air spaces are not really a benefit as it is less
mass to store heat in. What has been mentioned to me twice now is the
percentage of organic matter as it is "cooked" in the box/floor it will
decompose and reducing the volume and ultimately lower the floor level. It's
a shame as that would not be acceptable.

2.  What sort of total volume are you using?
**** I would think about 250 cu yards.

Are you serious
about trying to store heat on an annual basis rather than a daily basis?

*** I don't think of it as an annual basis. Basically you are charging the
floor during early fall. In November the temperature of the house space
above the floor will begin to make withdrawls from the storage area and the
design goal is to provide 70-80% of the house heating needs during the
cloudy cold times of November -December. Then in January when the Sun is out
more it begins to regain its charge. It is all dependent on a well insulated
slab and side wall of the foundation and of course super insulated tight
uppper living space.
This dovetails nicely with passive solar gains. Of course I am not the
expert, try Bob Ramlow
artha@wi-net.com  He's writing the book. He swears that folks were not using
back up heat last winter that had this system and we had interviewed someone
who had the system and they were quite pleased. Many of Bob's clients are in
Northern WI which is no winter picnic, though you moosehuggers think of it
as Florida. I would guess in cold Canada that deeper systems would be
employed and perhaps a second loop up near the top for a back up and daily
control.

In the early systems some of them did not include below grade insulation and
they did not work. Other places that were not tight and super insulated,
were less than spectacular maybe 10-15% of the annual heating came from the
system.

Chuck in Wisconsin 39 degrees tonight brrrrrrrr




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