Cob (Fwd) Re: Solar Chimneys

[Will Firstbrook WCB of BC]

Hi Pat & Carol,

Is the solar chimney, the black chimney on top of a structure, designed
to get very hot. Thus through convection sucks the hot air out of the
top of the structure. Assuming there are vents allowing cool air to
enter the base of the structure. This sounds like it could be a type of
wind tunnel. Is this correct?

Your other post talked about high humidity in the summer where you are
located. Perhaps you can consider having cooling vents underground to
reduce the humidity and cool the incoming air to your structure. These
vents would bring-in fresh air underground and be sloped outwards so
that a great deal of the humidity would condensate once in contact with
the cool sides of the pipe. the condensation would need a place to go
to, either returned to the earth or captured and used. The black solar
chimney would help draw the air into the cooling pipes. This combination
could make the structure quite comfortable on the hot humid days. The
design may need to be modified for the winter cold.

Regards,
Will

BTW: I do enjoy your posts and check out your web pages for the ongoing
construction of your home. Good stuff!  Thanks!

>-----Original Message-----
>From:	goshawk at gnat.net [SMTP:goshawk at gnat.net]
>Sent:	Friday, September 26, 1997 2:02 AM
>To:	coblist at deatech.com
>Subject:	Re: Cob (Fwd) Re: Solar Chimneys
>
>
>
>> Pat, I have been luking in the background of the cob list for some weeks
>> not feeling like I can really contribute much.  But my interest was
>> roused by the subject of your post "Solar Chimneys", however...chimneys
>> of any sort never got a mention!
>> -- 
>> 
>> Frank Duffy     Glasgow, Scotland.
>
>Sorry Frank, 
>What happened was I subscribe to both the strawbale and the cob news 
>group and I got a bit mixed up. Been out there pounding my sandbag 
>dome too much I suppose. 
>anyway
>Someone on the strawbale list ask if anyone one had put in a Solar 
>Chimney on their house.  I am familiar with the idea of a wind 
>tunnels as used in the middle east because we covered that subject 
>while at Cal-Earth in Calif.  The message mentioned Solar chimmey's 
>were effective in hot climates. So I was just trying to clarify if 
>Solar chimmey's and wind tunnel's are the same.  
>
>Hope this cleared up the mysterious subject. 
> 
>Pat & Carroll
>& the rest of the Maukly crew
>email:  goshawk at gnat.net
>http :  http://www.gnat.net/~goshawk