Cob Self Aiming Air Scoops

[CHRIS@FOUR WINDS]

HI BACK!  - thanks for the info - we are in the White Mountains of Arizona -
and I love earth buildings - I'm gathering all the info I can for near
future use (i hope!)  my husband and I are the White Eagle Family.  Have a
great day!


-----Original Message-----
From: uwe <uweb at megalink.net.mx>
To: cob <coblist at deatech.com>
Date: Thursday, October 01, 1998 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: Cob Self Aiming Air Scoops


Hi (?),

the earthtubes are wide tubes (8" dia. or more) of any suitable material
(cement, stainless steel, aluminum, lime-stabilized earth, etc.), buried at
6ft or more, through which air is brought into the house. If the tubes are
long enough (50 ft or more, depending on the size of your house), the air
will acquire more or less the temperature of the surrounding earth, which
could be somewhere around 50-60 degrees F. In my area, this would only be
suitable for cooling, but in many places this temperature is well above the
lowest winter temperature. That means that both in summer and winter you can
save alot of money, preheating or precooling the incoming air in these
earthtubes. The only problem you might encounter is mold, fungus, etc. So
they are not really suitable for moist areas, unless you install a cartridge
with sufficient dissecant at the entrance. As I'm living in an extreme
desert climate, I don't have any problem. Just some wire mesh to keep the
bugs out, a few plants around the air intake, for a pleasent scent, and
that's all. Oh, and of course the intake would face downwards, so you won't
collect rain. In order to save even more money, I'd pull out the hot air of
my house with the help of solar collectors. - The windscoops don't have
anything to do with earthtubes, and are a possible addition, if you want the
wind to press the air into the house; just for ventilation. How does this
all sound to you; something you would like to include in your house?

Uwe

----------
> Greetings!  My husband and I are VERY NEW to all of this - just in the
> gathering information stage - but would we both like the idea of COB
> building - this email was send (below) about air tubes - what ARE you all
> talking about - and what are these for?