The Ultimate Root Cellar
February 29, 2008
There are root cellars and then there are root cellars. This web page covers an underground storage container made from culvert. This concept is extremely bold in every way. When it comes to underground storage, this may very well be the granddaddy of them all. I am convinced this is one of the finest underground storage ideas you will find anywhere. This page features one of these storage areas, which should help you understand their possibilities and perhaps even get you thinking about what you would like if you designed one for yourself.
- A bold new concept
- Easily and quickly constructed
- Quickly set into place
- Inexpensive for the size
- Plenty of room
- Easily adaptable as an underground shelter
- Easily hidden from view - no one even needs to know it’s there.
- Where to learn more
A bold new concept: Whoever thought of this ranks as a genius of the simple. Basically, this underground storage area is made in a culvert that was designed for bridging creeks. Culverts are thin steel pipes that are very strong, light for their size, inexpensive when compared to other types of construction, galvanized and therefore rustproof. They come in a wide variety of sizes, from as small as one foot in diameter to 20 feet in diameter and bigger. Because of the huge size possibilities, culverts can fit into just about anyone’s underground storage needs. Our showcase structure was built into an eight foot culvert, however, many people building this type of shelter are now using ten foot culverts. 
Easily and quickly constructed: This photo shows the culvert as it was near the end of construction. It is made from an eight foot culvert 50 feet long. Steel plates were welded onto each end to enclose the culvert. A one foot in diameter vent tube, again made from culvert, was placed in the top of the culvert on each end (not shown). The culvert coming off the top side of the main culvert at one end in the photo is a four foot culvert. Before the shelter was set into place, the culvert was rotated down so the small attached culvert was on the side of the main culvert. Then a length of four foot diameter culvert was welded on which became the entrance way. Before it was set into place, the entire outside surface, especially the welded portions, were sprayed with tar to prevent rusting. The floor inside the culvert was constructed from 2X4s and 1 inch plywood. This was placed in the culvert at the five foot wide point, being about 10 inches above the bottom of the culvert. With the floor at this point, there is slightly over seven feet of head room when standing. Next came the door on the front of the entrance way. Our featured shelter has a small six by six foot porch built around the culvert entrance which has a wooden door to the outside. There is also a second inner door constructed from steel, enclosing the four foot diameter entrance culvert. All that remains to be done is to put in the walls and shelves.Quickly set into place: The hole for this shelter was dug in one day. The shelter was brought in and set into place with the vents and entrance pipe welded into place the next day, then it was buried the third day.Inexpensive for the size: The owner of our featured shelter spent $5,000 in 1990 on all aspects of constructing and burying this shelter. (It would cost about $10K now (1998) with the proper blast doors.) He did say that a lot of the wood for the floor and shelves was scrounged.
 |
Plenty of room: Our featured shelter’s 5 foot wide floor has 250 square feet of surface. Total storage area volume comes out to about 2,400 cubic feet. |
 |
Easily adaptable as an underground shelter: Our featured shelter has a bed, dresser, small living area, library, and a large storage area. |
 |
This photo shows the end of the shelter next to the entrance. Note the 4 foot diameter culvert coming off the left just before the bed. The entrance pipe wasn’t put on the very end of the 50 foot long culvert for a very good reason - so the bed would fit. Note also the vent pipe in the ceiling. The owner said he would cut it off close to flush with the ceiling if he had to do it over again. |
We show you the first photo again to explain the two rock towers on top of the shelter. These enclose the vents, and was done this way so kids couldn’t shoot holes through them. Your underground shelter can easily be hidden from view - no one even needs to know it’s there: With a tiny bit of forethought and planning, the vents could be easily hidden by terrain, in shrubbery, a rock garden, or in carefully placed outbuildings. The same could be done with the entrance way.Where to learn more: Sharon Packer, a nuclear engineer and the head of the Civil Defense Volunteers of Utah has written a 150 page 8 1/2 by 11 inch book called Nuclear Defence Issues. You should get one if you are contemplating building one of these shelters. This book sells for $25.00 and includes:
- National Security Affairs
- Weapons Effects
- Building the Shelter
- Post War Survival
Article Originates From Walton Feed.comMrs. Packer has a new web site. You can get the book from there.
Solar Hot Water Basics
February 17, 2008
Solar hot water systems use basic principles and components to capture incoming solar radiation and heat water for domestic and other uses. Over the years, a variety of system designs have been developed and tested to meet specific consumer needs and environmental conditions. Sometimes, particularly for a new solar customer, the vocabulary and options can seem a bit overwhelming. This section provides background information on the common uses for solar hot water systems, system types, sizing and system components. Solar hot water professionals can help you further determine the system that is best for you.
|
Frequently Asked Questions |
||
Solar hot water systems are most commonly used to heat water for basic household needs such as laundry, bathing, dishwashing and cooking. These systems are commonly referred to as “domestic hot water systems”.
Domestic hot water systems typically use solar energy to pre-heat the water that is incoming to a conventionally fueled heating tank. The warmer the water from the solar heater, the less conventional fuel will be needed to provide the household’s hot water needs. During the summer months in Vermont, a properly sized solar hot water system will provide almost 100% of a household’s needs. In the winter, or during extended cloudy periods, the amount of hot water provided by the sun may be 30% or less. Vermont’s solar hot water professionals tend to install systems that meet between 60% and 70% of the annual load.
Solar collectors (center) flush mounted on residential rooftop.
The size of the solar collectors suitable for your site will depend upon the manufacturer and your hot water usage, but typically they will require between 50 and 100 square feet of mounting area. The most common mounting technique used today is install the collectors flush with the roof on a south facing exposure. Alternatives, such as ground mounting, or rack mounting on gable ends are also sometimes possible.
Space Heating
Solar water heaters can also be used to provide space heating. The same set of solar collectors can be used to provide hot water for both space heating and space heating needs, although space heating will generally require a much greater collector area and storage capacity. Additional controls and heat exchangers are also needed. Due to these extra costs, and because sunshine is relatively scarce when heating loads are highest (for example at night and during the winter) solar energy is more often used to heat domestic water than it is for space heating.
Solar Hot Water Space Heating in Moretown, Vermont
A solar water heating professional with past experience in installing systems sized to provide space heat can help you consider the pros and cons of various options. You should also make sure to carefully consider passive solar and other building efficiency measures that will reduce your heating loads to help you take maximum advantage of the available solar resource.
Pool Heating
Solar heaters are often the most economical way to heat a swimming pool. Compared to conventional pool heaters using propane or oil, solar pool heating systems can pay for themselves in four years or less. If you currently don’t heat your pool, a solar heating system can provide an economical way to extend your pool season, starting earlier in the spring and extending later into the fall.
Solar pool heaters work by circulating pool water directly through collectors and then rerouting the warmed water to the pool. System controllers sense when collectors are warmer than the pool water, and open valves diverting water from the pool circulator through the collectors and then back into the pool. The controller can be set to automatically keep the pool temperature anywhere between 65 and 100 degree Fahrenheit. The collectors used for pool heating systems are often less expensive than those used for domestic hot water systems, providing significant economic advantages.
Roof mounted solar pool heating system.
Credit: DOE/NREL and Aquatherm Industries
Commercial Applications
Commercial facilities with high hot water demands and access to a good southern exposure can be great candidates for solar hot water. Restaurants, bakeries, beauty salons, health clubs, and hotels are all potentially good sites. A commercial installation generally makes use of the same system design and components as residential systems, including a conventional back-up for hot water heating during high load and low sun periods. Solar hot water professionals can help you determine the applicability of solar for your site.
Closed Loop - Glycol System
Closed loop systems use a heat-transfer fluid to collect heat and a heat exchanger to transfer the heat to household water. Active closed loop systems use electric pumps, valves, and controllers to circulate the heat-transfer fluid, usually a glycol-water antifreeze mixture, through the collectors. This glycol-water antifreeze mixture makes closed-loop glycol systems effective in areas subject to freezing weather. For this reason, closed loop systems are preferred for year round use in Vermont.
Credit: DOE/NREL
Closed Loop - Drainback System
Drainback systems use water as the heat-transfer fluid within the collector loop. The water is forced through the collectors by a pump and then is drained by gravity to the storage tank and heat exchanger. These systems have no valves to fail and when the pumps are off, the collectors are empty, thereby assuring freeze-protection and auto shut-off if the water in the storage tank becomes too hot.
Open loop, seasonal, batch
Open loop systems heat and circulate household (potable) water directly in collectors prior to distribution in the household. One type of open loop system is a batch heater that is simply a black tank filled with water and placed inside a south-facing, insulated, glazed box, where it absorbs solar energy. The tank may incorporate a selective surface that that absorbs sun well but inhibits radiant loss. In climates where freezing occurs, batch heaters must either be protected from freezing or drained for the winter. Batch heaters are inexpensive and have few components, therefore they require less maintenance and experience fewer failures. These systems are good economical choices for seasonal applications such as summer camps.
Components
Solar hot water systems are made up of collectors, storage tanks, piping, controls, and in some cases pumps. Active systems use pumps to circulate water or other heat transfer fluid through the system. Passive systems have no pumps and rely on gravity or natural convection to circulate water depending on the system.
Collectors
The most commonly used collector is the flat-plate collector. It is an insulated, weatherproofed box, made of metal or plastic, containing a dark absorber plate beneath a translucent cover (typically tempered, low-iron glass). Copper piping carrying heat exchange fluid travels in an S-shaped pattern between the absorber plate and translucent cover. Typically, metal collectors are more sturdy, fire resistant, and expensive to manufacture and ship than plastic collectors. Contact your local solar contractor to learn which collector is best suited for your application.
Tanks
Most solar hot water systems require a well-insulated storage tank. Many systems use converted electric water heater tanks for storage or plumb the solar storage tank in series with a conventional water heater.
Controls, Circulator
A differential temperature controller monitors the temperatures at the solar collector outlet and at the storage tank. When the collectors are warmer than the tank, the control turns on a circulator which circulates a heat-transfer fluid, usually water or a water-glycol mixture, through the collectors and back to the heat exchanger located in or adjacent to the storage tank.
Heat Exchangers
A heat exchanger transfers heat from the heat-transfer fluid (usually either water or a water-glycol antifreeze mixture) to the household water supply. The heat exchanger itself is a series of copper coils submerged in the water storage tank or a compartment outside of the storage tank.
Article From The Renewable Energy Resource Center (RERC) of Vermont
Try The Frugal Search Engine!
