Bill, could you explain: "Cutting vents are not likely to work if your swamp cooler puts out over a hundred CFM. Consider active exhaust at about the same rate as the swamp cooler output."
Thanks, Tony On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Bill Wiltschko <[email protected]> wrote: > Cutting vents are not likely to work if your swamp cooler puts out over a > hundred CFM. Consider active exhaust at about the same rate as the swamp > cooler output. > > Bill > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [hexayurt] Buckminster Fuller's Passive Cooling Effect > From: Shannon <[email protected]> > Date: Sat, July 31, 2010 3:00 pm > To: [email protected] > > I am willing to give this a shot. However, this will be my first hexayurt > so I will not have anything to compare it to. > > I will also have a swamp cooler. > > How many vents should I cut along the bottom you think? Maybe 2? > > > On Jul 31, 2010, at 12:02 PM, ken winston caine wrote: > > > Has anyone experimented with Buckminster Fuller's repeatedly demonstrated > > > passive "chilling effect?" (Sometimes also written about as the "cooling > > effect.") > > > > He accomplished this with a chimney in the center of the roof (with a > vent > > flap which could be opened and closed), and with a series of wall vents > just > > inches to a foot above the floor all around the building -- those vents, > > too, could be opened and closed. > > > > As the sun rises, all the vents are opened. Heat reflecting off the > ground > > and off the building create an updraft all around the building. This > updraft > > draws air OUT of the vents just above floor level. (It appears to me that > > > these vents often were about 1 foot off the floor -- and that in total, > they > > exceeded the volume, by at least 8::1 or greater of the volume of the > > chimney vent.) > > > > As air is sucked out of the bottom vents by the updraft around the > building, > > air is drawn in through the chimney. > > > > Fuller said the chimney downdraft effect extends hundreds of feet upward > > into the air and draws down a much cooler air than is found closer to the > > > ground. > > > > He demonstrated this effect in equatorial desert regions with domes > equipped > > as described above. But, the dome shape was not a significant factor in > the > > "chilling effect," he said. > > > > This "chilling effect" was also implemented in Fuller's "Dymaxian Home," > > which somewhat resembled a hexayurt. (Do believe that it may work best in > > > quasi-round buildings -- which the hexahurt is.) While Fuller promoted > the > > cooling effect in hot climates, he also promoted the same process as a > > "self-cleaning" effect. > > > > Because this effect creates a cool downdraft and floor-level exhaust, it > > tended to draw out most of the ambient dust from the house, reducing the > > need for frequent cleaning/dusting. > > > > In Fuller's demonstrations -- in both humid Kansas summers and in > equatorial > > deserts -- indoor temperature was lowered by about 15% after opening the > > events and setting up the "chilling effect." > > > > People reporting on the experiments frequently noted with amazement the > > sensation of cool air falling on them when they walked into one of the > > demonstration buildings. > > > > Fuller wrote, in what may be his last book, "Critical Path," on page 212 > > that the " pressure differential between the small air entry and large > > exhaust openings produces the Bernoulli chilling effect, which in hot > > weather will swiftly cool the ... interior." > > > > On that page he also provides a drawing of how it works with a geodesic > > dome. > > > > Here's a Google Books link to that page: > > > http://books.google.com/books?id=2rPqFvn3nocC&pg=PA211&lpg=PA211&dq=buckminster+fuller+chilling+effect&source=bl&ots=refmEA3ApA&sig=3MMsUUMp4QPWIhFAdLciDRULC4w&hl=en&ei=SGxUTPamF4G78gbO19SpBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false > > > > You can read more about the effect in these two books also: > > > > Air Cooling Tendency > > Buckminster Fuller's Universe pp 208-09 > > And Chilling Effect > > BuckyWorks pp 114, 116 > > > > > > This is all counter-intuitive, I know. We all "know" that heat rises and > > that you need to vent it via an updraft at the highest point in your > > building. But not if you want to enjoy Buckminster Fuller's "chilling > > effect." > > > > In that case, you want to out-vent via convection at a low point all > around > > the exterior of the building, and actually draw in a downdraft cool > column > > of air from much higher in the atmosphere through a chimney at the peak > of > > the roof. > > > > Fuller explained somewhere -- and I can't find my old notes at the moment > -- > > that a column of hot air rising from around a circular building actually > > creates a downward vacuum in its center that pulls cool air down through > its > > middle. > > > > I asked a couple years back if anyone would demonstrate / experiment with > > > this at Burning Man and report here their experience, but found no takers > > > then. > > > > How about this year? > > > > I would think that for the Playa, you would want to cover the vents with > a > > filter material, such as the cheap blue synthetic stuff used for swamp > > cooler filters now that they rarely use straw any more (because of its > > tendency to grow mold). That way, during dust storms, it would be > unlikely > > that you would experience much dust intrusion. Or, you might set up > another > > simplie way to block the vents during periods of extreme blowing dust. > > > > In my original experimental designing with this, I found located some > dollar > > store air-filled plastic balls (bouncy balls) that would perfectly fit > > inside 3-inch pvc pipe. So I created a design using pvc pipe for the > floor > > vents and the balls to seal them closed. I also drew into the design > pieces > > of fiberglass insect screen crudely tied around the outside openings of > the > > pipes. (The pipes fit through the wall panels and extend a couple inches > > beyond the wall on both inside and outside -- though could be cut to > mount > > flush for a neater install.) > > > > And for the roof vent, you can use a capped stovepipe and a damper flap > > section. The damper flap can be used to close (and open) the roof vent. > Or > > just use another piece of pvc pipe and plastic ball and buy a $2 > sewer-vent > > cover at an > > RV supply joint for a rain cap. > > > > Or, you could go even lower tech and just cut vent holes and save the > > cut-out material and stuff it back in and tape it in place to close the > > vents. > > > > I remain astounded with how this "chilling effect" works and, even more, > > that about 70 years after Fuller first began demonstrating effective, > > passive air conditioning drawing cool air from hundreds of feet above > ground > > that it is NOT being designed into buildings in warm and hot areas > > worldwide. > > > > This MAY be because it works best in quasi-circular buildings (if that is > > > true), and conventional design does not use round buildings. > > > > Do believe that it was engineered into the early sports domes. > > > > And I know that there is an emphasis since the late '70s on airtight, > > sealed, stale-indoor-air-filled, atmosphere-controlled buildings (which > this > > is the opposite of) for energy efficiency. > > > > Anybody up to testing / demonstrating this at Burning Man this year? > > > > If you do, would you report on it here? Maybe shoot a video with a > > thermometer demonstrating temperature with vents closed, after an hour > with > > vents open, and of the outside air temp? Then, for all time, everyone > could > > *see* the results in action. > > > > Best, > > ken winston caine > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: William Ozier > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 3:53 PM > > Subject: Re: [hexayurt] Insulation Thickness > > > > > > I am going to try and create a solar chimney on mine to help keep it > cool. > > You put a black tube coming out the top. The sun heats the tube which > heats > > the air and causes an updraft, which vents out the hot air and pulls in > cool > > air...of course finding cool air to bring in on the playa maybe > difficult, > > so there are a few more details to be worked out. > > > > > > On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Spiral Syzygy <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<hexayurt%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. 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