My Mother's House Part IV
(Page 3 of 3)
January/February 1982
By the Mother Earth News staff
Rather than using blowers to pull air through the tubes, we've decided to let convection do the job for us. We're building a row of vents into the peak of the roof to encourage air to flow up the pipes, through the house (where it's warmed), and out the openings. Information from other folks who've tried it indicates that the natural flow of this "thermal chimney" should be more than enough to change the air in the house several times an hour, if desired. During the winter, however, only a small amount of venting will be used, since the very frequent air changes that are so conducive to summertime comfort aren't needed when the chill is on.
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Once all the pipe was laid in place and glued, and the trenches filled in, one group built and installed intake screens/ covers for the tubes, while the rest of the team finished off the plumbing exits and began backfilling against the dwelling's walls.
To prevent the earth from dislodging the polystyrene insulation as it was poured into the excavation, this task had to be handled very slowly and carefully. Fill dirt was added until we reached a level about 1-1/2 feet below the edge of the roof on the back of the building. At that point, we laid a 6'-wide sheet of 4-mil polyethylene along the entire length of the building, to prevent water draining off the roof from running directly down along the wall. The plastic was secured beneath the shingles and flashing, and then the remainder of the fill was moved into place.
Rather than attempt to compact the earth as we went (since doing so might have damaged or shifted the insulation), we simply filled all the way up to the roof edge and let the dirt settle of its own accord. (As of this writing, we've seen just about a foot of drop along the back wall.)
We managed to get the roof sodded and some rye grass started on the berms before our first heavy frost . . . so from the outside at least, MOTHER's house is really beginning to take shape. The greenhouse is going up as this article is written, and much of the ductwork for the solar heating setup is already in place! In our next installment, we'll be able to show you just how our hybrid passive heating system works!
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