# Anyone using earth tubes or have info?



## RebStew (Aug 23, 2013)

I am going to build a small camping/hunting shack on the property. In the summer it can get pretty hot and the winters are not too bad but with old age comes bad bones and if I shiver I feel like my back is busting into pieces. 

So I heard about people using these earth tubes. In a 15X15 shack this sounds like the way to make it A LOT more comfortable. I can run solar for a small light at night and a small fan to push the air through the tubes. 

This is all new to me and it seems so simple I don't know why more people don't use them. Does anyone on here use them? What are the pros and cons? One of the biggest worries I have is making sure the water drains so nothing nasty grows in there and it doesn't shoot it through the air into the shack.

I have looked around on the forum and haven't seen anything if I have over looked something like this does anyone have the link?

Thanks


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## RebStew (Aug 23, 2013)

Another thought I had was using a earth tube in a green house. Sun in the day would keep the heat up inside and at night the tubes would feed air from the ground well above the freezing point. If it works I could grow year round I would think? Yes, No??


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I have used the idea indirectly but here it is only really practical for cooling. Condensation is definitely an issue but it can be dealt with in different ways. For the greenhouse it might be practical but adding a lot of thermal mass may do the job more reliably depending on your area.

I like the idea but putting it into practice is not always that efficient, it is surprising how much resistance is in a pipe or duct and how much air is need to transfer much heat.

I hope more people will chime in or you will let us know if you go ahead with anything. This is essentially geothermal except those systems usually use a liquid medium, so it can be approached similarly in terms of surface area etc.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

https://www.thenaturalhome.com/earthtube.htm

this should be a link to what you are looking for. Natural Earth heat exchangers is the concept. Nothing new just not something your local mortgage company is going to get excited about. Good luck. GB

Also look under Wikipedia for it.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

I assume you are talking about Geo-thermal heating/cooling when you say "earth Tubes". I have no experience with them as I don't use them, but I know of people who have had them installed in new homes and while they are effective, they can be cost prohibitive if professionally installed. I don't see the use in putting something like that in a hunting shack, when a small wood stove would be easier and more cost effective.


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## RebStew (Aug 23, 2013)

camo2460 said:


> I assume you are talking about Geo-thermal heating/cooling when you say "earth Tubes". .


 Most think of Geo-thermal as a wet system. This is the same but it's air being pushed. I seen a home on a tv show that was a green house. They had a small room in the middle that had metal culvert run 150' through their yard and 10' down and used this for a.c. They had a freezer temp gauge sitting in this small unclosed room and it read right on 67 degrees. It used a small solar fan to push the air from the house through the pipe.


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

Thank you my friend for the clarification, you're right I was thinking of a wet system. The set up I seen was a coil of pipe at the bottom of a pond and had some type of fluid pumped through it. Beyond that I have no Idea what I'm talking about. LOL I just know it was VERY expensive.


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## RebStew (Aug 23, 2013)

RebStew said:


> Most think of Geo-thermal as a wet system. This is the same but it's air being pushed. I seen a home on a tv show that was a green house. They had a small room in the middle that had metal culvert run 150' through their yard and 10' down and used this for a.c. They had a freezer temp gauge sitting in this small unclosed room and it read right on 67 degrees. It used a small solar fan to push the air from the house through the pipe.


I should say it was not a glass house for plants when I say it was a green house I seen on tv. Built green. But as stated if I built a green house for growing I think this would come in handy for winter growing. I hope I'm not confusing everyone. I think I'm getting confused and I wrote it.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

RebStew said:


> I should say it was not a glass house for plants when I say it was a green house I seen on tv. Built green. But as stated if I built a green house for growing I think this would come in handy for winter growing. I hope I'm not confusing everyone. I think I'm getting confused and I wrote it.


I was thinking, well not sure how well it will work for air conditioning if it is drawing from a greenhouse

I have seen similar things with like 2"or 4" pvc and it is pretty marginal because of all the inefficiencies imo, but if you can get something like small culvert or maybe 6" hose it would likely be more feasible. There are also passive designs where people use Thermosiphoning.

One way I have used it is to cool a piece of equipment by drawing air from a below ground conduit but that's about all I can say about that


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## anthonyc12 (Sep 25, 2013)

They are extensively used in Europe. I am not a fan, though. While evaluations have shown that when designed and executed properly there are no concerns for contamination - things do go wrong. The safer alternative is a brine-to-air ground heat exchanger. But economically, this only makes sense in the more severe climates of zone 3.


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## -JohnD- (Sep 16, 2012)

Here is some info on what I think you are wanting. http://mb-soft.com/solar/intake.html Have not seen it in use but sounded interesting.


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## RebStew (Aug 23, 2013)

Interesting reading for sure. I hadn't seen that page before. Thanks for the link.


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## -JohnD- (Sep 16, 2012)

You are quite welcome!


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Geothermal cooling*

Geothermal cooling can be accomplished using an earth tube.

The tube should open in a shaded area and have a screen and filter over the opening. It needs to be eight to ten feet deep in order to pass through the 55 degree soil. It should run at an uphill slope to the dwelling to allow condensed water to drain back out the open end. Cool air is drawn through the tube by an exhaust fan in the roof.


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