Re: [papercreters] Re: Walk in cooler

Adobe structures typically maintain a temperature 20% below ambient in
temperature.
When it is 100 outside it will be approximately 80 inside.
The structure I suggested will be a bit better if you use the thick
stucco layers inside and , if possible outside.
A double layer roof with aluminum underneath the first will reflect a
great deal of the solar radiation. An 18" this insulation would be
advisable for the roof. One of the beauties of the rice is it allows
you a very thick roof at a fraction of the weight . Of course
cellulose is even lighter but the cost goes way up. The roof is 80
percent of the summer heat load.

In Austin I would use a dirt , cement , or tile floor with no
insulation underneath. The advantage of using the heat sink of the
earth in summer is greater than any loss in the short Central Texas
winter.

If 70 degrees is satisfactory that will take a very small a/c . If you
don't know how to size them hire a pro because the trick is to build a
system that runs continually. Often a multi-stage unit is most
efficient. There are few things more important in the efficiency of
cooling than the ac itself. The upfront cost is not the most important
but long term efficiency. I had a house in Houston in the 80's that
was built in 1911 and leaked badly. Similar houses in that
neighborhood , Northside off North Main Street , had light bills of
250 to 300 in the summer. Mine never hit 100 because I had a carrier 3
stage . I paid 2 grand more than I had to but it was well worth the
extra.

If you need the 50 degrees you mentioned before you will need to get a
pro to suggest the equipment. Finding a used unit to salvage the doors
at least might be a good idea.
A good a/c should give you 65 if it is sized correctly.








On 6/21/12, highdesertpermaculture <christine@bayhouse.com> wrote:
>
>
> How do you intend to actually cool it?
>
> I know that basements can be kept at around 70 "or so", but above ground
> that'll take serious electricity. We're building a farmstand right now and
> I sure wish we could store fruit and veggie for sale.
>
> Christine
>
> --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "brightsideatx" <farump@...> wrote:
>>
>> Howdy!
>> I'm designing a new walk in cooler to be built via a workshop format for
>> an urban farming non profit here in Austin, TX. I want to keep this thing
>> at or below 50F year round but never frozen. It gets up to 110 here some
>> days, and can be over 90 every day for six months at a time, sometimes
>> humid, sometimes dry, sometimes thunder storms, and freezing maybe ten
>> days a year. I started out thinking of using straw bale, but I'm
>> concerned it would rot due to constant condensation in the bale wall.
>> Then I thought earthbag, but apparently it's not very insulative unless
>> you can fill it with volcanic scoria gravel which we do not have here.
>> I'm going for a more eco friendly and cheaper option than shed with foam
>> panels, so what do you think, is papercrete the thing to use? What is the
>> optimal mix for insulating / structural walls?
>> Is it feasible to pour a papercrete floor over some gravel and sand bags
>> to insulate from the earth as well? Do you think it would be a moldy
>> mess?
>> This thing needs to be as cheap and easy to build as possible, any
>> thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
>> Thanks!
>>
>
>
>


--
Forrest Charnock


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