I have a class A tractor with a 38 hp Mitsubishi diesel engine I let a neighbor of mine borrow, along with the proper equipment to level a 40' X 60' piece of uneven ground on his property to build his shop on while I was going to be gone away out of state having some critical surgery. I even gave him my grease gun and a case of grease tubes I had it my truck with instructions on how to grease it each day he used it. When I got back 12 weeks later, he had used my tractor and equipment like a bulldozer for his 15 acres, never lubed 1 zert or used 1 tube of grease. He tore the ball joints completely off of the front of the tractor and destroyed the rear brakes and drums. Over $9K for me to fix it and never again!
@@stevem1081 You never lend stuff. The one and only time I did, it came back broken with no explanation about how it happened or what they could do to fix it.
@@Jeff-jg7jh On a rare occasion I have, but if its a 20.00 pair of pliers, I ask for a 20.00 deposit, with the rules if you break it, or keep it over a week, no refund. Most don't want to borrow after I tell them that.
Ive done some earth tubes and have recomendations. A strong fishing line permanently installed thru tubes for regular cleanout disinfection. A sump where condensation collects, this can be harvested for drip on fruit trees. A intake house with filtration and particle settling before entry to tube. Ease of cleanout for maintenance on this. Cob works good. You can do conventional up/down flows before up to tube with final screen. A alternative would be cyclone/ vortex flows to settle particulate matter. Ive worked in alkali desert ecosystems where dust is a huge issue. My mom noticed less dust coming in house with imput from tubes causing positive air displacement of plenum of structure. Good luck
I am so glad that your trenches held and you were safe. I am also glad that you were safe from the snake. I believe God is watching out for you as you perform your daily work. I am especially grateful for your excellent video and the tractor loan. What a blessing. This is such an exciting series on the build. Have a great week! Thank you!
💜 Happy for you two to be finished with the Earth Tubes. I can hardly believe it. Jim you are my hero. My son is building his family home by himself & working his 9 to 5. Some weekends two of his teenage kids come out to help. His wife has an autoimmune disease & can only help when her health permits. I'm so proud of him for keeping on even though so many unexpected & unplanned things happen. You & Jess have had a lot of bumps in the road the last few years yet you have made adjustments to the design of your dream. You give folks hope & make your followers proud. 💜
Your both very hard workers and your living the life that makes y'all happy and free!!!! Been watching y'all from the beginning, so happy y'all didn't give up, keep your dreams alive, love and prayers 🙏🙏
My neighbor has a tractor too I've known him since we were in the 5th grade we've been realy close friends. He gave me a key and said I could use it whenever I would like to.
When I first tuned in, you were finishing the sistern and starting the first bags on the house. YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY TOWARDS COMPLETION/OCCUPANCY FULL TIME. CONGRADULATIONS!
Like you, I started when they had 2 holes in the ground and starting their bagging. They have come a long way, just enjoy both Jim and Jess and their vision.
Insulate the pipes as they come up into the hot soil near the surface. Copper window screen to keep the bugs out. A shade box over the inlet and a fan box around the exit.
We use those for centuries in south France, 2 things... 1 - you need to collect condensation at the lowest part of the tube, seems you did not did it 2 - tube should come out in the house, not diagonally passing through the hot outside sand, this will reduce the overall performance.
They never address any actual good criticism in their comments. This is a good constructive criticism comment, and if they can’t take any criticisms at all, it just means they have the egos at the developmental stage of children.
Im thinking if this is a problem to wrap the pipes with insulation. What I don't understand is why she looks likes she's about to cry after all that work.
each to their own, he did say there'll be another video explaining things. and at least they are giving it a go and if something doesn't work then they can learn and make improvements. I wish I had shitloads of space for neat projects but not in a desert.
Apart from this awesome display of ingenuity, I also see a beautiful display of love. You two are awesome! ❤ Never stop! These things restore my hope for the human experience on 🌎!
Watching your videos is always a pleasure. You have a unique ability to make construction projects look easy and fun. Your positive attitude and expert guidance are incredibly motivating. Keep inspiring us with your fantastic work!
Looking forward to the explanation of the tube, because this is the first time I seen something like it. God bless and thank you to the kind neighbor. ❤️🙏
The air underground regulates to the ground temp, usually 65-73F depending on region and ground temp for each season. As the air moves through the tube from hot air leaving an exhaust flow out of the top of the house, it draws in the much cooler air. It can also be aided by fans at one end of the tube.
I just want to see if it really works. I haven't followed the build or what kind of expertise he has on these systems . I just wonder if the issues with condensation have been considered? It seems to me I watched on TH-cam it isn't just putting pipes in the ground.
@@yroy27 you should watch both parts, he drilled holes for draining condensation in the pipes. I believe most of these air systems create a bed a few degrees lower on one side to drain into a sump and either let the ground absorb the water (if it's a dry enough environment) or install a pump. But you'd have to ensure the pipes have no sag for water to pool. His way will probably be ok if the ground that deep never gets saturated and having holes in each pipe will prevent pooling. The pipes are laying on a bed of gravel to facilitate draining.
When moving a tractor from forward to reverse it is best to use the foot feed throttle to have the engine running at low rpm to minimize strain on the drivetrain.
This concept reminds me of the same thing this guy in Nebraska did with a huge greenhouse. He grows citrus trees, and all kinds of tropical fruits in Nebraska all year round even in winter by using that deep pipe system.❤
I admire your unique solution for self-sustaining living. Having some experience in HVAC and potable water systems, I would like to raise three concerns and recommend you ask the advice of a microbiologist and an indoor air quality expert... of which I am neither. (However) 1: Condensation may build up in those pipes, enough that it may restrict the air flow. 2: With condensation, a very resilient bacteria or mildew may grow in that wet environment and become airborne for you to breath in. 3: Without a silt filter, the tubes will clog over time with an outflow of water... and the newly excavated trenches will collect rain water due to loss of compaction. You may have already engineered these possibilities into your design, but just wanted to raise a reminder of any unforseen/unplanned for concerns. Some mildews and bacterias going airborne can have adverse health effects on both the healthy and the vulnerable - if not planned for in design and maintenance.
Exactly what I was going to say about growth inside the pipes. Breathing the air coming from those pipes in a few years may be very bad for their health. I think there needs to be some sort of air to air heat exchanger to be safe - so none of the air inside those pipes gets inside the home.
This is actually a commonly raised issue, the solution I have heard works best is, dry climate, and a nylon cord with a rag that you run through the pipes to clean them.
You know in 1981. I proposed this to my Belated father. I was 13 at the time. And he told me it would not work. I shared the idea with other over the years. Glad someone did it. Now if I can get people to use Spray on truck bed liner for the roof in place of roofing tiles.
I'm still waiting for them to paint white on roofs to reflect sun rays back out the atmosphere instead of absorbing them and contributing more to global warming if people are so worried about that.
Just started to watch your Channel with this entire project love the teamwork you and your wife have your voice over is very easy to understand For This Old Man can't wait till you finish this entire project I'll be watching everyone
Congratulations people and puppies..your doing a wonderful job with love and friendship. Persistent and hard work. Your much appreciated..your viewing friends Kerri and Moodich (woof woof).stay strong stay healthy be happy ☆ from Gladstone Qld Australia..
I need to watch the whole thing. I thought cool tubes would be dropping cool air from a higher elevation, since warm air rises. But I guess the warm air from underground would be cooler than the air in the house. Hmm. Just trying to understand the physics of it. Once upon a time I was very interested in this idea, but didn't get to try it out. Glad you are getting to do it. Seems like a LOT of tractor work and pipes and all, but you've done a really great job! Thanks for sharing; hope it always functions perfectly for you. God bless.
Hi Jim and Jess, looking forward to the next. When I see your thumbnail it’s the first to watch, been following for some time. The dream is getting closer to what you want. Stay safe and healthy.
Yay! Chalk another innovative project up as done ☑ I can't wait to see the next phase in the works, I already know Jess has a few cool new ideas to surprise us in the upcoming phases of your build. I'm looking forward to seeing the video you put together to help us understand better how this will work keeping you cool in the desert. I'm happy you have such a good neighbor to make those big jobs a little easier. Have a great week! ❤
I have seen this type of system used on a new custom house. The difference was they used treated 15" pipes that were put in a 10 foot deep ditch. Not sure how many feet the trench was, but it used a blower motor. The intake was inside the home as well as the return. So it sucked the warm air out of the house, though the pipe and back into the house. Average return air was 72 degrees.
If those pipes are left out in the sun you should spray paint them to keep the UV rays from breaking down the pvc pipe. Stay with white spray paint unless you want to brush it on.
Thanks for another informative video. You do the most useful things and fire up my brain. I’ve actually been looking at wind tunnels but this looks more practical. Loving your progress
uv rays will break down the pvc pipe. You can spray paint them and that will put a protective coating on them. You can paint them to blend in, or stand out so you don't run over them.
Second hand roofing screws do same job as new ones. I once bought $3000 to $6000 dollars of second hand roofing screws for $20 at trash and treasure tip sales place as they had to remove roof screws from roofing iron before they sold it. Was just lucky to be there on day they sold them.
Depends on where you live it rains a lot where I'm at and we have problems with the rubber seals on new screws holding up so there's no way I would reuse one for anything other than maybe attaching metal to the side of a shed
I a have installed a similar air duct system, but went with perforated pipe laid over a thick bed of 1" gravel. I then put a layer of plastic membrane over the top before they were buried. My logic was that any moisture would drain out, and the pupes would remain dry thus minimizing bacterias, and the risk of condensation building up and filling the pipe. Im interested to see how your solid pipes work out. In the event you need to keep pumping them dry, you could probably dig in one spot and place a pea gravel well under the lowest point of the piping, and just put perf pipe in that short section... I hope the best for you, and applaud your hard work and progress! God bless!
A friend did this back in the late 70's ,, tubes layed just above the shallow water table ( 63° water ). Works extreemly well ,even in winter when the air temp is in the teens the water is still in the 60's
After watching the ENORMOUS amount of work in both videos of the pipe installation, and the costs of all the materials, your time invested, tools needed, my thought is to install a mini split A/C system with solar panel inputs and battery backup. Mr Cool and some other manufacturers makes several that have direct inputs for solar panels and it looks like you guys live in the desert which would mean when the sun is shining which it does a lot of the year, the panels are getting what they need at zero cost to operate. If you bought some batteries for power storage, you could prolong the A/C even for cloudy days/weeks but I think you would hardly ever have an issue with it honestly.
We are 100 percent on solar. Although the cost of this equals a mini split initially. This system will far outlast a mini split and runs 24/7 rain or shine.
I did that with old 12" concrete tubes in 1981. 50' in length on gravel. ran two tubes into the house. contractor that built the house put them down probably 8 feet at an angle so any condensation would drain befor coming into the house. had 12" fan in each and grill in the flooring.
In the last comprehensive video about the system I would address the problem of radon gas infiltrating the pipe via the hole in the bottom of each pipe. Some areas have radon gas in the soil. I would recommend testing the output of these pipes regardless of fresh outside air entering at the far end.
They won't listen. About 4 videos ago, there were about 4 major red flag concerns _A LOT_ of people tried to help with. They got upset & called everyone chicken brains. Now they have perforated tubes subject to radon & water infiltration & PSI damage with the rocks they used. They say a book told them to so it's best just to let them learn the hard way.
We didn't call anyone that comments on our videos chicken brains. Lol. It was a general talk about bullying. We'll address all the concerns in the next video.👍
@@EarthCreature. I suspect the book may have been written by Hans Christian Anderson, entitled, The Emperor`s New Clothes. He didnt listen to folks either :)
Great job getting the tubes in! Good luck using the geothermal cooling for the house. Even if you are forced to augment the flow with fans the power requirements will be extremely low.
I started watching you when you first started the sistern along with the 5 other subscribers so long ago and look at you now!!! Very proud of you n your success
I was much earlier than the cistern and there were more than 5 subscribers. I was just before the first bags. I want to say they had 9K, but that was a while ago.
My uncle worked at these gas compressor stations near Medicine Hat AB and the rattle snakes would get in the buildings where it was warm but noisy so he couldn't hear them. He would sink 50 gallon barrels in the yards and the snakes would fall in them. This one time he had 2 rattlers in the loft of the garage in a cage. He brought them to the back alley that was paved and let them out. He had 2 flat shovels that he directed them with. I sat on the fence not wanting to be anywhere close to getting bit. He would let them go back into the country side. He must have practiced lots. Sometimes we would ride bikes out to his work and you could hear them warning you that they were there. Nature -- isn't it beautiful!
Allways wanted an underground house because of the constant temperature. I wired a couple in the 70s. Should work good with out going to the extreme of moving underground. New Sub.
Your AC project is coming along great, Y'all! Can't wait to see it in action. And you're missing out on some good grillin' by relocating those rattlers! 😋
Just thought i would mention that each roof rafter should be tied to beams with triple grips and carbon steel clouts (were called tech nails years ago) or at a minimum a metal strap for each end of roof rafters to prevent the whole thing blowing off in a storm. Attaching roofing iron does not require the whole thing to be done in a minimum of time. Attaching 1 to 5 sheets of roofing iron a day gets it on and reduces chances of cooking skin in the sun. Less heat from sun when attaching roofing iron if putting a bit on in early morning or in afternoon before or near sunset. Roofing iron screws are 100 times better than using nails if you want the corrugated iron to stay attached to the roof frame. If roofing batens are attached to frame they should be attached using roof batten screws. They have internal hex requiring a hex bit of correct size. (Would need more than 1 hex bit for when you lose it, and they are small.) (Before leaving hardware shop you check that hex bit is correct size for batten screws unlesd you want to drive back to get correct hex bit of correct size. )Roofing screws and batten screws require a strong variable speed, reversable drill to use or the drill will overheat and stop working. If not attaching roof battens then the more nogin type timber placed between roof rafters the better as that is where most roof screws are normally attached. Roofing iron is attached at lowest point first to have overlapped sheeting keep water out. Overlaps should be 5 or 6 inches.Biger overlap helps keep storm rain out. Best not to put all screws into first sheet of roofing iron or you will have to remove highest line of roof screws to attach the higher overlapping sheet of roofing iron. Roofing screws screwing into air do not achieve very much other than putting holes into roof. Fix is called silicone and caulking gun or extra timber nogin as roofing screw attaches better to timber than air. Also as roofing iron sheets are placed side by side the roof srews of the last line do not get screwed into place untill the overlaping side sheet is placed over it as those roofing screws go through 2 sheets of roofing iron. If wanting to keep heat out of building sisalation can be used between roofing timber and roofing iron making things much more anoying to get done. Would likely only use sisalation to help keep heat or cold out of a single room to make either season better to cope with. Bracing or walls are what prevent the whole thing blowing over in a storm once roofing iron is on. A big storm does not care if having no bracing under the roof makes everything look better. The big storm wants as little bracing as possible to blow the thing over onto the ground. 😊
Greetings Y'all wow I love the geothermal air conditioning, I remember the first time reading about it in I believe it was a Mother Earth News magazine ( remember that one Jim?) in the 60s! You guys are hard workers! but its paying off, its so neat to watch your progress and enthusiasm bout the project at hand. Keep up the work, its gonna be great. I agree with the comment lets get these guys to a 100K subs guys tell your friends. Doksa (later) y'all.
Hey good afternoon you guys look like you guys are doing a good job keep up the good work almost there and now you'll be able to start burying things again and start to the next project
Lots of Questions: Blessings to you both and thank you so much for sharing your journey. How exciting! My husband and I are researching Earth Tubing for our home and future green house. Ok, here are our questions. 1. Where do you find out how long and how deep the tubes need to be? 2. What are the depth of your trenches? 3. What temperature do you anticipate to achieve in your living space at your current depth? 4. During monsoon season, how do you know the tubes will not fill up with water and cut off the air flow since there are holes in the bottom of pipe? 5. I noticed you didn't use any cloth or fabric around your pipes to prevent fine materials from entering and wondering if that step is needed or not. Thank you again for sharing and we pray blessings and the Lords favor over you all!! From Tim and Jenny :o)
I just found this, it would help if you had provided a brief description of your project, of how or why and what benefits you expect from all of this work. I have never heard of such a method.
Now you can build a small cob structure to house the inlets to make the air going in even cooler, plus it protects the inlets from water splashing. Harder to damage them, and you could burn some incense inside, or plant aromatic herbs outside(or near inlets but without protecting structure) to get more than just cool air. You might need to haul in some clay for the cob.
I will need to check back and see if this works. I always thought the ideal way would be to trench and bury 3/4 or 1" pex, like 400 or 500 ft of it, about 3 or 4 feet down, and run a loop to a radiator with a fan on it, whatever voltage u need, and a recirculating pump to pump glycol or antifreeze/water solution through it, down into the ground and back into the unit, then you always have like a 60 degree radiator with a fan on it. I believe the liquid would allow quicker exchange of temperature, than just air tubes. I haven't done either, I thought of this idea also, as a way of getting fresh air, but my intake would be like a chimni vent, and need a filter over the fresh intake and got more complicated than a closed loop imo.
great video, great plan to utilize the temperature of the earth at a depth of 4 or 5 feet. Where you live, I would guess that would be around 70 degrees.
Ya... i was thinking the same thing.. but worried about water dust and critters getting inside.. thinking of glycol myself and radiator ... but lets see how u do..good test for the rest of us 😅😅..good job..hopefully you show how its going as it gets older
I've heard of this system before, but I've never seen it put into practice. I'm a new subscriber and I'll be checking out previous videos related to the process and watching for the wrap up video. Good work!
Conceptually, the cooling system makes sense. But there is no way to clean the long tubes buried underground. There will be condensation as part of the heating and cooling process, and moisture will inevitably lead to mold growth. Folks in Arizona, my family included, know all too well how fast mold can grow. Do you have any contingencies for mold growth? I would worry about the air quality as the cooled air is going directly into the house. Thanks. 🇺🇸
If you want rattle snakes to stay off of your property, have the man take leaks around the area, most of snakes senses are scent based, and they will stay away from the affected area.
Nice, screens over the ends, are always a good idea. Ya don't want somethin small jumping in, getting stuck and dying, you'd have to dig up the tub to clean it out.
I used 6” flanged irrigation pipe, 9’ depth150’ length. Forcing air from the intake into the building with 1 solar panel, 1- 12v deep cycle marine battery,and a charge controller; which powers a 12v 800cfm, automotive radiator cooling fan. System cools a 12’x12’ cabin to between 75-85 degrees , depending on time of year in west Texas. Works as a heater in winter as well. Works well but my mid summer ground temp ( at depth) is 80 degrees. In spring I get 70 degree air, but it slowly creeps up, topping out in August. My system cost me 2500 dollars, most of it excavation(1700). Pipe was 1.00 ft. Air handling gear was 350.00. And I had a little metal fabrication for the 90’s. Overall I was ok with the performance, but will go deeper on my next attempt in order to get 70 degree air in summer.
I’m sure that’s true. The fan is by no means producing the cfm it is rated, at the register. My thought in the long single tube was to allow the air to flow at about walking speed to gain desired ground temp. I’m just a carpenter guessing at all this. A good hvac person would help me immensely (: thanks for the advice. It’s appreciated
I know budget is a issue but one mini excavator and a skid steer and this would have been a one day job max 2. I pick my battles but time cost also. Looking forward to seeing it work
From the ones I’ve seen a small fan to move the air makes it work ok , I’m interested to see how yall are going to make this work, I’ve got faith in ya 👍😀
You could've used a masonry block to keep the pipes a foot apart, plus they wouldn't move on you. You're getting quite good operating that heavy equipment!
I know the concept is sound, how did you decided on the pipe sizing and air flow cfm? A similar system in Missouri fails in a short time because the condensation collects in the pipe and eventually fills up with water to block the air flow, not to mention the musty smell and mold in the house issue that came with it.
are you adding a dark/black chimney to the house to use solar warming of the air inside to pull the hot air from the house and have the return air come from the pipes?
I have a class A tractor with a 38 hp Mitsubishi diesel engine I let a neighbor of mine borrow, along with the proper equipment to level a 40' X 60' piece of uneven ground on his property to build his shop on while I was going to be gone away out of state having some critical surgery. I even gave him my grease gun and a case of grease tubes I had it my truck with instructions on how to grease it each day he used it. When I got back 12 weeks later, he had used my tractor and equipment like a bulldozer for his 15 acres, never lubed 1 zert or used 1 tube of grease. He tore the ball joints completely off of the front of the tractor and destroyed the rear brakes and drums. Over $9K for me to fix it and never again!
There are some people who just never should be allowed to be near equipment.😔
That's why my equipment and tools last me a lifetime, I don't let others use them.
@@stevem1081 You want to borrow my tools, the operator comes with them.
@@stevem1081 You never lend stuff. The one and only time I did, it came back broken with no explanation about how it happened or what they could do to fix it.
@@Jeff-jg7jh On a rare occasion I have, but if its a 20.00 pair of pliers, I ask for a 20.00 deposit, with the rules if you break it, or keep it over a week, no refund. Most don't want to borrow after I tell them that.
Ive done some earth tubes and have recomendations. A strong fishing line permanently installed thru tubes for regular cleanout disinfection. A sump where condensation collects, this can be harvested for drip on fruit trees. A intake house with filtration and particle settling before entry to tube. Ease of cleanout for maintenance on this. Cob works good. You can do conventional up/down flows before up to tube with final screen. A alternative would be cyclone/ vortex flows to settle particulate matter. Ive worked in alkali desert ecosystems where dust is a huge issue. My mom noticed less dust coming in house with imput from tubes causing positive air displacement of plenum of structure. Good luck
Nothing in life is better than a Good helper dog!👍🏼👍🏼
yeah and you just hope he dont get bit by some rattlesnake that some guy saved and relocated
I am so glad that your trenches held and you were safe. I am also glad that you were safe from the snake. I believe God is watching out for you as you perform your daily work. I am especially grateful for your excellent video and the tractor loan. What a blessing. This is such an exciting series on the build. Have a great week! Thank you!
💜 Happy for you two to be finished with the Earth Tubes. I can hardly believe it. Jim you are my hero. My son is building his family home by himself & working his 9 to 5. Some weekends two of his teenage kids come out to help. His wife has an autoimmune disease & can only help when her health permits. I'm so proud of him for keeping on even though so many unexpected & unplanned things happen. You & Jess have had a lot of bumps in the road the last few years yet you have made adjustments to the design of your dream. You give folks hope & make your followers proud. 💜
Your both very hard workers and your living the life that makes y'all happy and free!!!! Been watching y'all from the beginning, so happy y'all didn't give up, keep your dreams alive, love and prayers 🙏🙏
My neighbor has a tractor too I've known him since we were in the 5th grade we've been realy close friends. He gave me a key and said I could use it whenever I would like to.
Really appreciate you showing the earth tube project !
When I first tuned in, you were finishing the sistern and starting the first bags on the house. YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY TOWARDS COMPLETION/OCCUPANCY FULL TIME. CONGRADULATIONS!
That's when I started watching too
Like you, I started when they had 2 holes in the ground and starting their bagging. They have come a long way, just enjoy both Jim and Jess and their vision.
Congratulations take 5. Well done Jim and Jess. Hard work always pays off. ❤
Blessings to Your Neighbor for the Tractor Assistance!
Insulate the pipes as they come up into the hot soil near the surface. Copper window screen to keep the bugs out. A shade box over the inlet and a fan box around the exit.
Valid info but they won't listen to people who try to help. I bet they'll understand later though
Was thinking the same thing
@@rick5793 coulda figured that they save rattlesnakes....jesus
We use those for centuries in south France, 2 things...
1 - you need to collect condensation at the lowest part of the tube, seems you did not did it
2 - tube should come out in the house, not diagonally passing through the hot outside sand, this will reduce the overall performance.
They never address any actual good criticism in their comments.
This is a good constructive criticism comment, and if they can’t take any criticisms at all, it just means they have the egos at the developmental stage of children.
You'll have to check out the next video for the complete build. I think you may have missed some parts.
Im thinking if this is a problem to wrap the pipes with insulation. What I don't understand is why she looks likes she's about to cry after all that work.
@@silvestor3632 Yeah, she was pretty quiet.
each to their own, he did say there'll be another video explaining things.
and at least they are giving it a go and if something doesn't work then they can learn and make improvements. I wish I had shitloads of space for neat projects but not in a desert.
Apart from this awesome display of ingenuity, I also see a beautiful display of love. You two are awesome! ❤ Never stop! These things restore my hope for the human experience on 🌎!
Watching your videos is always a pleasure. You have a unique ability to make construction projects look easy and fun. Your positive attitude and expert guidance are incredibly motivating. Keep inspiring us with your fantastic work!
That's amazing. You have to share the difference it has made for you two.
So happy you found the right angle for your piping. Many blessings from North Texas.❤
Looking forward to the explanation of the tube, because this is the first time I seen something like it. God bless and thank you to the kind neighbor. ❤️🙏
Air conditioning
The air underground regulates to the ground temp, usually 65-73F depending on region and ground temp for each season. As the air moves through the tube from hot air leaving an exhaust flow out of the top of the house, it draws in the much cooler air. It can also be aided by fans at one end of the tube.
I just want to see if it really works. I haven't followed the build or what kind of expertise he has on these systems . I just wonder if the issues with condensation have been considered? It seems to me I watched on TH-cam it isn't just putting pipes in the ground.
@@yroy27 you should watch both parts, he drilled holes for draining condensation in the pipes. I believe most of these air systems create a bed a few degrees lower on one side to drain into a sump and either let the ground absorb the water (if it's a dry enough environment) or install a pump. But you'd have to ensure the pipes have no sag for water to pool.
His way will probably be ok if the ground that deep never gets saturated and having holes in each pipe will prevent pooling. The pipes are laying on a bed of gravel to facilitate draining.
@@Yuriel1981I believe once you get around 5' or deeper the ground temperature is in the upper 50s even in desert climates
When moving a tractor from forward to reverse it is best to use the foot feed throttle to have the engine running at low rpm to minimize strain on the drivetrain.
Please give thanks to your neighbor on my behalf for letting you used his tractor! He’s a nice person!
This concept reminds me of the same thing this guy in Nebraska did with a huge greenhouse. He grows citrus trees, and all kinds of tropical fruits in Nebraska all year round even in winter by using that deep pipe system.❤
Yes! But I think his system was much deeper.
His system is deeper and has a bĺower to circulate the air
I admire your unique solution for self-sustaining living. Having some experience in HVAC and potable water systems, I would like to raise three concerns and recommend you ask the advice of a microbiologist and an indoor air quality expert... of which I am neither. (However) 1: Condensation may build up in those pipes, enough that it may restrict the air flow. 2: With condensation, a very resilient bacteria or mildew may grow in that wet environment and become airborne for you to breath in. 3: Without a silt filter, the tubes will clog over time with an outflow of water... and the newly excavated trenches will collect rain water due to loss of compaction. You may have already engineered these possibilities into your design, but just wanted to raise a reminder of any unforseen/unplanned for concerns. Some mildews and bacterias going airborne can have adverse health effects on both the healthy and the vulnerable - if not planned for in design and maintenance.
Exactly what I was going to say about growth inside the pipes. Breathing the air coming from those pipes in a few years may be very bad for their health. I think there needs to be some sort of air to air heat exchanger to be safe - so none of the air inside those pipes gets inside the home.
You make a lot of sense especially about condensation build up..Hope couple read your input.
This is actually a commonly raised issue, the solution I have heard works best is, dry climate, and a nylon cord with a rag that you run through the pipes to clean them.
Glad you got that done. Thanks to the neighbor for allowing them to use your tractor. Hope it works good. ❤
YUEVIE Your dog is roaming in the tall weeds, and grass , where the RATTLESNAKE was released 😮😮
The cob on the pipe joints reminds me of city water systems where they pour concrete on some corners and risers so the joints don't blow apart.
You know in 1981. I proposed this to my Belated father. I was 13 at the time. And he told me it would not work. I shared the idea with other over the years. Glad someone did it. Now if I can get people to use Spray on truck bed liner for the roof in place of roofing tiles.
Coating a roof with spray on truck bed liner might even work, I have a leak in a shed roof that I ight try it on. Thanks for the idea.
@@GlenSpiveyFlex seal works good too.
Solar panels
I'm still waiting for them to paint white on roofs to reflect sun rays back out the atmosphere instead of absorbing them and contributing more to global warming if people are so worried about that.
@@sethualtaylor2948 solar roofing good for that too, esp remote power off grid w a battery
Just started to watch your Channel with this entire project love the teamwork you and your wife have your voice over is very easy to understand For This Old Man can't wait till you finish this entire project I'll be watching everyone
Congratulations people and puppies..your doing a wonderful job with love and friendship. Persistent and hard work. Your much appreciated..your viewing friends Kerri and Moodich (woof woof).stay strong stay healthy be happy ☆ from Gladstone Qld Australia..
I need to watch the whole thing. I thought cool tubes would be dropping cool air from a higher elevation, since warm air rises. But I guess the warm air from underground would be cooler than the air in the house. Hmm. Just trying to understand the physics of it. Once upon a time I was very interested in this idea, but didn't get to try it out. Glad you are getting to do it. Seems like a LOT of tractor work and pipes and all, but you've done a really great job! Thanks for sharing; hope it always functions perfectly for you. God bless.
Good persistence throughout the project. Thanks for showing us your work.
Really interesting, can't wait to see how well the pipes help cool things!
Hi Jim and Jess, looking forward to the next. When I see your thumbnail it’s the first to watch, been following for some time. The dream is getting closer to what you want. Stay safe and healthy.
That is a formidable beautiful pup. Like your work
Yay! Chalk another innovative project up as done ☑ I can't wait to see the next phase in the works, I already know Jess has a few cool new ideas to surprise us in the upcoming phases of your build. I'm looking forward to seeing the video you put together to help us understand better how this will work keeping you cool in the desert. I'm happy you have such a good neighbor to make those big jobs a little easier. Have a great week! ❤
I have seen this type of system used on a new custom house. The difference was they used treated 15" pipes that were put in a 10 foot deep ditch. Not sure how many feet the trench was, but it used a blower motor. The intake was inside the home as well as the return. So it sucked the warm air out of the house, though the pipe and back into the house. Average return air was 72 degrees.
makes SO MUCH more sense to recirculate air than to take in exterior air
If those pipes are left out in the sun you should spray paint them to keep the UV rays from breaking down the pvc pipe. Stay with white spray paint unless you want to brush it on.
Love you guys! Can’t wait till the day you guys move into your new house!
Thanks for another informative video. You do the most useful things and fire up my brain. I’ve actually been looking at wind tunnels but this looks more practical. Loving your progress
uv rays will break down the pvc pipe. You can spray paint them and that will put a protective coating on them. You can paint them to blend in, or stand out so you don't run over them.
Yes, there are UV protective paints to use also. 👍🧓
Second hand roofing screws do same job as new ones. I once bought $3000 to $6000 dollars of second hand roofing screws for $20 at trash and treasure tip sales place as they had to remove roof screws from roofing iron before they sold it. Was just lucky to be there on day they sold them.
Depends on where you live it rains a lot where I'm at and we have problems with the rubber seals on new screws holding up so there's no way I would reuse one for anything other than maybe attaching metal to the side of a shed
I a have installed a similar air duct system, but went with perforated pipe laid over a thick bed of 1" gravel. I then put a layer of plastic membrane over the top before they were buried.
My logic was that any moisture would drain out, and the pupes would remain dry thus minimizing bacterias, and the risk of condensation building up and filling the pipe.
Im interested to see how your solid pipes work out. In the event you need to keep pumping them dry, you could probably dig in one spot and place a pea gravel well under the lowest point of the piping, and just put perf pipe in that short section... I hope the best for you, and applaud your hard work and progress! God bless!
My first time watching & I’m so impressed! Can’t wait for the next video explaining it all!
Hope all that hard work pays off for you guys in the long run! 😊
You're a determined worker young man. God bless you both.
A friend did this back in the late 70's ,, tubes layed just above the shallow water table ( 63° water ). Works extreemly well ,even in winter when the air temp is in the teens the water is still in the 60's
When making a PVC connection always good to twist the fitting together not just push is straight in.
After watching the ENORMOUS amount of work in both videos of the pipe installation, and the costs of all the materials, your time invested, tools needed, my thought is to install a mini split A/C system with solar panel inputs and battery backup. Mr Cool and some other manufacturers makes several that have direct inputs for solar panels and it looks like you guys live in the desert which would mean when the sun is shining which it does a lot of the year, the panels are getting what they need at zero cost to operate. If you bought some batteries for power storage, you could prolong the A/C even for cloudy days/weeks but I think you would hardly ever have an issue with it honestly.
We are 100 percent on solar. Although the cost of this equals a mini split initially. This system will far outlast a mini split and runs 24/7 rain or shine.
I did that with old 12" concrete tubes in 1981. 50' in length on gravel. ran two tubes into the house. contractor that built the house put them down probably 8 feet at an angle so any condensation would drain befor coming into the house. had 12" fan in each and grill in the flooring.
This is so exciting. I hope you're able to close those ditches before monsoons.
I would suggest critter screens at the "90's" to prevent bugs making a home
He mentions that he will add those
Another great video. Really looking forward to seeing how well it works out for you.🎉🎉🎉
Congratulations on finishing this project! I'd love to see the cool air flow coming out of the tubes!
Filtration will be fun. Filter housings and carbon filters to protect from elements. Neat video.
In the last comprehensive video about the system I would address the problem of radon gas infiltrating the pipe via the hole in the bottom of each pipe. Some areas have radon gas in the soil. I would recommend testing the output of these pipes regardless of fresh outside air entering at the far end.
They won't listen. About 4 videos ago, there were about 4 major red flag concerns _A LOT_ of people tried to help with. They got upset & called everyone chicken brains. Now they have perforated tubes subject to radon & water infiltration & PSI damage with the rocks they used. They say a book told them to so it's best just to let them learn the hard way.
We didn't call anyone that comments on our videos chicken brains. Lol. It was a general talk about bullying. We'll address all the concerns in the next video.👍
@@EarthCreature.
I suspect the book may have been written by Hans Christian Anderson, entitled, The Emperor`s New Clothes. He didnt listen to folks either :)
Only it's actually hype that radon is bad for us. Read What if Radiation is Actually Good for Us. We are always duped about these things.
It would be great to have a video showing experiments on how well the tubes work. I suppose air temperature measurements at the inlets and outlets
Great job getting the tubes in! Good luck using the geothermal cooling for the house. Even if you are forced to augment the flow with fans the power requirements will be extremely low.
My thoughts exactly.. A PC fan hooked up to one end would be great and you can get them battery operated..
I started watching you when you first started the sistern along with the 5 other subscribers so long ago and look at you now!!! Very proud of you n your success
I was much earlier than the cistern and there were more than 5 subscribers. I was just before the first bags. I want to say they had 9K, but that was a while ago.
Thank you neighbor for help Jim, ❤great video jess love the uva clips she likes being up high.
This is just so interesting. I'm going to look this up. Cooling tubes in the desert. I wish they would do this in all housing.
There is a reason they don't, because the radon gas concentrations one would allow directly into their living space. Don't ever do this.
My uncle worked at these gas compressor stations near Medicine Hat AB and the rattle snakes would get in the buildings where it was warm but noisy so he couldn't hear them. He would sink 50 gallon barrels in the yards and the snakes would fall in them. This one time he had 2 rattlers in the loft of the garage in a cage. He brought them to the back alley that was paved and let them out. He had 2 flat shovels that he directed them with. I sat on the fence not wanting to be anywhere close to getting bit. He would let them go back into the country side. He must have practiced lots.
Sometimes we would ride bikes out to his work and you could hear them warning you that they were there. Nature -- isn't it beautiful!
Allways wanted an underground house because of the constant temperature. I wired a couple in the 70s. Should work good with out going to the extreme of moving underground. New Sub.
Your AC project is coming along great, Y'all! Can't wait to see it in action. And you're missing out on some good grillin' by relocating those rattlers! 😋
Just thought i would mention that each roof rafter should be tied to beams with triple grips and carbon steel clouts (were called tech nails years ago) or at a minimum a metal strap for each end of roof rafters to prevent the whole thing blowing off in a storm. Attaching roofing iron does not require the whole thing to be done in a minimum of time. Attaching 1 to 5 sheets of roofing iron a day gets it on and reduces chances of cooking skin in the sun. Less heat from sun when attaching roofing iron if putting a bit on in early morning or in afternoon before or near sunset. Roofing iron screws are 100 times better than using nails if you want the corrugated iron to stay attached to the roof frame. If roofing batens are attached to frame they should be attached using roof batten screws. They have internal hex requiring a hex bit of correct size. (Would need more than 1 hex bit for when you lose it, and they are small.) (Before leaving hardware shop you check that hex bit is correct size for batten screws unlesd you want to drive back to get correct hex bit of correct size. )Roofing screws and batten screws require a strong variable speed, reversable drill to use or the drill will overheat and stop working. If not attaching roof battens then the more nogin type timber placed between roof rafters the better as that is where most roof screws are normally attached. Roofing iron is attached at lowest point first to have overlapped sheeting keep water out. Overlaps should be 5 or 6 inches.Biger overlap helps keep storm rain out. Best not to put all screws into first sheet of roofing iron or you will have to remove highest line of roof screws to attach the higher overlapping sheet of roofing iron. Roofing screws screwing into air do not achieve very much other than putting holes into roof. Fix is called silicone and caulking gun or extra timber nogin as roofing screw attaches better to timber than air. Also as roofing iron sheets are placed side by side the roof srews of the last line do not get screwed into place untill the overlaping side sheet is placed over it as those roofing screws go through 2 sheets of roofing iron. If wanting to keep heat out of building sisalation can be used between roofing timber and roofing iron making things much more anoying to get done. Would likely only use sisalation to help keep heat or cold out of a single room to make either season better to cope with. Bracing or walls are what prevent the whole thing blowing over in a storm once roofing iron is on. A big storm does not care if having no bracing under the roof makes everything look better. The big storm wants as little bracing as possible to blow the thing over onto the ground. 😊
A popular system in the 80 after the oil embargo hit. If you check the Amish use a very similar piping system for heating.
Put screen or filters like cheese cloth over the inlets. To keep dust out plus bugs.
I thought it was gonna be a closed circuit haha
would be more efficient
That would prevent so nuch air flow
I can't wait to see how efficient this turns out to be, great project.
Greetings Y'all wow I love the geothermal air conditioning, I remember the first time reading about it in I believe it was a Mother Earth News magazine ( remember that one Jim?) in the 60s! You guys are hard workers! but its paying off, its so neat to watch your progress and enthusiasm bout the project at hand. Keep up the work, its gonna be great. I agree with the comment lets get these guys to a 100K subs guys tell your friends. Doksa (later) y'all.
Nice job on those French drains x
Or as the French call them, Radon gas cooling tubes,
Hey good afternoon you guys look like you guys are doing a good job keep up the good work almost there and now you'll be able to start burying things again and start to the next project
Lots of Questions: Blessings to you both and thank you so much for sharing your journey. How exciting! My husband and I are researching Earth Tubing for our home and future green house. Ok, here are our questions.
1. Where do you find out how long and how deep the tubes need to be?
2. What are the depth of your trenches?
3. What temperature do you anticipate to achieve in your living space at your current depth?
4. During monsoon season, how do you know the tubes will not fill up with water and cut off the air flow since there are holes in the bottom of pipe?
5. I noticed you didn't use any cloth or fabric around your pipes to prevent fine materials from entering and wondering if that step is needed or not.
Thank you again for sharing and we pray blessings and the Lords favor over you all!!
From Tim and Jenny :o)
Awesome. Thanks for documenting your DIY projects. It’s very inspiring.
I just found this, it would help if you had provided a brief description of your project, of how or why and what benefits you expect from all of this work. I have never heard of such a method.
Now you can build a small cob structure to house the inlets to make the air going in even cooler, plus it protects the inlets from water splashing. Harder to damage them, and you could burn some incense inside, or plant aromatic herbs outside(or near inlets but without protecting structure) to get more than just cool air.
You might need to haul in some clay for the cob.
🎉 OH! What a wonderful suggestion 👍🧓
Love seeing the progress. Keep up the great work guys.
Y’all wear me out just watching you. Good luck with your projects. Stay safe. 😊
Adorei, é isso aí, tudo o que for feito por conta própria, pra não depender do estado e da máfia das concessionárias de energia é válido.
I will need to check back and see if this works. I always thought the ideal way would be to trench and bury 3/4 or 1" pex, like 400 or 500 ft of it, about 3 or 4 feet down, and run a loop to a radiator with a fan on it, whatever voltage u need, and a recirculating pump to pump glycol or antifreeze/water solution through it, down into the ground and back into the unit, then you always have like a 60 degree radiator with a fan on it. I believe the liquid would allow quicker exchange of temperature, than just air tubes. I haven't done either, I thought of this idea also, as a way of getting fresh air, but my intake would be like a chimni vent, and need a filter over the fresh intake and got more complicated than a closed loop imo.
That is what i would do
I truly hope this system works out for you and God bless on all your endeavors !!!
I’m glad you’re doing another video on this system. I’m curious.
great video, great plan to utilize the temperature of the earth at a depth of 4 or 5 feet. Where you live, I would guess that would be around 70 degrees.
Ya... i was thinking the same thing.. but worried about water dust and critters getting inside.. thinking of glycol myself and radiator ... but lets see how u do..good test for the rest of us 😅😅..good job..hopefully you show how its going as it gets older
I've heard of this system before, but I've never seen it put into practice. I'm a new subscriber and I'll be checking out previous videos related to the process and watching for the wrap up video. Good work!
Conceptually, the cooling system makes sense. But there is no way to clean the long tubes buried underground. There will be condensation as part of the heating and cooling process, and moisture will inevitably lead to mold growth. Folks in Arizona, my family included, know all too well how fast mold can grow. Do you have any contingencies for mold growth? I would worry about the air quality as the cooled air is going directly into the house. Thanks. 🇺🇸
From Hawaii, enjoying your channel, your progress. 👍🏼👏🏼
Wooo hooo! That was a big job! Looking forward to the next projects
If you want rattle snakes to stay off of your property, have the man take leaks around the area, most of snakes senses are scent based, and they will stay away from the affected area.
I can’t wait to hear how it works!
Great work! Looking forward to see temperature at intake and at outlet. If possible also the humidity numbers…. All the best.
Great job! this will be so.... wait for it... cool!
Deliciously cheesy. I doff my cap to you
Looking forward to hearing how it works!
New sub from Central Florida. Great footage camerawoman! _Keep it Simple._
It was nice to see the inspector Crew.
You guys are amazing! I love you guys ❤
Nice, screens over the ends, are always a good idea. Ya don't want somethin small jumping in, getting stuck and dying, you'd have to dig up the tub to clean it out.
I used 6” flanged irrigation pipe, 9’ depth150’ length. Forcing air from the intake into the building with 1 solar panel, 1- 12v deep cycle marine battery,and a charge controller; which powers a 12v 800cfm, automotive radiator cooling fan. System cools a 12’x12’ cabin to between 75-85 degrees , depending on time of year in west Texas. Works as a heater in winter as well. Works well but my mid summer ground temp ( at depth) is 80 degrees. In spring I get 70 degree air, but it slowly creeps up, topping out in August. My system cost me 2500 dollars, most of it excavation(1700). Pipe was 1.00 ft. Air handling gear was 350.00. And I had a little metal fabrication for the 90’s. Overall I was ok with the performance, but will go deeper on my next attempt in order to get 70 degree air in summer.
You`ll get better performance using multiple shorter tubes. You wont be getting 800cfm from the fan with a 150ft 6" tube.
I’m sure that’s true. The fan is by no means producing the cfm it is rated, at the register. My thought in the long single tube was to allow the air to flow at about walking speed to gain desired ground temp. I’m just a carpenter guessing at all this. A good hvac person would help me immensely (: thanks for the advice. It’s appreciated
I know budget is a issue but one mini excavator and a skid steer and this would have been a one day job max 2. I pick my battles but time cost also. Looking forward to seeing it work
Great job!🎉 ❤ Looking forward to the video explaining how the system works
From the ones I’ve seen a small fan to move the air makes it work ok , I’m interested to see how yall are going to make this work, I’ve got faith in ya 👍😀
You could've used a masonry block to keep the pipes a foot apart, plus they wouldn't move on you. You're getting quite good operating that heavy equipment!
I know the concept is sound, how did you decided on the pipe sizing and air flow cfm? A similar system in Missouri fails in a short time because the condensation collects in the pipe and eventually fills up with water to block the air flow, not to mention the musty smell and mold in the house issue that came with it.
are you adding a dark/black chimney to the house to use solar warming of the air inside to pull the hot air from the house and have the return air come from the pipes?