Walipini Followup: Answering Viewer Questions

This week, we take another look at different aspects of our Walipini, answer viewer questions, and go into more construction details.
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[@FelonyVideos]

I discovered the wallipini concept here on this channel, and intend to implement a super charged version of this. It always good to hear about mistakes, so we can all learn together. Thanks!

[@zachhodgson4113]

I think changing it to an aquaponics system for the beds would be the Lamborghini model of a walipini. Oooo, do a windmill, or solar box piston for power.

[@zachhodgson4113]

I still think this system with the ability to move some beds out so that you can do a bed size worm and compost. Use your annuals for a composting, and another source of warmth. Another idea for that, use compost at in your cold sink. Or the book on it says to have a small animal pin there. He suggested rabbits for their heat output.

[@FelonyVideos]

@@zachhodgson4113 Fantastic advice about the animals. Mine will also us an earth battery, because I want to grow coffee and cacao in missouri. Another enhancement is co2 creation. Almost all plants are choking to death at current levels of co2. The are a LOT of clever ways to make co2 for free. Animals are obvious, but I bet there are critters in the dirt. My favorite idea is to simply remove the nitrogen. It has the risk also concentrating the oxygen.

[@criscross6591]

Your walipini resembles the front design of an earth ship. It also uses the hot air raising to pull conditioned air into the structure. Very interesting design.👍👍

[@johntexan4165]

You said it yourself, it's a test project. That being said, that was the perfect time for that settling issue to arise.

[@MikeKincaid79]

Cool Walipini. Thanks for all the details

[@cryptowhisperer2334]

Thank you so much for posting a follow up video. We all learn from mistakes, and I'd rather learn from yours before I make them myself. Helped me out a lot in my planning phase.

[@johnmacarthur2437]

This was incredibly well put together, both the first section and the reflective section . What an amazing source of information and details.

[@jankvis]

What a inspiring project. It's amazing to see what's possible even in cold areas. Good luck with further developments, Cheers from Norway :)

[@bwendelm]

I appreciate your openness to share. I am building a similar system this summer. We are going 100% off grid. I appreciate learning from your trials and errors. Peace.

[@ADifferentWay]

Hope it helps! We are eagerly anticipating our move to make our entire property off-grid. We are in the design phase now.

[@bwendelm]

@@ADifferentWay That's great. I look forward to seeing your transformation. We decided to install both solar and wind. Many times, when we have overcast skies, we have plenty of wind. CHeers! BM

[@Reciprocity_Soils]

Great follow-up video. Thanks for doing this. It's much more engaging to listen/watch a video than to scroll through all the comments to see if others have the same questions. In the same breath, I sure appreciate the community around all the good people here sharing their thoughts and plans. You bring together good people. peace and health everyone.

[@ADifferentWay]

No problem. We’re glad you found it helpful!

[@michaelchristensen2786]

FYI, I got my foam insulation from the local hot tub store. I got their used covers for free. It insulated my walipini and kept the materials away from the dump.

[@GuyOnYouTube]

This sounds way better than just a conventional greenhouse. We just bought a house and closing on it by the end of this year. We were planning on building a south facing greenhouse come spring time that we would be able to use next year, but I think that the Walipini is a much more efficient / better idea. Looking forward to seeing all of these improvements implemented and how to improve the design even further.

[@ADifferentWay]

In terms of year-round production, this is definitely a great option! We are in the process of building our second walipini at our new property now. It’ll be quite a bit different, but there will also be similarities. The basic idea is to tap into that geothermal heat source to stabilize temperatures.

[@klauskarbaumer6302]

You have a great system and you learn from mishaps. Congratulations!

[@dpdecenzo]

Great work. Thanks for scripting, recording, editing, posting, and sharing so well. When breaking up into fewer barrels per "tank", it might be safer to plumb every third barrel into a "tank". This would yield 3 separate, redundant tanks of 5 barrels each with a 16th sediment/distribution tank. Losing 1 tank would still leave 66% of the heat from the other 2 tanks nicely spread out. Applying the same redundancy to the irrigation side could save every bed if each crop row from walk aisle to barrel bank was serviced by 2 drip lines from independent tanks. A tank failure would then leave 1/3 of the rows with 100% planned water and 2/3 of the rows with 50% planned water until the tank failure gets discovered.

[@moniquehuchet3646]

Thank you for the Bluejays !!!

[@guevan7970]

I love your approach of conception and the way you go through issues. I'm french myself and looking forward to build a kind od walipini put against te south wall of the naturel materials post and bims house i've been building during the past years. I feel like after you've started building for you're own, and got the knoledges, tools and skills it is hard to stop. Chears.

[@K3Flyguy]

A much better design would be place plumbing 2" off the bottom on the side of each barrel. There are flange fittings available that are designed exactly for that use.The individual valve idea is a good as well. 50 gallon of water is approximately 417 pounds. Barrel diameter is approximately 26 inches so A= π times r2 . So approximately 3.68 sq feet bottom of barrel to distribute 417 pounds. That works out to less than 114 pounds per square ft. That's less than the weight of most people standing on the ground. No problem compacting to that spec. Barrel diameter and gallon capacity varies with type of barrel used so above calculations may need to be adjusted.

[@Newtmaster]

Your timing could not be more perfect; I was inspired by your first video to try my hand at a walipini, and I'm starting the digging tomorrow! Thanks for the update and the great information.

[@ADifferentWay]

That's awesome!

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@camperjack2620]

Great results for a concept trial. Great results for anyone. The cost of valves always runs up the cost of the job, but they do eventually prove to be wanted. Maybe you could tee the barrels together in pairs and then have a valve to cut off each pair.

[@andrewvoss7651]

Thanks for the great videos and info. Voss Farms Colorado normally grows outdoors (hops, trees, veggies)... a Walipini has been planned for years.. hoping that 2024 is the year I get to it. :)

[@dalekirkendall5283]

Thank you very much for the great ideas, You are making the world a better place for those who will use your ideas , God bless.

[@chris432t6]

Couldn't have said it better. Thank you.

[@paulmozel1296]

What a great concept.... Thanx for sharing!!!

[@2001lextalionis]

A system is only as robust as its weakest element. In this case PVC piping under temperature & H2O pressure, it just couldn't take it. Breaking it up into smaller segments will reduce H2O waste but it still won't reduce wear on the PVC. I'd seriously consider upgrading that portion of the wallipini to metal from PVC. Ideally copper. In my view we never scrimp on the important stuff. Thanks so much for posting and best of luck dealing with the heat loss and water system repairs while winter is still hanging around !

[@wbarjwells6473]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. Lots of new ideas for our next one and won't have to make some of those mistakes. Much appreciated info.

[@IronRangeGreens]

Chinese green house blanket for your cold nights !

[@kimwagg4580]

nice sweat shirt love the Walipini

[@farmyourbackyard2023]

Good morning!

[@michaelah8538]

very smart and very brave! Great inspiration.

[@patrickus2377]

Great tips!! Thankyou

[@earlyriser8998]

thanks for sharing your lessons learned. A great channel.

[@ryanberthelette7926]

Think about ICF block foundation for your next design. Great insulator with all the strength of concrete. Could incorporate it into a shelf for your waterweight issue too. In the middle of a passive greenhouse in Maine myself. Loved your info, Thanks!

[@kiyaspragg3596]

First off, amazing unfo. Thank you for these videos. I would be super interested in a grow schedule and when you turn over the beds/ what you plant when.

[@ADifferentWay]

Honestly, I grew whatever struck my fancy each season. I didn’t necessarily have a schedule. The late winter, when I started my seed trays for the outdoor garden, I was often left with leftover seedlings. Typically, I would simply add them into the walipini bed. I generally had a quick, clean out/add new compost in the late winter, just before starting the spring garden in there, and then we would often finish the harvesting around July, let it just lay dormant while we focused on the outdoor garden at that time of year, then in August, I would do a very thorough clean up and restart For the fall and winter season inside the walipini.

[@TheKoodus]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing! Its a beautiful design :) I reckon when the barrels are working without leaks, the space above them would hold a significant amount more heat. Maybe a shelving unit which takes advantage of the space above them and along their fronts could be a functional nice looking addition.

[@Circulism]

fantastic stuff! really cool and glad you're experimenting and trying new things. Cool that you're not using any electricity too. This makes me one to build one and grow peppers year round in Indiana! Will be following!

[@wraphand]

So inspirational, thanks for the great info! :)

[@ADifferentWay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@paulasnatural]

Wow..this is incredible...sigh..🤗 💕

[@wilhallman2890]

Going to build one of these in Northern Maine. Thanks for the idea

[@TT3TT3]

Thanks!👍

[@tamand]

What a fantastic video! Very informative, and inspiring!

[@stephengargan3907]

Love this! I'm totally inspired, there's a Walipini in my future. thanks for sharing your improvements.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@MetaView7]

Thanks for the update. I did not believe in sunken greenhouse before. It looks like you have something that works.

[@paulcarrier2424]

You guys are awesome

[@maryann2970]

Have you considered heating with compost? Compost can get pretty hot. Also, you could pump water against gravity without electricity with a water ram.

[@lovepeacejoy8869]

Thank you for sharing your information on what goes wrong which is a great help. I look forward to seeing your new projects. I am off grid so this looks very workable.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@dwarffortress69]

Fascinating - really appreciate the follow up. You are a very eloquent man!

[@ADifferentWay]

Thank you for the kind words. Stay tuned to our channel, as we will soon be announcing the release of our a Walipini design and construction guide book! We’re very excited about this project.

[@kevinohalloran203]

Really enjoyed the video especially what you learned. I'm at 43 lat in Wisc but wondering about applying these principles with our without the Russ Finch airflow system. Keep up the greaty work. Love the proof of concept zero energy .

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@Omegawerewolfx]

Awesome work! Super impressive. I'm in the planning stages myself, so all your information is very helpful.

[@ADifferentWay]

If you haven’t yet, be sure to consider picking up our book, Walipini Design and Construction. A link is listed in the info section of the video. It contains all the intricate details. You really need during your planning stage. It also has an entire section on what we will do differently, and the things that didn’t work quite so well, which allows you to learn from our mistakes!

[@beebob1279]

Interesting fact you mentioned. Polycarbonate only lasts ten years. Didn't know that. As for your PVC issue. There is a flexible PVC we use in the pool industry that will move with the ground movement.

[@MaineMotman]

Pitch. Spruce pitch. Colder it is, harder it is. Great for patching or sealing especially in contact with water. Mother natures fiberglass. Now, in contact with heat it will become soft. One way to decree the material heating up is rubbing white ash into it, wich i feel does something with the alkalinity of ash to the pitch similar to lime- i have not used cooked ash wich i feel would perform bettter. Harvesting pitch- to get nice clean pitch, heat in a container and pour through cheese cloth, or a cotton t-shirt.

[@theuglykwan]

Those barrels make me think of return of the living dead!

[@zachhodgson4113]

Use a thick thermal blanket at night when it is cold. That would help with heat loss. You should add the thermal pump system for your home build. That would help there for the heat and cold loss of a home.

[@niklar55]

There is an animal like a woodchuck, that ventilates its burrows by having one exit higher than the inlet. This causes a natural airflow. from the lower to the higher. The higher the upper exit, the more the airflow. Mud palaces in the middle east used the same system to air-condition them. They put water out at night to freeze, and then they had an ice room that the air flowed through, naturally, and provided cool air through the building. .

[@bigcountry5520]

Here's an idea. A 5 gallon bucket with an over flow at 16 in. would be much easier to clean out. Just put the bucket before the first barrel. Perhaps two 5 gallon buckets to catch sediment, would be ideal?

[@ADifferentWay]

Definitely an idea that would likely work!

[@markpnw8745]

I live in the Pacific Northwest, near what we call the convergence zone. I get very little sun most of the winner. I've found that without the Sun the greenhouse is not self sufficient. Looking to move back to the mid west. This will be one of my first projects.

[@pietjemol3420]

You can use an additional compost heating 'system', that doesn't need gas or other heating. It's different than the sun, but still natural, and there are some good ideas to be found on the internet. You could even attach the water from the tanks to connect by pvc pipes into your compost, or just put compost at the back of the walapini and let it heat your greenhouse using the wall.

[@adamalander7515]

We just moved off-grid the summer before last, and have done a TON of research, and we plan to make a Walipini similar to this, but also want to build in a cob rocket mass heater into it, the thermal battery ability of the rocket mass stoves is amazing and we've seen people in Alaska use them in their greenhouses to run year round. Also a RM heater uses 1/4 to 1/10th LESS wood than a traditional wood stove!. We saw one couple that heated their home ALL WINTER with only 0.6 cords of wood!. We also plan to build our own log home and will definitely build a Rocket mass stove into it as well. We plan to make a youtube channel as well and start sharing videos of our process. We are on disability, so we have to find VERY cheap methods to be able to build out here, so we plan to pass that on and show others that they can build a home on virtually zero budget, b using the land around us. Heck we can't even afford to get cement trucks or excavators so we plan to use traditional stone foundation techniques like locally collected stone and mortar retaining walls, and things such as cob, and home made pine tar for wood sealers etc. Anyways, I think a Rocket mass heater is a very efficient low cost solution. In very cold climates during the winter like we have here in Northern BC, Canada, you'd maybe have to stoke an RM stove twice a day with maybe a couple small branches or sticks and you could make it through the winter and grow year round. Anyway, thanks for the vids guys it has helped us out in our journey to build, and we look forward to seeing what you guys do on the next one! :)

[@Cyclonut96]

Great video contents and presentation. It would be nice to see what you come up with for your new house, but wonder how you will protect artwork, books, piano, etc. from the direct sun? Maybe a sunny hallway where some plants grow, and the rest of the house with traditional walls?

[@ADifferentWay]

This was an older video, and our new home is well into the build at this point. The new house is designed to be passive solar, so direct sunlight only enters for a small portion of the year, during winter. Once completed, we can use drapes/blinds to control the suns ability to affect things on our walls… Just like any home. If you check out our construction playlist, or our starting over playlist, you can actually see the house being built.

[@vyoufinder]

I am really impressed with your design; especially your revisions after using it for over 5 years, that really says a lot about the longer term viability of it. I think I've made the decision to build one like it at this point. I'm sold. It's the swiss army knife of greenhouses/hoophouses/hothouses/etc. and suits my needs perfectly. Did you ever upload the design? Even the rough copy would be worthwhile. You've really saved me and likely a lot of other people a lot of trial and error and design changes, and probably made my garden better already thanks to the two videos I watched about your walipini. Thank you sincerely.

[@ADifferentWay]

The only design we’ve posted so far is what was initially seen in the first video. We do have plans to create some type of booklet with far more details in the future, do I can’t give an exact date at this point. We’re in the process of building our second walipini, and we’re hoping to wait until we can give a comparison.

[@jeffreyatto2523]

@@ADifferentWay : I was going to ask the same question. Congratulations on building Walipini v. 2.0! When will version 2 be completed? I am excited to see that video and what improvements you have made.

[@ADifferentWay]

Unfortunately it would be at least a year from now because we still have a barn, stalls, and a house to build before that.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@mandalaxxl]

When you can develop solar panels of natural materials which are cheap for doityourself, this would be another nobel prize.

[@teddyrasputin3850]

Thanks for generously sharing the successes and opportunities for learning gathered from your working experiment. I 've no gardening experience myself, but am curious how you plan to rest or replenish the soil in something that's seems to be in constant use.

[@ADifferentWay]

Great question! Most of the walipini bed gets at least 2 short breaks through the year, as we harvest different sections at different times, but generally replant it after 1/3-1/2 is empty. We also bring in plenty of compost before replanting, to ensure fertility stays high.

[@sknerl]

You mentioned “clean out” the barrel. I’m unsure of what you intend, but (my father ran a city municipality) when he said this, it meant a clean out valve and purge...think fire hydrants in the fall or spring. I’d have purge valves set before the connection to the last filter to simply purge (lowest point) the barrels on occasion.

[@paulbalzer2221]

we live near the center of alberta this desing of yours works!

[@p_roduct9211]

Do you have a similar set up too? How deep and did you do anything for air flow? Pipes, fan, etc.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@TravisStephenChilds]

I want to try and use the blue and red pex when I make mine.

[@fauxurfancy]

There is a great video called “Oranges in the snow” on KZbin. It’s similar to yours but it uses geothermal energy. We are looking into it for our property.

[@wordsofhis1799]

I was just thinking about the greenhouse that I have been wanting to build. Have many of the materials already on hand....all that just got put on hold, as you have shown me a better way. In fact I was also, just this evening, looking at a south facing slope on my property, and wondering how I could utilize that area, maybe with some excavation and a retaining wall??? Looks like the retaining wall is going to be below grade now, and a walipini built on top!

[@Robert-er5wq]

I have heard that someone put a reflective surface under the north roof to throw back sunlight in particular when the sun is low

[@pauljenkinson1452]

You could use thermal reflective sheeting to the underside of the roof so increasing the light and thermal resistance. The thermal sheeting is fairly cheap.

[@georgiaopheim4388]

your design reminds me of a video about rural Chinese passive solar greenhouse design

[@nobrizzle]

I know you mentioned the reason you cover the back during the summer, but do you think the ideas of having the roof either at one angle or two, but both being towards the sun and both having the back wall higher for dirt would be better?

[@ADifferentWay]

I’m not sure I fully understand your question. However, another reason for the roof angling down in the back is to reduce air space in the walipini. It allows the thermal mass to more efficiently heat that smaller air space. additionally, raising that back wall would require about 10 times more dirt in the back with a steeper slope and potential erosion.

[@loganv0410]

Fantastic vid. Great analyses and explanations. If you could would you provide electricity (grid or solar) for moving air? Would you add a woodstove for emergency heat?

[@ADifferentWay]

Certainly, you could, but we chose not to for this particular structure. You have to balance the benefits/costs of gaining maximum production potential at higher costs, or losing a little production potential, but decreasing costs. It really boils down to individual choice/needs/situation.

[@sonyanolanful]

Thank you so much!!! I was just about to start my Walipini when I found the first video and then this one. It was just the information I needed to share with my husband and heavy equipment operator who felt a little in the dark concerning the plan. Now he can better visualize the outcome. The video expanded my knowledge greatly also even though I have been studying and preparing for this project for a quite a while. I only have one minor question. How much difference would the heat absorption be if the barrels were painted black? Again, I appreciate you guys so much!!!

[@ADifferentWay]

Black does a great job of absorbing heat, but other colors do offer some benefits. It really does depend on the design of your walipini and how the sun enters. I would encourage you to do a little research on that. If you would prefer it all in one source, consider picking up a copy of our book off of Amazon. It goes into much greater detail than the videos, but it’s also written to be very easy to understand so the average person can DIY! You can find it in the info section under the video. Hope that helps!

[@chado6648]

If my research serves me correctly I am at 48.8 N Latitude and growing zone 5B-ish as well. My question is, would the color of barrel you used in rain collection have much effect? i.e. black drums opposed to white drums. Would a black drum collect the solar energy more so than a lighter colored drum? and on the flip side would it supply heat any less efficiently or more efficiently than a lighter colored drum? Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume you used a food grade plastic drum? Great video and thus far the most informational. I look forward to one day building my own using your tips and tricks. Keep it coming and God bless.

[@ADifferentWay]

The color is important. The problem with black is that it does not reflect any light at all. The backside of those plants need reflected light. The white drums would reflect a lot but absorb very little solar radiation and thus not heat up well. A blue or red barrell would be ideal. And yes, they are food grade.

[@jimstein8249]

Check out flexible PVC pipe, comes in different sizes and comes in a roll. Uses standard fittings and glue, best is it flexes to absorb shifting and settling and installs easily between fixed objects due to its flexibility

[@joycanbefoundinthegarden7897]

Cool

[@yafois988]

As you stand there the roof is half way blocked from light, THAT needs to go! Gain back significant heat light for plant photosynthesis affect. Put some double wall There are thick poly-sheet of some kind, that are different thicknesses which can replace and be as integral for structure or add some galvanized tin 2x4 or 2x6" beams inside in necessary. Highly suggest solar panels to supply fan, Plant must have air flow across them, and panels a]can add a little heat in Any day time early and alate in day to male it more smooth thermally so plants don't see a wild swing in a day cycle.

[@mori8424]

Water stores heat real fast but it also dumps the heat just as fast. That’s why it’s used in radiators. Masonry (rocks,concrete, brick and sand etc. absorb heat slowly and release it slowly so you’ll be much better off filling your drums with masonry and if you use the drums to collect water then fill them with gravel and then add the water around the gravel. I built an earthship with reinforced concrete walls ( I don’t trust tire walls in an earthquake). Three of the walls are earth bermed and the south wall of the house is also the north wall of the green house that runs the length of the house. All day this Trombe wall slowly collects heat and then slowly releases it all night back into the greenhouse as well as into the house. Water drums loose all their heat in just a few hours. I put radiant heat in the house but have never used it. Instead we use a couple of small electric heaters to heat 1200 sq ft. We live in zone 5. Word to the wise, if you use sloped glass in the green house you need to be able to remove it in the summer or open it up or shade it. It gets too hot if you don’t. Also earthships take 50 to100 percent more labor than conventional homes do. Everything on an earthship is custom so it takes forever.

[@ADifferentWay]

You bring up some good points but I don’t totally agree with your premise. Although water can absorb and release heat quickly, you can manipulate the design to control the rate of dissipation. The point is, water holds more energy than any of those other recommendations you gave. If you look at total energy balance water is the best of the options you mentioned. No amount of design manipulation can increase the specific heat of sand and gravel to match that of water.

[@mori8424]

I didn’t know that. I wonder why they use sand then in sand batteries rather than water. Sand stores the heat for the entire winter with very cold temperatures outside in Scandinavia? I think that water would loose the stored heat much much faster than that. Other than insulation (which they use with sand batteries), how would you control the heat from leaving water?

[@ADifferentWay]

Sand has many other advantages. It’s cheap, it’s noncorrosive, it won’t freeze, and it has air pockets in between each grain which in itself is an insulator. Additionally, there is no chance for leaks, evaporation, or acidification. In other words, it’s perfectly stable for thousands of years. Sand, gravel, or rock is probably the best choice when space is no issue. However, I accepted all the disadvantages of water because space was an issue for me. I wanted Maximum heat storage in minimum space so I could use the rest for growing. And yes, the way to limit the rate of heat dissipation is insulation. Same as they would for sand batteries only more, which is yet another disadvantage of water.

[@ronnniehazeus]

Have you ever heard of Elliot Coleman and his ideas for season extension in unheated high tunnels I think it’s definitely possible to use in this system too

[@ADifferentWay]

Yes, we are very familiar with Elliot Coleman, and the system could certainly work alongside his!

[@Lemistif78]

I really enjoyed the first video, and i can't get the idea out of my head, i really appreciate your work and i hope you will follow this path of walipinis designs, sorry for my bad english, take care in Illinois ! From France, do u believe 1 meter of gravel can be enough to prevent water bed ?

[@ADifferentWay]

1 m of gravel is pretty deep so I’m sure it could handle quite a bit of water. I had the option of draining it downhill so I used that.

[@dwighthires3163]

I found you video as I searched for walipini information. I know this video is old, so information has changed. I have subscribed to your channel because I want to learn more details. I love your approach. Have you put together your written plans? I live at 46.59 degrees north at an elevation of over 1500 feet. We do not get as much artic blast as you get in the Midwest so this may work even better for me. I will check for more recent videos from you on this topic. Good work!

[@ADifferentWay]

Welcome to the channel! We haven’t put the plans together yet since we’ve been so busy building our new facility, however we are hoping to have it done within the next few months! Stay tuned!

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@dwighthires3163]

@@ADifferentWay Thank you for getting back to me about your plan availability. We are too far down the pike as we are building ours but thank you anyway.

[@josephpiresson8000]

This is awesome! Please tel me, how cold does it get there and for how long? How would that compare to Phillips are Maine?

[@ADifferentWay]

I don’t know much about Maine, however, the location of this walipini could get into the single digits for a couple of weeks during the winter, with periodic spurts in the negatives and windchill‘s around -30 or 40°F. Summer temperatures could easily reach 100 for a couple of weeks at its peak, with humidity levels around 98%. We definitely have both extremes.

[@kleo5187]

How about using more flexible water pipes too? That way they can take more changes from settling activity

[@ADifferentWay]

PEX might work well.

[@vincebrandt8137]

Eliminate pipe on the bottom altogether, just use over flow tube's from barrel to barrel, if using for watering, just put a hose spicket on every 3rd or 4th barrel

[@ADifferentWay]

After I installed the whole thing, I realized siphon tubes would have worked much better. Overflows won’t work because you would only drain barrels that have a spigot. If you use siphoning, all barrels go up and down at the same rate. I would then drain the gutters into several barrels at a time to handle the heavy rains.

[@HotNoob]

use pex instead of pvc; cheaper and can freeze without damaging ( if lucky ).

[@dalerohling5989]

Can't wait to see what you guys come up with for truly off-grid non-electric living, something the Amish already accomplished but without some of the modern innovations(concrete/plastic etc.). Are you concerned at all about the plastic barrels leaching toxins into the soil? Are you looking into extending the useful life of the Wallipini? 100 years? Thanks for your helpful and inspiring contributions to farm living.

[@ADifferentWay]

I’m not a fan of plastic but it was cheap and available. I’m thinking of doing a ferrocement trough for the water storage next time. That adds even more thermal mass and would be less piping. I could then afford copper and eliminate plastics altogether.

[@dwightstewart1442]

I’m wondering if there is a way to use the -liquid- water in the Walipini to prevent plants freezing. E.g. can you leverage the heat transfer of the water converting from liquid to solid ice to prevent plants freezing? Maybe even misting with water from the barrels which is above freezing?

[@ADifferentWay]

Properly designed, freezing would not be an issue. Realize the only time in nearly 5 years that the temperature dropped below freezing was when we had the joint leak and lost so much of our water, in the midst of the extreme cold and cloudy days. That is definitely an exception rather than a rule. A much better option would be prevention--design the barrels correctly and the heat stored inside the water barrels should protect the plants just fine.

[@sknerl]

Your misting concept is something I have intended to play with in addition to cloth over simple #9 wire to grow lettuce in Nebraska. We can get 95 degrees in June or September so trusting in timing is not always manageable. Misting mixed with shade is my hopeful method. I can see what you mean for warmth, but you’d need plumbed in water and once you start, you can’t stop. Consider how temporary that is for most plants in a greenhouse setting. It could work for a hard cold for a week though. This -41 here...was near impossible. I’d even consider owning concrete blankets for something this nuts if it weren’t a once ever decade problem.

[@markzinghini2306]

Very intriguing and enjoy your demeanour- just wondering if this works in Canada? We are located in the centre of Alberta. I am a small business owner/operater for installing Glass & Eavestrough (probably you call it Rain Gutters ) I have learned that filters, foam pads, meshes, screens for gutters just plug up (outrageously priced as well). There is’ No perfect solution’ but there is a is a continuous hanger, which most people have trouble grasping. (it is’ NOT’ a topper or insert ...it is the hanging system with About 18 advantages I found over the weaker spaced hangers or spikes fastening system and amazingly strong ( I have a pic with me standing on it)a lot less money and maintenance also! In your case you have the bonus of easy access and already spiked on and so you could use the after the fact same design as the new construction ‘continuous hanger’ with a flexible membrane seal at the back of the gutter instead of under your roofing panels( which by the way are siding panels as actual standing locking seam roofing panel’s have unexposed fasteners as exposed fasteners can leak) A micro- mesh might work better for minimizing the size of debri-entry but it would require maintenance to flush clean and minimize build up in your first barrel. The alu-rex.com system allows finer debri- to enter but does not plug up like the expensive competitor products. I hope this info helps.

[@ADifferentWay]

I Learn so much from the comments section. Thanks for passing this on, I’ll research it more.

[@czarwill]

In your redo, would you go for a narrower walk way with longer beds? Or, bring the wall forward so you have a reachable bed?

[@ADifferentWay]

We’re working on walipini 2 now, which is actually attached to our new house. We are basing on the previous design, but going with concrete for thermal mass, which allows us to run a double row of beds-one on each side of the walkway.

[@czarwill]

@@ADifferentWay don't get enough wet from sky anymore to justify any run off irrigation. Will just use barrels as heat battery. Thinking of air flow compost behind barrels in winter for a second source of heat. Barrels will be the outer wall. Saw a chap on KZbin from SC doing that.

[@paulbalzer2221]

very nice i have 8 feet of 4 in, insulaion out a round just ounderground have it up againt the south wall of my house

[@2001lextalionis]

If you have any photos you should post a short video here on YT. I would watch it

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@robertlackey7212]

Really great video ! I'm designing something similar , I want to use single glazing (Because I already have it) and insulating blankets that go up at night . I had just planned to have 48 30 gallon black plastic barrels stacked in three rows of 16 along the back wall , with no plumbing . is there any reason I would need plumbing to the barrels ? (my green house will be attached to the basement).

[@ADifferentWay]

I plumbed mine because I relied on rain collection for my water source, and barrel water for my grow bed irrigation source. If you have no intention of doing either of those there would be no need for plumbing.

[@robertlackey7212]

@@ADifferentWay Thank you , there so many things to think about , it's hard to keep everything in my head. Just today I looked up the maximum snow load I need to design for , it turns out that a worst case snow storm could dump about 4400 Kg of snow on the roof ! Of course that required a lot of redrawing , and while I can design a roof , I'm out of my depth designing a retaining wall that must also support a considerable snow load . Clearly I will need a engineer to check my work.

[@thelast9021]

Instead of pvc maybe some solar resistant PEX?

[@pgwingman]

One more question, do you ever run like on water during the winter? You mentioned having to decide between heat and water, does that mean you run out of water?

[@ADifferentWay]

No, I don’t run out of water, but I will haul water in the winter sometimes and fill through the side pipe. That allows me to water the plants without letting the tanks get too low.

[@keithburgeson]

Aside from slightly added cost and time, what's the reason for three or four valves versus, say, a valve between each barrel, especially if the primary driving force is minimizing the number of barrels requiring draining during settling-induced leakage?

[@ADifferentWay]

Just time and cost. A valve every tank would work fine.

[@meme7591]

What do you do regarding Moles Jake's mice and other animals that can butrro in there

[@ADifferentWay]

They have definitely been one of our biggest issues in this design. Voles are the biggest problem, since they actually eat the root vegetables. Mice are seen on occasion, though they aren’t a huge problem since they don’t eat too much. We just have to be consistent about setting traps, flooding tunnels, and keeping any holes sealed up. We are currently designing our second walipini at the new property, and we are going to try using a complete concrete structure this time, with raised beds inside. Although it has downsides of its own, we’re hoping it will eliminate this problem. Will let you know as things develop!

[@sweetthunderoflove1]

Could you use the foundation of a demolished house to make one?

[@ADifferentWay]

It could be an option, but there are so many variables, it would really depend on the situation. Is it south facing? What are the dimensions? What is the depth? Are just a few of the questions that should be explored.

[@desjardinsestates2782]

Would it be a good idea for a solid base under the strip of barrels,to use the heated thermal mass "bench"of a rocket stove mass heater? I mean it could be solid concrete walls or cinder blocks for the sides,enclosing your heating/exhaust tubes along with the gravel and clay thermal mass, instead of just using up space,it would just be the right height to set the barrels in the back and maybe even make it wide enough to sit your grow beds on providing warmth to your soil and root system as well. If youre familliar with rocket stove mass heaters,they use mininal fuel wood,and you only need a small fire at night when you expect really cold weather. That would recharge the heat in the water barels as well. Would there be any downsides to doing this?

[@ADifferentWay]

That would be a great idea. However, that’s a lot of work. If you’re in a northern climate, definitely worth it. If you’re south of 40° latitude, I don’t think you’ll need it.

[@artsifriend9256]

is this design good for Northern Alberta winters? I would be very interested in doing this on our land as we also want to go off-grid and self reliant. Love your videos they are very informative.

[@ADifferentWay]

Although I am only vaguely familiar with such northern climates (I have family in AK), I believe that, with some modifications, a walipini could certainly offer an extended growing season. It would just require a few more inputs (ie additional light and heat at different times of year).

[@artsifriend9256]

@@ADifferentWay Do you have Plans yet, for building a walipine? We are interested in your concept; just to let you know where exactly our land is, google "Rochester Alberta, Canada" and that's proximal to our location. We are new to homesteading but very motivated and have 160 acres mostly forest but abundant east/west sun exposure. Thank you so much for your input.

[@ADifferentWay]

Unfortunately, we are so busy right now building our new farm and new walipini, that I have not had any time for writing. Once we complete our second walipini and try it out for a bit, I do hope to finally write a book comparing the different structures. That said, I would encourage you to read through the comments on this post as well as the original walipini post. We have many questions, answers, and real experiences of people who live closer to your latitude and climate. Most have made modifications to make the structure work, but it definitely works! Hope that helps.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0

[@piliskert]

In your book have a photo a new concret walipini project, have any video?

[@ADifferentWay]

We have a couple of our construction videos that show the concrete base and 1/2 walls being poured, but during our construction phase for the entire farm, the designated walipini area has been very multipurpose - it has served as a tool shed/workshop, paint booth, and currently serves as a clothes drying area to keep our lines out of the cold, wet weather😁. It will be a bit before we get it finished as we just have too many other projects that have higher priority.

[@user-tr9bo9ni5r]

Avec un ingénieur français... C'est vrai que ce concept se développe. L'idée d'être hors réseau n'est plus tabou mais il reste du chemin pour que nous approchions le savoir faire américain

[@06pathrat]

Is there a minimum number of barrels (size of walipini) that you need for this to be worthwhile? I'm considering a much smaller one just for home use.

[@ADifferentWay]

I don’t know the exact answer for your area and design but consider this. In this design I had about 5000 cubic feet of space and 1600 gallons of water. You can start with that ratio and see if you can scale it down.

[@josephhood1591]

Does the money saved from having the walipini for food equal or exceed the cost to build one?

[@ADifferentWay]

We felt that it did. Of course, most of the lumber was milled at home, so we had only a Few thousand invested into the structure. Divided over an estimated 10 year lifespan for this particular design, it absolutely paid for itself! That said, we also felt it wasn’t all about the finances. For us, we enjoy the self-sufficient aspect.

[@damonlondrigan6017]

I am curious about the cost of building the walipini. I'd like to build one here, but I might have to fund it myself. If it is under 10K, I am ok with that, but if it is more I might have to convince some people to pitch in. Of course we could use it to save a little money in the cafeteria, but with 400+ people to feed, it is not going to go to far. That being said, I think it would be a great project for our students.

[@ADifferentWay]

If interested, we wanted to let you know our Walipini building guiding is finally available! www.amazon.com/shop/adifferentway/list/2JRI58ITC5AM0