Thermal Mass Design Explored with Bio Veda Academy and Simple Tek

[@i.p.freely2501]

I'm a big fan of all of this, as well as Simple Tec. I'll be subscribing to the new guy 😉. I will be doing a couple of greenhouses over the next years. I will be experimenting with solar heat in the Queen City to your west with an above ground pool and later a cheap greenhouse into the winter (likely a dome). I'm a Refrigeration and Heating mechanic, and have saved enough materials for pipe, insulation, heat exchangers, motors, pumps etc to do projects like the fella from Ukrane does. Have a good winter !

[@SimpleTek]

Thank you

[@iamtmckendry]

Great video! Really enjoyed, lots of value in the collaboration. Would love to see more collabs, seems like Don in Canada has some unique systems, would be good to have a mind-meld with him.

[@SimpleTek]

I assume you mean the Chinese guy building huge non heated greenhouses?

[@iamtmckendry]

@@SimpleTek yea

[@sherryallen3650]

How about sand batteries, under liquid, under radiant floor, which is under all of the following, raised tile bed which is under compost site which is under dew worm farm, plus the green house. Also heating the home, garage, barn ,and work shop

[@SimpleTek]

@@sherryallen3650 great idea

[@sherryallen3650]

Thanks. Rob here, Sherry is the Misses. I'm commenting as I watch. Was only 10 minutes in when I started. I have come across about 200 recently cut down logs and want to maximize the best possible outcome. I'm 56 and want to retire comfortably asap. Actually as soon as logical. I'm in Central Ontario on the shore of Lake Simcoe. Want to build a timber structure barn with a home on the second floor, and, green house on south side, which will be about 10 meters from the lake. Mill the logs to build it and have it self contained on hopefully on to the positive side of the ledger using environmentally responsible and scientific knowledge and methods.

[@KovietUnionDefector]

I am already subbed to the both of you. I love both of your ideas. Here in Finland we have a beautiful Tulli Kivi oven in the centre of our home. It only takes a small amount of birch to heat the thermal mass up and with that we bake in the oven and we heat the whole 3 bedroom insulated brick and breeze block bungalow up.

[@SimpleTek]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@stephanygates6491]

Thanks! I’ll consider that design for my homestead-to-be. I ❤ your username.

[@omgThink4uRself]

This is so awesome! I hope this gets you over the 100k subscribers! Great work as always!

[@SimpleTek]

Wow, thank you soo much!

[@RTFManuel]

On the channel SDSU Extension in a video called "Intro to Passive Solar Greenhouses: Session 2" from circa 10:30 to 16:30 , the guy talks about the angle of the ground insulation skirting. That looks like the info your guest was looking for.

[@SimpleTek]

Thank you!

[@GMC-qo9xi]

@@SimpleTek the video referred to above shows how he insulates only the exterior of the perimeter vertically and horizontally out and the usual back wall, etc., making his slab a heat sink (battery) directly connected to the ground below, with air tubes incorporated below his slab to further boost the performance.

[@GMC-qo9xi]

@@SimpleTek here kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6vYmZ6Yr7ike6M

[@Swampwild1]

I love all the ideas covered. Some comments- You can’t effectively use geo dome for greenhouse here because how would you make a blanket system? Also to much ceiling height. The arches are enough strength for snow. We need DYI ideas in the blanket as these systems are normally purchased.

[@SimpleTek]

I agree Quonset hut design is better

[@christinemurray1444]

Hi Scott, I was wondering if you could use some data sheets indicating things like the effect of every measure under different ambient ranges (mainly temperature and humidity I guess). Very often I'm left wondering if Manitoba designs may be of any use in the Mediterranean coast where I'm looking to warm up by ~10C in the winter nights and cool down by ~10C in the hotter summer days.

[@SimpleTek]

We definitely have larger temperature swings

[@adelawad1111]

Love it 💐💐 thanks for both of you, I wished to see his septic system that he said.

[@SimpleTek]

Thank you for the kind words

[@stephanygates6491]

Heat powered stove fans don’t require electricity; could be on the radiator angled downward, activated by the heat below, dissipating heat along the radiator.

[@SimpleTek]

true but they do require a lot of work with wood to burn

[@kingmasterlord]

21:40 if you've got a constantly hot space you can use a stirling engine to power a fan directly from the heat. use the cold pole for liquid cooling to help keep it running

[@SimpleTek]

Good point

[@kingmasterlord]

@@SimpleTek for those who don't know kzbin.infoUgkxltEwLi0njUxjhyHhHVqMsRE5ErrdnXuH

[@SimpleTek]

@@kingmasterlord thank you

[@Tarabaspence]

Tamera Solar Village does this and more!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKTSoX2GrbOWgq8

[@alexm4567]

Using hawthorn to fuel your stove for heat, maybe turn into wood shavings and mix with vegetable oil then compress into a brick and dried, ready to be used when needed,as a fuel brick. 😊

[@SimpleTek]

Interesting

[@kenkneram4819]

I've been planning to build an earthship for several years now. I don't have access to a gaggle of hippies. 😋 I also don't have enough money to purchase or rent a compressor and a pneumatic tamper. I did however find an electric "demolition" hammer that can be fitted with a compacting plate. It's prices affordable at under $500.

[@SimpleTek]

That’s awesome!

[@kenkneram4819]

Update. I bought the hammer. It's a jackhammer. LOL. It's HEAVY! However, I think it will work if I get the soil mix right. It really needs to be dry. Otherwise it sticks to the plate.

[@MissMeganBeckett]

I heard some bad things about groundwater sometimes being contaminated from runoff of old mines that weren’t known about by the records office or recorded in the maps and it getting minerals in the water that are bad for the health, there was a particular news story about this happening recently in Nova Scotia and even though the homeowners had their water tested regularly for bacteria they didn’t know to test for minerals and other things too so they had been unknowingly drinking contaminated water for a long time, in some places in Ontario the groundwater just smells horribly like boiled eggs for some reason, so those are a few good examples for reasons to use rainwater capture instead of well water.

[@SimpleTek]

Every location is different

[@Swampwild1]

That ONDOL may have hot spots close to source. I know from my Tulikivi you can have a 50 degree Fahrenheit variation in 2’. And that’s with soapstone. So risky for a home. But for greenhouse it’s got potential.

[@SimpleTek]

I agree but understand the ondal has been in use for thousands of years in Korea, that's a lot of R&D lol

[@Kupacolypse]

If you're in a cold climate you absolutely want to insulate your foundation if you're planning a new build.

[@SimpleTek]

Well said

[@manny2ndamendment246]

this is a fascinating subject.

[@SimpleTek]

Thank you

[@kenkneram4819]

How much energy does your wood boiler take for it's circulation pump?

[@SimpleTek]

I think mine was about 50 watts

[@Swampwild1]

On the compost heat to infloor- 20 yards of wood chips seems like a lot of 3” or less branches. And you have to find that annually. I’m wondering if combining the ONDOL floor with compost floor? They should complement each other and be backup.

[@SimpleTek]

An ondal floor is smoke heated, compost heating would most likely use a liquid radiant floor

[@Swampwild1]

@@SimpleTek Yes, you’d have to run the liquid in the mass maybe between the flue runs.

[@SimpleTek]

@@Swampwild1 much easier to just run pex tubing in sand and put tile or concrete blocks on top. I have a video where I did this in my archives

[@Swampwild1]

Yes that was very smart. Can’t do that for a shop but great for a greenhouse. I want a Chinese greenhouse soon but can’t justify the kits ROI. It’s the glass or poly and the blanket system that intimidates me. I need DYI examples of say under 1000 sq feet.

[@SimpleTek]

@@Swampwild1 sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it lol

[@stephenmalcome3797]

Thanks for the earthbag idea I was contemplating about using adobe brick pounding tires did not sound appealing to me.

[@SimpleTek]

You’re welcome

[@Swampwild1]

I guess now we need to also add low labour to cost and simplicity. On the wood. If you can’t get a deal Tamarac is way better that pine and pretty easy to find. Fairly low smoke. It’s just heavy, but cheap. With the Tulikivi I fire once a day and it’s a living room showpiece so I like Birch.

[@SimpleTek]

oak has way more btu than Tamarac

[@Swampwild1]

@@SimpleTek I need live oak tree logs for my mushroom project this summer. 4' long about 3-8" diameter logs for inoculation. Maybe 300-500 linear feet. I haven't started looking yet.

[@SimpleTek]

@@Swampwild1 oak can be expensive

[@varietasVeritas]

The Roman hypocaust is similar to the radiant floor you are describing. Very efficient but BIG temperature swings and hot spots.

[@SimpleTek]

Interesting, I’ll look that up

[@kenkneram4819]

The Hypocaust is a great idea but it has a number of drawbacks. Not the least of which is the space required. The ancient Japanese had a in-floor heating system that was fed through a stove on the outside of a house. It had multiple chimney channels running under the floor and and would generate radiant floor heat by way of channeling the wood smoke under the floor and out the opposite wall. It was a far better design than the Roman hypocaust which was essentially a giant basement that you threw old unwanted furniture into along with anything else flammable that you felt like burning.

[@kenkneram4819]

I'm terribly sorry it was the ancient Koreans not the Japanese. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYawiJuiYp2WpqM

[@helengren9349]

@@kenkneram4819 I saw some vid's where romans had smoke channels in the floor as well... About the heat/ warmth of the floor...if one connects to watersystem /pipes, under the floor it is easy to put a regulator & have it as constant /adjustable temperature or turn off if one thinks it's to hot...🤔

[@kenkneram4819]

​@@helengren9349 True, but I'm trying to do this without the need for electricity. Circulation pumps require Electricity. I'm trying to completely eliminate my NEED for electricity. I still intend to have it, but I refuse to RELY on it for my survival.

[@iamtmckendry]

In regards to ondong floor. From studying RMHs, I've heard that the draw is very poor with brick channels in a square formation, and the draw is an important element in those systems

[@SimpleTek]

Wouldn’t that depend on design of the channels

[@iamtmckendry]

@@SimpleTek I think part of it had to do with the surface material creating drag, and part of it had to do with the shape of the channel. circles + smooth materials seemed to be best, while porous square brick channels worst

[@SimpleTek]

@@iamtmckendry possible

[@walterrutherford8321]

I first heard about ondul floors from my brother from when he was stationed in Korea. The thing you have to be careful of is that you don’t get carbon monoxide seeping up into the house. Apparently they had many thousands of poisonings and thousands deaths each year from poorly built systems.

[@helengren9349]

@@walterrutherford8321 Yes, that is why the waterpipes under the floor are best! One can regulate the warmth of the water or turn it off...👍 Even better then radiators that use higher water temperature to warm up the room...16-18 C would be enough for the floorheating, while the radiator temp is much higher & only concentrated on one /few spots in the room...heat from it is going direkt up..even using fans, will not make the constant temp in the whole room...

[@nailtips8235]

Great video

[@SimpleTek]

Thank you

[@jdwilsun]

A radiant ceiling is FAR more efficient that a slab.

[@SimpleTek]

Interesting concept

[@GMC-qo9xi]

I’m not sure on the logic around the 30min mark regarding insulating under the floor or going down vertically with it. As the ground is both heat sink and heat source. Depending how far north you are it would affect the method.... but with the green house you are bringing up the heat from the ground... the greenhouse is the preventing the frost from entering the ground, which allows the heat to come up and to go down depending which is higher. And around the greenhouse, he was asking if he should go outwards horizontally with insulation or down vertically. If you go out horizontally you are creating a larger catchment zone underneath for the ground heat (=50-55°F/10-13°C) to rise up to the edge of the foundation... and then presumably you’ve go snow buildup around covering the ground and especially the insulated perimeter giving bonus insulation and frost prevention. Going down vertically won’t provide as good of a result, and it’s the same way to insulate a slab on grade foundation where you go out 2’ and down the outer edge.... to keep frost from travelling diagonally below the footing.... =bringing the ground heat up to the surface, just like a nice layer of snow can do... many places there is no frost under the snow, as the ground is insulated. So I would revisit the logic on insulating floors, as they can act as heat battery, and ground heat source alternating.... the worst they can do is try to pull you back towards 10°, if perimeter is well insulated. But otherwise they are increasing during the sunny days, or floors are adding heat to them... and when in doubt you increase the perimeter insulation side and thickness, and if you’re really worried you can insulate also the inside perimeter, but keep the inner area as a heat sink. I assume you have dealt with this knowledge before, so I’m interested to know why you have not embraced it/how you found that it doesn’t work. 🖐

[@SimpleTek]

Problem is it does work no matter how much you don’t want it to

[@GMC-qo9xi]

@@SimpleTek sorry what works?

[@GMC-qo9xi]

@@SimpleTek (the logic doesn’t actually work in the sense of maximizing the free ground source heat, if that’s what you mean. But of course the insulation works to keep your heat from going into the ground, but when we are dealing with *excessive* heat and the need for free night time heat then you’ve got both a battery and a heat source-when it’s getting very cold at night. If you are doing it for a house, then you should probably insulate at least the bulk of the floor, as your heat source isn’t excessive like the sun. But even then you can still have a heat sink in the middle. Radiant heat companies have been designing heat sinks under slabs for long time.)

[@SimpleTek]

@@GMC-qo9xi you’re wrong

[@GMC-qo9xi]

@@SimpleTek can we agree that the temperature underneath your insulated floor will be ~10°C? Meaning frost is not coming up from below the ground, but actually ~10° heat is (except where it’s being cooled from above or sides). So if it is not exposed to cold from above /outside, then it doesn’t go below that temperature, but it can go above it when being heated. The perimeter is the only area for frost to enter. However, there could be many other reasons to insulate which is what I’m trying to glean from you. And if it’s not there to glean, then it’s to share something that doesn’t defy logic... (except in permafrost or where sun can’t heat enough above 10°). Either way take care, love the content. (I’m a carpenter, part time builder by trade and do insulate under slabs and vertically down foundation walls, and horizontally to block frost from reaching under footings, etc... but to build a passive greenhouse the same way as a house-when it’s purpose is to avoid extreme night cold with minimal extra heat source/money, then the logic, though similar is not exactly the same, is it? So does 10° underneath temperature help as a cushion or hurt? If you want 20° then it can indeed hurt and insulation can block it... but if it’s absorbing excess heat, then it will give some of it back when the temperature above drops below the of the ground... it’s all storage... but it has a heat source below it, always trying to bring it back to 10°, which will cool down over time, but that depends on the cold pressure from above outweighing the warming pressure from below.)

[@Henryy980]

What are your thoughts on biogas?

[@SimpleTek]

Depending on how you make it, with the price of fuel now, it’s a good alternative for fuel if you can modify your vehicle

[@Henryy980]

For sure it's a good alternative... what are your thoughts on wood gasifier?

[@SimpleTek]

@@Henryy980 they’re complicated but they do work. I think there are easier ways to achieve the same thing

[@Henryy980]

You should create a telegram channel or group so your views can share their thoughts

[@Henryy980]

I've seen some that seem simple to operate.... maybe that's true in certain weather conditions

[@jasonlightfoot4145]

Bryson from My Little Homestead here on YT made an auger that is fit into his skid loader bucket and it seems to fill bags exponentially faster than by using the bucket funnel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/naisanl-nrx5gMU

[@SimpleTek]

Very cool, thank you for sharing

[@Henryy980]

COVID f*ck up my lungs too....I still can't breathe properly

[@SimpleTek]

It was a terrible disease

[@Henryy980]

For sure

[@i.p.freely2501]

Dito.

[@kingmasterlord]

similar to the sort of things I want to do. I want to go off into the jungle and build mushroom brick houses for primates and see if they use them. bet orangutans would.

[@SimpleTek]

He’s done some really cool stuff!

[@stephanygates6491]

I find your intro disturbing. Why did you choose a time lapse video as your background? It gives me dissonance.

[@SimpleTek]

sorry that bothered you. I'll try better next time. Thank you for letting me know

[@walterrutherford8321]

Be very careful with the ondul heating. Thousands of people in Korea have been poisoned and many have died from carbon monoxide from poorly designed systems or the wrong fuels.

[@sherryallen3650]

Tamper

[@SimpleTek]

????

[@sherryallen3650]

I can't find the exact spot of the video at the moment but I know I was saying that for packing the earth and sand thoroughly.