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Post by strop2 on Jul 13, 2015 14:56:15 GMT 8
This Thread looks at types of dwellings and methods to keep your dwelling cool without using electricity, for when the power goes out and to save on electricity costs when power is connected.
By looking at the past by viewing documentaries, by visiting various countries to see how people live today with little income or visiting historical locations eg Sovereign Hill at Ballarat VIC (miners in the 1800's used canvas sails to direct breezes into tunneling holes), it's possible to develop some cooling ideas for your dwelling and surrounds.
It's all about airflow, and insulation from light and heat. The internal of your dwelling can use curtains or obstructions to block out the Sun's rays or to keep the cool from escaping.
Link 1: www.google.com.au/search?q=Wind+Towers&biw=1409&bih=624&tbm=isch&imgil=cxOCNS8UiR9WLM%253A%253Bs0ukj_7TC83j2M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.solaripedia.com%25252F13%25252F205%25252F2085%25252Fwind_tower_convection_illustration.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=cxOCNS8UiR9WLM%253A%252Cs0ukj_7TC83j2M%252C_&dpr=0.95&ved=0CDMQyjc&ei=u2CjVbeXGeK0mAXyjKx4&usg=__Z5Umg37TPtUGTjQjwm41rMZl5SI%3D#imgrc=cxOCNS8UiR9WLM%3A&usg=__Z5Umg37TPtUGTjQjwm41rMZl5SI%3D Very busy set of photos, so concentrate on directing breezes (airflow) to cool the house or structure and if building or selecting a location, choosing the best position to have a breeze.
Link 2: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windcatcher Simple Wind Catches have been used in Middle Eastern countries for thousands of years, so have tried and proven designs. Most incorporate water to cool the breeze using basic Physics.
Caves are cool and keep a regulated temperature through earthen insulation. The entrances can be covered to keep out light and heat by day without blocking airflow and canvas or tin sheeting can direct the breezes. Shade can be provided by nearby trees at an entrance to stop direct sunlight from entering. People lived in caves for many thousands of years and survived.
Photo 1: This was Lassetter's Cave. Lassetter (an Australian Legend) lived here for 25 days before moving off to die. The cave is quite cool and has a sleeping bay. The area would be classified as semi-desert and is hot during the day and very cool at night. 
Photo 2: It is easily seen where fire has been lit inside the cave (fire kills bugs and other animals). The cave overlooks a dry river bed but water is just under the surface. The entrance to the sleeping bay is bottom left of the photo. 
Photo 3: Behind me is a small sleeping bay approx 2m x 1m. It is surprising how cool it is inside both small caves. 
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Post by strop2 on Jul 14, 2015 8:26:32 GMT 8
My Rest Hut - it is positioned near the canal to catch breezes, roof is made from layered palm branches. The base is rammed earth with concrete over the top, the posts are re-enforced concrete, and support beams are wood painted with used engine oil (similar to Linseed Oil to protect cricket bats or Creosote Oil to protect outdoor wood against weathering and termites); the entire structure could be made without cement or metal and tree posts used with bamboo cross beams. The structure is quite cool. I currently use electricity inside the hut for two fans that I installed and one 5w light. I also had metal loops welded to the re-o in the posts to attach hammocks. The Hut is mainly used without electricity.
Photo 4: Raised off the ground with compact earth. Roof frame is oiled wood. Workers are both men and women and not too heavy for when they sit on the narrow crossbeams. Looking at the inside, it is neat and tidy. The hut is 7m x 5m x 4.5m high.
Photo 5: Wire is used to secure the palm leaves, but vines can be used.
Photo 6: Almost complete. It now gets a haircut to tidy it up. You need to bend over to enter (the 1.5m low entry stops the Sun from coming in). It is completely waterproof and branches won't need replacing for approx 8 years. Many drinking sessions are held inside the open hut. A few people still live in these types of dwellings which have sides, windows, and doors placed on them. All sides can be raised (like a hinge) using bamboo poles as support, to allow more air inside. A Hut used as a house is approx the same size but can be smaller and doesn't have the hairy look. 
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Post by strop2 on Jul 14, 2015 9:35:34 GMT 8
Using shade cloth or shade sails works well in lieu of trees. If possible use more than one type of shading to maximize the cooling effect.
Photo 7: I have multiple configurations of shade sails at the front, sides and rear of my Mekong House. I have to design something better to cover my entire 15m x 25m concrete slab (some kind of retractable roofing). The single 15m x 3m shade sail on trial blows around too much and needs to be retracted/closed to one side during high wind. All other shade sails are attached by bungee cord and work well.
Photo 8: This shade sail is at a local school and is 70m x 15m and cools all the class rooms. This school had a recent upgrade and money was spent on recreation game areas and shading.
Photo 9: In-Laws House using shade cloth to keep out the Sun's rays and also using trees, it has a veranda on the far side. The wind blows the cloths up to allow air to flow inside.
Cloth is a cheap and popular method of keeping it cool.
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Post by strop2 on Jul 14, 2015 17:32:34 GMT 8
Tree shading is natural, wood can be used for cooking food, wood can be cut and used for building during wet season (when it isn't too hot but always stagger grow your trees), and trees can be used for food/oil production. If you want better airflow, trim the lower limbs. Photo 10: It's difficult to see my Rest Hut for the mango trees (which also cover a power pole). Almost all the vegetation seen is edible or medicinal.  Photo 11: The other half of the back yard is where I have paw paw trees fruiting (these trees live for 1-2 years, so staggered growing is essential) with shade up high, allowing breezes to flow in from the canal and views outside. There are also a few herbal medicines grown as well. This part of the garden gets morning Sun which is not so harsh, hence fewer trees. The shade cloth will be fitted properly in the next few weeks.  Photo 12: This was the Nui Dat Base. There are trees everywhere and cover all the houses, except the old Nui Dat airstrip where the cows now roam. Nui Dat is surrounded by small hills but the 1.5km airstrip allows breezes to channel through the Village.  |
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Post by strop2 on Jul 14, 2015 18:22:46 GMT 8
Airflow. The only item I haven't purchased yet is a whirlybird on the roof to extract hot air from the roof cavity. The roof and ceiling are only 60cm apart which means hot air building up. There are no insulation readily available to place into the roof cavity but I'm still looking locally.
Photo 13: At the Father-In-Laws distant relatives house in Cambodia. The House is similar in concept to an old Queenslander house design with airflow going under the house in a cool area and rising up through the floorboards following the updraft of the hot air rising.
Photo 14: From my kitchen which has double doors both ends. Most houses in the Mekong have air vents up high at approx 3.5m. Every room has these so that hot air flows out. I also position one door to block half a doorway to direct air into the lounge room which is the dark entrance right of the photo.
Photo 15: It is easy to understand the concept of big wide verandas with air flowing around the structure and in through the windows and doors. This is an older photo but I now have more shade sails to counter the afternoon Sun. Also, there are tiles to reflect the Sun's rays. 
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Post by strop2 on Jul 14, 2015 18:23:33 GMT 8
Houses in HCMC. Most housing in the Vietnam areas have an airflow design similar to Wind Towers. However, HCMC is quite hot, lots of heat locked up in the city with aircons becoming more people and heating the city up further. It seems that everyone is building up and this blocks airflow further.
Exhaust fans are normally built into the bottom bathroom to extract hot air. Many businesses have micro mist sprayers that work like a big water cooler, which I might get if a stay in HCMC, the main factor in SHTF would be water pressure. The Link: www.holmanindustries.com.au/products/misting-system/
Photo 16: This is an artist impression of a popular HCMC house design (most houses aren't as tall). It has 6 bathrooms and 5 bedrooms with an open area on the top floor. What this drawing doesn't show is the many houses butted up to each side and rear of the house. It doesn't show the 1,500lt water tank at the very top, or the sliding roof in the centre, or the rear which is an open area of 1m x 4m.
Photo 17: This photo is looking up from the bottom floor to the closed roof, which opens by pulling a rope. The five windows are the on-suites of each bedroom with stairs seen on the left hand side. When it rains, the roof is closed.
Photo 18: This photo is from the ground floor entrance from the loungeroom (there is only one entrance but there are three balconies). You go forward and walk up two steps to the first sunlit area. This is where Photo 17 was taken by looking up to the small roof. By moving forward past the table and chairs, there is another sunlit area - this is the back of the house and there is an area of 1m x 4m that is open. This allows a nice breeze into the kitchen and airflow coming from the entrance (although mostly closed) and airflow coming from the small sliding roof when its open. Air normally flows in from the rear and middle and out through the entrance but it does change. And it is still hot.
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Post by strop2 on Jul 20, 2015 12:22:21 GMT 8
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Post by strop2 on Jul 20, 2015 12:40:44 GMT 8
More ideas to aid in cooling.
Photo 20: A Mekong House using natural materials at the sides and rear of the house, which is cooler than brick and render.
Photo 21: A HCMC House A poor photo is roof irrigating. The bottom right of the photo shows a metal pipe near the top of the roof. The pipe has holes in it. The owner wets his roof twice a day to cool down his house. Most small shop owners will wet down the front of their shops to cool down the concrete or bitumen.
Photo 22: A HCMC House. The common method of keeping houses cool is the use of a double roof. Almost all houses are built with a flat roof that owners can walk on and use for water tanks and clothes drying with tiled floors to reflect the Sun's rays. At a later stage most owners will build a metal roof on top of this for more shade and airflow which cools the house down. 
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