[Bioconversion] Lister Installation - was Fireball Express

[Jeff Davis]

Hi Ken and List,


Ken wrote:
> For my hot water pipes I was going to use 3/4"  (22mm)  PEX tube

That's what I used. So far it has worked good.


>, with a
> 1"
> thick slide-on insulation.

I should have used that!!!!




>The insulated pipe was then going to be
> enclosed
> in a 3" diameter plastic drainpipe - to give it some mechanical strength
> and
> resistance to being disturbed later by fork or spade.


Sounds good to me.


>
> The next question is the depth to place the pipes, we have no problem of
> ground freezing here - so I thought that 12" depth might be sufficient.


I have read that one should be below the frost line so you should not have
a problem here. But if the soil is wet it is best to be out of the water
level (not sure if that is the correct wording). So, maybe, water is worse
than frost?



>
> Regarding the outer insulation layer, I think that straw would probably
> rot
> in time, and cause the trench to settle.

Could be!



>polystyrene
> packing chips (peanuts)  would also be suitable.

Because of birds eating the foam peanuts, most of our peanuts will
dissolve in water.


>It might be possible to
> make a rigid square section duct from slabs of 2" thick polystyrene.

I hear that this will work. I take it that polystyrene is closed cell.


Best regards,


Jeff





-- 
Jeff Davis

Some where 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA