[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: Barra system

[Lawrence Lile]

Kieth wrote:
> However, as I've noted before, I think any system that has your house
air flowing through an uncleanable and uninspectable is flawed.


Aye, Aye, Kieth, this was the downfall of many solar designs of the
'70's. Any space that communicates air to a building should be
cleanable, that goes for solar convetion spaces, trombe walls, HVAC
ducts, and so on.  If ya can't clean it, fill it up with insulation.   

Another issue is creating spaces that can function as chimneys, but are
not easily accessible to the fire department.  Some friends of mine had
a beautiful solar home with some of these spaces.  The home was built
with the double-wall concept, a complete second skin around the outside
of the house, the second skin space was heated with convection, and the
interior was heated with direct passive solar.  It was an amazing
design.  But when a fire started, these chimneylike spaces weren't
accessible, and it burned to the ground with the helpless fire
department standing there spraying it!  All the firemen accomplished was
to fill the basement with water, ruining anything that didn't get burned
up. 

Not to mention the case when you get rats and can't get rid of them,
because they are living in the inaccessible space.  I've been there,
done that, got the T-shirt.  

Some friends built another inaccessible space that failed.  It was an
innovative double paned window, with a shop vacuum system arranged to
fill the void between the windows with packing peanuts at night for
automatic insulation shutters!  Very cool!.  However, static electricity
would build up inside the window, and the packing peanuts would stick in
there.  Access to the space would have allowed them to install some
static discharge materials that might have mitigated the problem.  

--Lawrence Lile