Food Storage - Designing and building a storage room

[1earth]

Hi Geoff and Sindhu,

Im designing my straw bale abode and was planning a 8' x 6' walk in pantry which would also store bulk produce, etc. I read the piece on your website about your own construction and the design of your food storage area intrigues me - what size is it? is it located in the main house (off the kitchen)? is it at ground level - or does it go below ground? and the venting system, goes out through the roof?

Cheers, Mark :;):

[vix]

Hi, I think there would be something about this in Dave Holmgren's book about his place at Hepburn. I seem to remember seeing pictures of his cool cupboard, nicely stacked with yummy home-made tomato sauce! ;) Excellent set-up.

[d_donahoo]

yeah. having done the house tour of the holmgren's the cool cupboard is an excellent set up. it is a large cupbaord with wire storage racks for everything from fruit and veg to goats milk and other dairy and eggs and butter etc....

the idea is before the floor was laid a trench was dug and concrete pipes laid to create a tunnel along the longest section of the house. air travels from outside and cools down below the earth and is drawn up by a fan at the top of the cupbaord and out through the roof.

it is an excellent low energy storage space - that never gets above 11/12 degrees and usually is much cooler.

it has inspired me - who also has planned a big pantry, to include a cool cupbaord in the back to reduce refigeration energy needs.

[1earth]

TY for the replies - this raises some qustions:
1. this tunnel - is it open at both ends?
2. what material was used for the tunnel - concrete pipe or pvc or similar?
3. what dimension was the tunnel?
how deep was the tunnel below the earth?
4. I'm guessing that the fan wouldn't need to be going at all times, and might even be left out of the design if the chimney was high enough to extract the warm air?
5. what climatic zone is Hepburn?
6. would the cool room walls need to be insulated to avoid affecting the rest of the house?

Thanks again

[d_donahoo]

1. this tunnel - is it open at both ends?

yep - open at entrance (with mesh cover) and open at roof where there is a fan system drawing the air through


2. what material was used for the tunnel - concrete pipe or pvc or similar?

concrete pipe.


3. what dimension was the tunnel?
how deep was the tunnel below the earth?

not exactly sure - you'd have to check out the book about the melliadora property :: available at http://www.holmgren.com.au


4. I'm guessing that the fan wouldn't need to be going at all times, and might even be left out of the design if the chimney was high enough to extract the warm air?

yep - i'd say you are right, but the chimney might have to be pretty high. you could always run a solar powered fan - cause then in the hotter days when the fan needed the power - it would run


5. what climatic zone is Hepburn?

cool temperate. central vic with hot summers and very cool winters (say July approx 8 days with minimum temp below 0)


6. would the cool room walls need to be insulated to avoid affecting the rest of the house?

not sure you need to go to those lengths - and this is only a cupboard - I could not imagine it being as functional for an entire room or pantry (but perhaps a sealed section of it) if anything - it would contribute to cooling the house on hot days...so i wouldn't be too concerned about that.

cheers...i'd recommend you try and find out more through the holmgren design services website (http://www.holmgren.com.au) - my comments are more for an observers point of view - having not created a cool cupboard - yet.

[twiggy]

I have heard that if you paint the chimney of your cool cupboard black this will heat the air at the top when the sun shines on it, creating a "convection current" (is that the correct terminology?) which will draw air through the system, or at least assist the fan in doing so.

[1earth]

Good idea Twiggy, tnx, & d_donahoo tnx for your help

I s'pose if there was a thermostat on the solar fan it would only be needed if the temperature in the cool room (nee cupboard) rose above the 12 degrees

[peony]

Hi there, I just thought I'd add in some helpful terminology, painting the top of your chimney black to pull the air thru is called a 'Sun Chimeny' :D