Subject: Most efficient passive thermal project

From: [email-masked] (Seth Fischer)
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 01:30:32 GMT

As the title suggests, I am looking for the most efficient passive
thermal way to heat my house. Will I be better off putting a sunroom
on my porch, filling it with thermal mass, and pumping the heat into
the house with a fan. Or, am I better off with a tromb wall?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Seth Fischer

---

From: "Greg Burgin" <[email-masked]>
Date: 25 Mar 97 21:22:20 -0500

On Tue, Mar 25, 1997 8:30 PM, 

It would seem to me that you need to choose between storing heat in a
sunspace OR pumping it into the house. I'd rather pump it into the
house. How about a low thermal mass vertical sunspace? Trombe walls
act as a wick drawing heat out of the house when the sun isn't
shining.

Greg

---

From: [email-masked] (Nick Pine)
Date: 26 Mar 1997 00:41:44 -0500

>the house with a fan. Or, am I better off with a tromb wall?

No. In both cases, most of the solar heat would be stored in the thermal mass
near the solar glazing during the day, and leave through the low thermal
resistance of the glazing at night. You would probably be far better off
with a low-thermal-mass sunspace and a fan, and lots of thermal mass INSIDE
the house...

Nick

---

From: Will Stewart <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 1997 21:28:37 -0500

Greg Burgin wrote:
>                                  Type: application/X-url
>                 Part 1.2     Encoding: base64
>                           Description: Seth Fischer
> 
> wrote:
> sunspace OR pumping it into the house. 

Or bringing the sunshine directly into the house through large south
windows with some form of thermal storage, such as masonry floors or
water storage tanks.  See
http://www.patriot.net/users/wstewart/first.htm

-- 
William R. Stewart
Member American Solar Energy Society
Member Electrical Vehicle Association of America
"The truth will set you free:  - J.C.