[stevehull]

Earth tubes were REALLY big in the late 1970's as a free way to heat (and cool) homes. Mother Earth News touted this highly.

Fast forward ten years. Mold was (and is) the killer on this idea. In the tubes, you have moisture, warmth and dark - the three essential ingredients for mold growth.

I watched as several clients put these in and then closed them off after having allergy issues - some severe.

There are still those that claim and assert that there is no mold. I am sorry to be such a skeptic, but I am unaware of putting in a liner (on the tube inner surface) that eliminates this. And it cannot just be minimized - it needs to be eliminated.

The physical problem is that earth temperature is ALWAYS going to be below the dew point of the air at some time in the year. Volia - condensation.

The other issue is that the air comes into the home at ~ 100% relative humidity. Yes, it is cool air, but it is damp, cool air. And without a very dry air mass (such as in Arizona where "swamp coolers" work well, with a relative humidity in single digits) you just get nasty damp air.

Yes, you can put in slots in the tubes, you can put in drainage "canals" at the base, but you can't overcome physics.

I love the idea for makeup air for fireplaces and for inlets to wood stoves. But for house air, I would say not.

Great idea, but it failed miserably when tested considering the health issues. It works GREAT as a cooler with 100% humidity introduction into the home. And in winter, it GREATLY prewarms incoming tube air and bring in all the mold spores as the surface mold dies (cold air kills mold) and the former mold growing biology in the tubes now releases billions of billions of mold spores.

Uggh . . . .

Sorry to be a wet, cold and damp blanket . . . . but you gotta know the history.


Steve