Methods to insulate/cool a room or house

[sprintcyclist]

My first house was in New Mexico. It was very dry. Instead of air conditioning we had an evaporative cooler on the roof. It maintained a pool of water in the base with a common toilet float valve. Water was pumped to the top of all sides and trickled down through a filter media. Air was pulled down into the house with a squirrel cage fan. It could lower temperatures 20C in the right conditions. The drawback was it drew in too much moisture on humid days. With no compressor they were very cheap to run. Here is an example of a window unit. They are very simple to work on.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frigiking-5 ... /204700100

Yes, they use ones like that out west. In a drier climate.
Very effective and cheap to run

[Texan]

Some houses have a ducted system but I think the majority of Aussies use a split system reverse cycle unit similar to this ...



And the condenser sits outside ...

Those work really well. My dad put one on his recent house addition and a friend of mine who is an AC guy swears by them. It sounds like you guys are on the same page with us concerning what is popular.

The latest thing in insulation is to build the shell of the house and then spray polyurethane insulation on all walls and under the roof. The attic(if it exists) is kept at the same temperature as the interior. Then the interior of the house is completed. The poly insulation provides a seamless insulation that is typically R30 or higher. It's what I intend to do if we get the chance to build a house. An inexpensive metal building shell with minimal windows, spray in insulation, septic system, water well, and either off grid solar and wind or grid intertied solar. Put on a limestone facade, cedar doors, stained concrete or epoxy resin floors, blacked out ceilings with exposed ducting and wiring conduit, and an open floor plan.

Something like this, but with limestone and different colors. My wife loves wrap around porches and they help keep the house cool.

[brian ross]

Downunder we have a long history of large wraparound porches on domestic buildings, Tex. I love them 'cause they allow you to sit outside of an evening and they keep the house cool.

I presently have an evaporative cooler on my houses. They work 95% of the time in WA and South Australia because they are both drier environments. The other 5% of the time, it is too humid for them to work. They are wonderful and quite cheap to run, particularly with solar panels to supply the electricity during the day. They don't work all that well on the East Coast of the continent which is a much more humid environment.

[sprintcyclist]

A guy I know puts shade cloth over his roof and westerly wall in the hotter months.
Says it makes a huge difference

[Texan]

A guy I know puts shade cloth over his roof and westerly wall in the hotter months.
Says it makes a huge difference

Mounting solar panels on the North side of YOUR house or building just South of large shade trees can make a difference.

I've considered putting some sprinkler heads along the ridge of my house. You can occasionally cool off your roof, clean off your solar panels, or use them to fight impending fires. A metal building would put you a step ahead in that respect.

[brian ross]

A guy I know puts shade cloth over his roof and westerly wall in the hotter months.
Says it makes a huge difference

Mounting solar panels on the North side of YOUR house or building just South of large shade trees can make a difference.

I've considered putting some sprinkler heads along the ridge of my house. You can occasionally cool off your roof, clean off your solar panels, or use them to fight impending fires. A metal building would put you a step ahead in that respect.

Fine, in theory, Tex. Remember though, don't use PVC piping to supply the sprinklers and you need a ready water supply and a pump (preferably petrol/dieso driven) to supply them with that water. Radiant heat in a bushfire is sufficient to melt PVC pipe, despite the presence of water on the inside.

[Texan]

A guy I know puts shade cloth over his roof and westerly wall in the hotter months.
Says it makes a huge difference

Mounting solar panels on the North side of YOUR house or building just South of large shade trees can make a difference.

I've considered putting some sprinkler heads along the ridge of my house. You can occasionally cool off your roof, clean off your solar panels, or use them to fight impending fires. A metal building would put you a step ahead in that respect.

Fine, in theory, Tex. Remember though, don't use PVC piping to supply the sprinklers and you need a ready water supply and a pump (preferably petrol/dieso driven) to supply them with that water. Radiant heat in a bushfire is sufficient to melt PVC pipe, despite the presence of water on the inside.

I'd be using metal pipe. The emergency sprinklers would be at the peak of my roof away from the fire. Our public water supplies are pressurized by local water towers using gravity. My other option is in an off grid home to have a battery powered house and I can pump water from my well in an emergency. I can get free used batteries from my work sometimes.

[brian ross]

Downunder, we also use towers to maintain water pressure but usually only in suburban areas, In Adelaide you can stand on the beach and look up at the hills and trace the water tower line across their front. Away from suburban areas water pressure is a bit more hit or miss. We often have to rely upon water tanks attached to houses to collect rainwater, rather than piped from central locations.

[Texan]

Downunder, we also use towers to maintain water pressure but usually only in suburban areas, In Adelaide you can stand on the beach and look up at the hills and trace the water tower line across their front. Away from suburban areas water pressure is a bit more hit or miss. We often have to rely upon water tanks attached to houses to collect rainwater, rather than piped from central locations.

How does that work upside down?

[sprintcyclist]

Downunder, we also use towers to maintain water pressure but usually only in suburban areas, In Adelaide you can stand on the beach and look up at the hills and trace the water tower line across their front. Away from suburban areas water pressure is a bit more hit or miss. We often have to rely upon water tanks attached to houses to collect rainwater, rather than piped from central locations.

How does that work upside down?

Ah - good point !!!!
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