Earthship in"The Land of Ahhs"

We are preparing to build a Global Model Earthship in Kansas. This have been a long time coming with all the research that I have done. I have found that there are as many people against this building concept as there are those for it. So after looking at all the options for trying to go off the grid, we choose this one. It's kinda like Permaculture in a way. We work hard trying to implement the principles of Permaculture on our land and in our lives. The Earthship does about the same thing. We will learn to manage our resources, sun and rain. With those resources we will create power and food. We will learn to manage water so that we use it several times before we send it back outside as blackwater. Someday we may even be able to manage that. We do similar things managing water for our gardens and orchards. There is a lot of work in planting a food forest but it will feed you for years. And there is a lot a work in pounding tires but the Earthship will take care of us for years and years. No more freezing pipes, no more cold winter drafts and no more calling on the guys to come fix the furnace or the air conditioner. One of the benefits of Permaculture is that it brings community together. We look forward to our Earthsihp project bringing family, friends and new friends together. We are also building a Permaculture Demonstration site on the farm. The swales are in and some fruit and nut trees are in. You see it all goes together this Earthship and Permaculture concept. We work really hard up front to develop something that with little extra effort will take care of us for years. And yes I know, Earthships are not for everyone, and that's OK. Not everyone is going to do Permaculture or even plant a garden for that matter, and that's OK. But there are those of us who will and like many of you at Permies, I want to be one of those who are trying to make a difference.

How exciting!

I'm not sure an earthship would be ideal in my climate but I really like the concept of them and I've seen some fantastic layouts.
I hope you let us know how it goes, pictures and so on.

I wish you luck and good fortune in your project!

Howdy Bill, I hope you will post some pictures as you go along!

are you making any adjustments to the earthship due to it being built in a higher humidity location than they were developed?

i thought they have worked most of this out, but it seems they are always tinkering.

I plan on installing 10" diameter HPDE tubing. From the north wall of the Earthship we will go back about 80' underground and then come up 8-10' to where the air intake will be. I am working off the premise that the humidity in the Kansas summer air will drop out as the dew point changes while the air is being pulled down 8-10' underground. The 80' run will be on a 2-5 degree slope to allow the moisture that falls out of the air to drain away from the house and eventually out to air. There is not a lot of published research out there on this and how it works with the Earthship design. I have read through what is there especially John Hait's book "Passive Annual Heat Storage". I will be putting in some sensors to take temperature, humidity and dew point readings in and around the Air Exchange Tubes and some inside the home. We will try to document what we observe and write something up every now and then. Theory says this should work. So we are going to give it a go.

Congrats Bill, sounds like you are on the path to an excellent project. Hopefully you wont mind being questioned on a few of the details. Being built outside of a desert climate, I see two areas of moisture concerns with your plans.

Lots of people point to the tire pounding as a drawback but to me its the attached greenhouse. I suggest separating it from the human house and stick to more mainstream passive solar design. Green houses have wide fluctuations in temperature that negatively effect living spaces but the humidity is the real danger. Cold building components + high humidity= condensation and potential for nasty results. Its hard enough keeping humidity low without introducing a greenhouse environment.

You say in theory earthtubes should work but my theory is they dont. Again, cool surfaces + humid air = condensation, which attracts dust and pollen, a great recipe for mold and mildew. Proponents point to cleaning as the answer but easier said than done. Cleaning the walls of an 80' 10" pipe? I suggest going with 4" PVC which would be much easier to detail a rope and pig/plug. Still not a task I would want to spend time which might be much too often with our humidity. Whats the cost of all that pipe and excavation? Might as well buy a more proven product: HRV, ERV or Lunos setup.

Finally, I love your words on helping build community. If you are close to the grid, it would be better to not go off of it. You will save alot of money and maintenance and help out your less fortunate neighbors by offsetting their energy use with your excess.

I would like to see some before and after pics when you guys get a tornado

Hi, Bill. I am a bit late to see the thread, but I am interested in what part of Kansas you are located. I am down in South Central Kansas. Earthships have always held a bit of fascination for me. Thanks and good luck.

We will be about an hour west of downtown KCMO. About 30 minutes from the Speedway at the Legends in KCK.

Hey Bill, I have added this thread to the projects forum so we can all keep track of your progress there also.

Calling all Earthship Dwellers, Earthship Builders, Off-Grid Folks and others in the know. I am trying to spec out exhaust fans for the bathroom and exhaust hood for the kitchen for our Earthship here in the "Land of Ahhs".. How did you accomplish this task? I am looking for 24vdc exhaust fans for this purpose but the search is not getting me far. All responses much appreciated.

Welcome to our project! Currently Astralove is searching for a piece of land to establish our latest project. We are hoping to receive this land through funding, donation, or through someone who wants to be involved. We intend to renovate old non-working buses and vans into stationary housing that will be heathy and unique living spaces. We will use this housing opportunity to raise money for our second project: the traveling bus. The traveling bus is intended to travel around various places teaching artful and conscious workshops. Some of the workshops could include flow art, spirituality, art, healing ceremonies, crystal healing, relationship with nature, organic farming/cooking, and many, many more! If your interested in joining, helping, or work trading for housing, feel absolutely free to contact us. We want to hear your stories and how you want to help! Love & Light, Astralove.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009185252645&fref=nf
askwali@astralove.voyage

Bill J Price wrote:Calling all Earthship Dwellers, Earthship Builders, Off-Grid Folks and others in the know. I am trying to spec out exhaust fans for the bathroom and exhaust hood for the kitchen for our Earthship here in the "Land of Ahhs".. How did you accomplish this task? I am looking for 24vdc exhaust fans for this purpose but the search is not getting me far. All responses much appreciated.

Hey Bill,
How did you make out? Were you able to find some 24v motors that worked in your application? And more importantly hows the build comming? Any pictures?

Hi Bill, my wife and I are in the process of building an Earthship near Lander, Wyoming. We would enjoy sharing our experience wth you some time. How far along are you? We have finished the excavation, 6th course of tires and have installed the cisterns along with the necessary backfilling. Oh, and the thermal wrap is in. We plan to have the tire work, bond beam and footers done this year. Throw a line sometime.
Kyle and Erin