Re: [CH] Solar heat
GarryMass@aol.com
Tue, 3 Oct 2000 23:51:01 EDT
In a message dated 10/03/00 10:16:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
byron.bromley@gsd-co.com writes:
<< Made an exterior wall similar to WOW,
Do you think that these would hold more heat than WOW?
>>
LB,
I guarantee the following result, if you paint warm rocks black, and then put
warm hunks of painted granite near the bases of your chiles at least 2 inches
deep in the soil - more heat than WOW. In fact, if your hunks of granite are
at least half as tall as your plants, I guarantee no frost damage unless the
air temperature gets into the mid-twenties.
WOW operates on the water molecules expanding at about 4 degrees centigrade
(34F), so that the colder ones go up and the warmer ones stay at the bottom,
warmer than the surrounding freezing air. But rocks, particularly if they
are warm to begin with, are solar collectors (especially if you paint them
navy blue, not black) operating on a different principle, and are "heaters."
The drawback is to have several cold, cloudy days. Then the "rocks" are
refrigerators. But, knowing you, you'll bring your navy rocks into the house
and warm them in your bed.
Knowing you Yankees as I do, (Democrats give their old clothes to charity;
Republicans wear theirs), the free local rocks oughtta sell you entirely.
Now, if you could just find a source of free navy blue paint......perhaps the
Portsmouth Navy Yard?
Gareth the ChileKnight