Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

That's cool!

I regularly drive by a guy's place who has two geodesic dome houses and an arch house on his place, none of them really look large from the road, but I bet they would be when you got up to them.

I had thought about constructing a building here for use as a workshop/retail space. I was going to build it so it would be two stories, gambrel roof, and then I was going to install a "tower" on one corner to resemble an old silo. The tower would house a spiral staircase, and be capped by a geodesic dome roof. Right now I am too busy and too strapped for cash to begin any new building projects.

Hex, I don't have to really worry about room for constructing any Greenhouses or other buildings. I have 4 acres here, so I have more than enough room to do most of what I want, but yet I want more acreage for all of my plans. I understand how it is for those of you who live in cities and more populated countries. Space is short so you have to make every inch/centimeter count!

Kevin

those domes are so much fun!

I wish i had 4 acres to work with..i`d be a pig in clover.

I like your idea for the tower,you could case it in metal and paint it black.. hey presto, an instant solar chimney

I could squeeze in a 22ft`er but the 20ft`er uses a 16" kneewall which gives me an option for burying a 10ft dia x 30" deep tank (~4500L) and losing the excavated soil in a 1m wide perimeter bed.. if my math is anywhere near close.

The main reason for using a dome (other than the obvious fun factor) is the energy efficient shape.
Here`s a quick comparison between the dome and an equivilent tunnel.
A 22ft dia x 9ft high dome gives 380 sqft floor, 600 sqft exposed surface area and 1920 cu ft volume.
A tunnel with the same height and floor area would have roughly 850 sqft exposed surface area and 2,670cu ft volume.

The dome has about 40% less surface area and volume for equal height and floor area.. the tunnel would be easier to build though.

My main idea was to try and keep a rural feel to the place. Most of the old barns and silos are quickly disappearring from the landscape and being replaced by new metal "industrial" type buildings.

The first greenhouse I am planning on will be a roughly 20 x 30 hoop type, later on I want to construct an earth contact 16 X 24. The 16 x 24 will use solar and ground loop heat pump technology to heat the space during the winter. If things would work out for me, I would eventually like to have a 30 x 60 where I could operate a commercial AP operation.

Kevin

Haven't heard of this stuff moke, can you post or point to more info?

I think he means 'geothermal heat pump'. Try this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heat_pump

I tried to connect to the link, but it wouldn't go.

Roughly what the system is consists of a pump that circulates fluid (either etheleyne glycol or saline) through a system of pipes buried in the ground either in a grid pattern or a shaft. The ambient temperature of the soil raises or lowers the temperature of the fluid which is then pumped back to a structure and is used to heat or cool the structure either through a heat exchanger or radiant system. The system can also include additional heating sources, such as gas or electric furnaces, to further raise the temperature. The use of a standard air conditioning system and dehumidifier might also be used to aid in the cooling of the conditioned air.

I would add a loop into a solar collector to try and warm the fluid either before or after it entered the ground loop. The reason being is that some of the solar collectors I have looked at claim diminishing heat gain when air temps drop below 28 degrees Fahrenhiet, roughly -4 Celsius, but give adequate heat to raise the water to the level of domestic hot water above that. I might also have to install a small boiler of some sort for my coldest heating days. It is not unusual for my area to have some below zero days during the winter.

Rather than trying to heat or cool the air I was thinking more in the lines of using radiant heating lines in the floor and a fluid to fluid heat exchanger. These systems are used in hot water boiler systems where you want domestic hot water heated by the boiler, but have to keep the potable water seperate from the water within the boiler system. The fluid to fluid exchanger would allow me to heat/cool the water in the AP fish tank during the periods of time when I would need to adjust the temperature for the species I might be raising.

Kevin