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Composting greenhouse provides hot water (original)

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The original content of this page, "Composting greenhouse provides hot water (original)",
was authored by Ole Ersson, and was written from his point of view. It was ported with
permission from Experiments in Sustainable Urban Living.

Bales

Our household of 2 adults and three children obtained all our household hot water from a
composting greenhouse we constructed in Portland, Oregon in 1994. It provided hot water at
a temperature of 90-130 degrees (Fahrenheit) continuously until it was dismantled 18
months later. We used the space to grow several species of mushrooms and to house plants
from our garden during winter.

The strawbale floor

The greenhouse design was similar to inexpensive "tube" greenhouses. Outer dimensions
were 16x30 feet. The foundation walls consisted of 3 courses of rye grass straw bales pinned
together with 1/2 inch steel rebar. Bale size was 2 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet, giving two-foot thick
walls along the base. Therefore inner dimensions were 12 feet wide by 26 feet long. Bales
were stacked like bricks, as is typical of straw bale construction. A layer of 3 mil plastic film
surrounded the bottom bales, separating the straw from a layer of wood chips on which the
bales rested and the compost which filled the greenhouse about three feet deep inside
(except for a 5 feet by 12 feet entry at one end). The roof consisted of 6 mil ultraviolet
resistant plastic film supported on 20 foot arches of rebar spaced every 2 feet along the
length of the structure. These arches were held rigidly into a 2 feet x 2 feet matrix with
horizontal rebar spaced every 2 feet running the length of the structure. The straw bales on
the sides and end walls were also covered with the same plastic film as the roof with a door
framed out of lumber at one end. A single sheet of 32 feet wide by 32 feet long plastic
covered the roof.

Pipe supports for the roof

Two PVC 3/4 inch water lines ran underground from the house to the greenhouse. The cold
water supply originated at the washer hookup cold line. Hot water returned from the
greenhouse in an insulated line after circulating in the hot compost and entered the house
plumbing at the washer hot water hookup. Therefore no modifications to the original house
plumbing system were required. While the greenhouse heater was operative, the original hot
water heater was turned off and its intake valve closed. Heat exchange occurred in the
compost in which was embedded one hundred feet of coiled 1.5 inch internal diameter plastic
hose. Compost mass totaled 3 feet deep, 12 feet wide, and 21 feet long, or approximately 28
cubic yards. It required replenishing several times during its lifetime because of continual
slow decomposition.

Plans in the greenhouse

The total amount of hot water contained in the hose inside the compost (comprising a
cylinder 100 feet long by 1.5 inch diameter) was 9.17 gallons. This (when mixed with
appropriate cold water) was an adequate volume to take 3 quick showers without running out
of hot water.
Roof over greenhouse

The compost biomass consisted of wood chips and other ground tree material run through a
chipping machine. This material is delivered to our site free of charge from many tree service
companies. We supplemented this primarily high-carbon matter with high-nitrogen matter
from household waste such as garden debris, kitchen compost, and manures. Eventually,
when the greenhouse was dismantled to reclaim our back yard as a garden area, we had
enough finish compost to cover our entire yard 8 inches deep. Needless to say, we have a
fabulous garden from this new soil fertility.