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Benefits less a/c expense if I can get enough
dirt to make equal to a underground type storage facility
QUESTION:I am examining the posibility of building a cinder block room in back of
house, and then covering it with dirt from a pond, to create a underground
root cellar type enviroment. Benefits less a/c expense if I can get enough
dirt to make equal to a underground type storage facility (note: to
non-floridians around here you can not set your foot down without the
possibility of hitting water). Benefit hidden, plant trees and bushes around
for addition food source. And then the pond...thats a whole food supply
thing by itself...
ANSWER: The major problem that you will have with this is that at best, you're only
going to be able to get the temperature down to about 72 degrees F. This
is because that is what the ground temperature for most of the state is,
though Southern Florida may be another degree or two higher. There may
still be good reasons for going ahead with this sort of project, but I'm
afraid temperature reduction isn't one of them. You'll have some heat
transfer from the surrounding air to add to that. I'd be willing to bet
that you'll probably not be able to get it past the high seventies in the
summer.
Providing you're not in a flood prone area, such a structure would make an
excellent storm shelter and with suitable planning and placement would make
a very defensible point. The extra earth berming would moderate
temperature swings so even a small a/c unit should be able to get the
temperature down into the sixties without tremendous expense.
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