Geothermal cooling

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Jetsona

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My basement is 2/3’s buried and 1/3 exposed and has a garage car door that is used daily. The floor of the southern end is 8 or 9 foot below the ground level. The wall is uninsulated concrete block. It has been up in the 70’s for 10 days and the basement is already between 64 to 68 degree air temp and rising.Itwas 50 a month ago. I was thinking about geothermal cooling. A box has 6 sides. What if you built a box out of insulation board with 3 sides? The floor, the back wall and the end wall is missing. You place the box in the corner so the basement floor is the floor, and the concrete block wall forms the missing walls. Let the cooler temperature of the earth provide the cooling. Has anyone tried this? I vaguely remember something like it is always like 60 degrees 10 feet below the ground level.
 
I use a "root" cellar with some success. It has two outside concrete walls and two insulated 2x4 walls and an insulated ceiling. concrete basement floor.

It works pretty well all summer.
 
I didn't write the temps down. I was brewing some Belgians and it was cool enough for that.
I want to say it stayed in the low 70s.
 
I was looking for an energy neutral way to control ale fermenting temperatures and they moved me to the "chit chat" section.

A man made cave or root cellar is what I was talking about. Something that prevented having to transport ice every day or buying a refrigerator.

Beersydoesit, tell me about what you did and how it turned out

Thanks
 
I think it is a great idea. I used to do something similar. One corner of my basement has a closet, that was always the best place to ferment before I got a ferme-freezer.
 
It is just a closet I intended initially to use for canned stuff because the SWMBO wanted it.
It measures about 4 feet by 6 feet.
But now there is just beer in it.:ban:

Two outside walls and the floor are concrete and below grade. The remaining walls are insulated with R11 fiberglass insulation, the ceiling with two layers. The sill box has R19 batt insulation. The door is a cheapish interior door, but seems to have some sort of foam filler instead of the common cardboard. It fits well.

Last summer I was able to ferment and age an amber, Scottish, and trippels without off flavors or other difficulties.

As I posted previously I didn't write down the temperatures. It was cool but I don't remember how cool, in the winter and so far this it is very reliably 55 degrees. In summer I'm not sure and wouldn't want to mislead you.

I intend to ferment there again this summer, though I'm certain to be more observant of the temperatures.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Regards
 
I will try it on atleast a small scale this summer. The only possible problem is i'm located 888 miles south of Nena. It's a little warmer down here<GG>
 
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