Hi,
I wonder if there’s anyone out there who may be able to advise me on the construction of a Canadian well.
I’m building a small two-bed house on a sloping, south-facing (sunny-side) plot in France. The building will be constructed of cord-wood around a green oak frame and well insulated. I like the idea of a Canadian well as it seems very simple, however, my idea seems to be slightly at odds with the general infomation I’ve so far read.
The biggest problem to overcome appears to be the removal of condensation from the pipework and this is achieved by sloping the pipe towards the building & then tapping off the collected water via a purging valve under the floor. This then means a ventilator would be required in order to draw the warmed air downhill through the pipe into the building. More added stuff.
However, if the pipe were sloping the other way & the entrance to the pipe exited the ground horizontally instead of the more usual vertically, then water could never stay in, or enter the pipe. The other advantage would be that the air would enter the building via natural convection, rising uphill as it warms. The ground around the pipe inlet would need to be cut back and a suitable anti-bug net fitted, but this would work, wouldn’t it?
The plot I have would appear to be perfect for this because as well as having a natural slope, the ground then falls away quite steeply and I thought this would be ideal for the pipe air-entrance.
I’d really appreciate any members comments, ideas or thoughts on this subject and thank them in advance.