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Beadwall, Zoneworks 1983

RichBeckman | Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on July 4, 2006 05:34am

Spent an hour late this afternoon looking at a very interesting home built in 1983 (I was there for a roof leak, but got a tour). It may qualify as a superinsulated home, but I can’t remember exactly how much insulation is in the roof and walls.

The only hear source is a small wood stove.

The central feature of the house is a solarium with a bank of two story windows. These windows have an airspace between the panes that measures about four inches.

In winter, with the flip of a switch, the space between the panes is filled at night with tiny styrofoam beads. In the morning, the beads are removed so the solar gain can be realized.

It takes about five minutes to fill or empty the windows. I believe he said it takes about 800 gallons of beads.

Attached is a pic of the bottom of a section of the windows. You can, more or less, see the remnant of the beads still sitting in the bottom of the window.

Rich Beckman

Another day, another tool.

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  1. User avater
    McDesign | Jul 04, 2006 06:18am | #1

    So Marion is pretty humid?  I've heard of those walls but thought moisture would get between and clump the beads and make a mess.  Thought it only worked in the high desert.

    Do you think it was a well-engineered system 25 years later?

    Interesting!

    Forrest

     

    1. User avater
      RichBeckman | Jul 04, 2006 05:02pm | #2

      "So Marion is pretty humid?"We usually get three or so months of a hot, humid summer.Owner (lived there 10 years) says he has never had a problem with moisture in the system. On occasion in the winter there might be a bit of frost inside the window, but nothing on a large scale."Do you think it was a well-engineered system 25 years later?"I'm probably not qualified to make that determination, but, yes, it seems pretty well-engineeded to me.Owner says the only maintenance has been the rebuilding of a motor, about $200. I got the impression that that has been done more than once. The beads are stored in four 200 gallon tanks in two outdoor closets (one at each end of the beadwall). There is a pair of motors for each closet, one to blow the beads in and another to suck the beads out.Floor in the solarium is tile on cement. There are three fans in the ceiling to pull the hot air into insulated ducts which run down and under the floor of the rest of the house (also tile on concrete), then out six ducts at floor level in the solarium.All doors to the house have small airlocks between the storm door and the main door.I see I forgot to explain that Zoneworks was the manufacturer of the system (but the window wall itself was fabricated locally).
      Rich BeckmanAnother day, another tool.

      1. User avater
        Gunner | Jul 04, 2006 05:14pm | #3

           Very impressive design. That bead wall is really cool.

         I got a tour of a house in Red Lodge Montana years ago that was set up something like that.  It was a log home. The guy didn't have the bead wall, but he had the glass wall heat chamber thing on the front. The big trick was to sit the house so it got the optimal amount of sun. It sat at something like 7,000 feet (I can't recall exactly) But he heated the whole thing with that chamber and a wood stove. It was something like 20 below zero when I was there and the inside temp was in the low 60's without the woodstove fired up. He was still building at the time so he didn't have the ned to crank up the heat.

         

         

        All the girlies say that I'm really kind of fly for a white guy.

      2. GaryGary | Jul 04, 2006 05:42pm | #4

        Hi,I think its actually Zomeworks ( http://www.zomeworks.com/ )-- the same outfit that makes the the passive PV trackers today. Founded by Steve Baer -- a very nnovative guy.
        His book Sunspots is a great read.Its really interesting to hear about a beadwall system still working. I have seen pictures of them, and always wondered about the reliability.Thanks.Gary
        http://www.BuildItSolar.com

      3. DavidxDoud | Jul 04, 2006 05:48pm | #6

        ah,  yes,  wiki to the rescue...

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Baer

        ...In the early years at Zomeworks, Baer was able to work fruitfully with other innovators and idea people, such as the solar designer Day Chahroudi, Dave Harrison, and Dick Henry. In 1975, Zomeworks published a useful, succinct illustrated book, Sunspots, written by Baer; focusing on solar-design principles, the book was notable for its cognizance and insights.

        One of Zomeworks' inventions was the now-expired patented Beadwall (tm of Zomeworks), which concept consists of two parallel sheets of glass with small styrofoam beads blown in between by an air pump at night to insulate the window areas of the building (the beads being removed by vacuum action in the morning)....

         "there's enough for everyone"

        1. brownbagg | Jul 04, 2006 06:43pm | #7

          I saw that on TV one day, I think HGTV

    2. VaTom | Jul 04, 2006 06:58pm | #8

      I've heard of those walls but thought moisture would get between and clump the beads and make a mess.  Thought it only worked in the high desert.

      Actually higher humidity climate is better.  The problem in an arid climate is static electricity, dust from the beads clinging to the panes.  Believe Baer's movable insulating/reflecting shutters were more effective, if more responsibility for the HO.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!

  2. DavidxDoud | Jul 04, 2006 05:44pm | #5

    'Zoneworks' or 'Zomeworks'?

    I wanna say 'Steve Baer' - built tracking solar collectors among other things -

    I'm sure I've got a book -

    altho I just checked on the shelf where it should be,  and don't find it -

    always held him in high regard -

     

    "there's enough for everyone"

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