Greening Your Home - Berm Home Ventilation
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Jschlich
03-10-09, 03:47 AM
I am considering the purchase of a 25 year old berm home
[3-side berm, south side window wall, conventional roof].
The owner who had it built has passed away. A building inspector and I are puzzled from no apparent ventilation system. We find what appear to be several components of a vent system but we just can't figure out the function.
From what we have found it may be that the system was never completed for some reason.
There are two large [3"-4" capped white PVC pipes about 30 feet from the house. One has some sort of "paddle" that appears to be used for cleaning something and seems to be an access to a lateral running underground PVC pipe.
The other capped pipe (next to the first) is again an access and there appears to be a slight liquid flow through this lateral running underground PVC pipe.
There is another 4" PVC pipe setting just above ground a couple feet in front of the house which is a 90 degree elbow going below ground, under the cement slab of the house and then leads somewhere under the slab [we could only views about 3 feet underground. This clearly seems to be some sort of air vent.
In the attic area there is a smaller gray PVC pipe [about 1.5 inch diameter] which stands up 2-3 feet. It is open ended and is not associated with any utility, appliance vent or bathroom vent that we can trace.
Finally, there are a couple of in wall boxes that first look like they were set in place for a central vaccuum system. There is a power feed at each wall box as well as a small [2 inch about] gray flex-tube that heads into the wall and goes somewhere.
Our thought is that the wall boxes are some sort of air venting system that was never completed with small fans that would go into the room boxes and vent to the PVC pipe in the attic.
We are totally puzzled about the white larger PVC's and how they may be some sort of earth tube system.
Now that I've given enough information to prove I can be dangerious :p perhaps someone here can suggest what this all is about.
We are attempting to have original building plans found through the local township that may give us some idea what is here.
Any help or advice would be appreciated!
[3-side berm, south side window wall, conventional roof].
The owner who had it built has passed away. A building inspector and I are puzzled from no apparent ventilation system. We find what appear to be several components of a vent system but we just can't figure out the function.
From what we have found it may be that the system was never completed for some reason.
There are two large [3"-4" capped white PVC pipes about 30 feet from the house. One has some sort of "paddle" that appears to be used for cleaning something and seems to be an access to a lateral running underground PVC pipe.
The other capped pipe (next to the first) is again an access and there appears to be a slight liquid flow through this lateral running underground PVC pipe.
There is another 4" PVC pipe setting just above ground a couple feet in front of the house which is a 90 degree elbow going below ground, under the cement slab of the house and then leads somewhere under the slab [we could only views about 3 feet underground. This clearly seems to be some sort of air vent.
In the attic area there is a smaller gray PVC pipe [about 1.5 inch diameter] which stands up 2-3 feet. It is open ended and is not associated with any utility, appliance vent or bathroom vent that we can trace.
Finally, there are a couple of in wall boxes that first look like they were set in place for a central vaccuum system. There is a power feed at each wall box as well as a small [2 inch about] gray flex-tube that heads into the wall and goes somewhere.
Our thought is that the wall boxes are some sort of air venting system that was never completed with small fans that would go into the room boxes and vent to the PVC pipe in the attic.
We are totally puzzled about the white larger PVC's and how they may be some sort of earth tube system.
Now that I've given enough information to prove I can be dangerious :p perhaps someone here can suggest what this all is about.
We are attempting to have original building plans found through the local township that may give us some idea what is here.
Any help or advice would be appreciated!