Pod #1 was shipped assembled! Help, too much ventilation!

[Westcliffe01]

I was out hunting today in my 4x8x7 (high) blind and in the kind of winters we have in Mi any structure like that will need heat to avoid a buildup of condensation (at the very least). I have a vented heater in mine. I bought a commercially available marine one, it would be easy to build your own, if only there was a place that sold the burner with pilot and flame detector/shutoff device. One only needs a few thousand BTU to keep a space of that size comfortable. One could even contrive a device that only uses multiple pilots since the burners themselves tend to be too powerful. OTOH, for heating water for making tea or oatmeal, one does need a good shot of heat.

The venting serves not only to discharge the combustion products, but the draft also ensures that you pull plenty of dry air into the structure from outside.

I see that tomorrow is predicted to be 16F at dawn with wind chill down to 1F.... I will be glad to be in my "shelter" for sure...

 

[S. Heisley]

That gap at the bottom of the door could make a sleeping pod really drafty and downright cold, especially if it is windy, and is most likely your biggest problem. Cold sinks to the bottom, right where the person is sleeping. I would add a bit of weather stripping on the bottom of the door instead of or as well as passing out those corks. Attaching a small 1x2 or 1/2x2 piece of wood across the length of the outside bottom of the door, hanging down to cover the gap area might work as weather stripping and be low maintenance yet still allow a very small air flow. You don't need much of a gap to accomplish your airflow goal.

 

[Socal Tom]

I would also consider a modified version of the cookie tin heater. Given that they are in a parking lot, a lightbulb in the cookie tin could be a cheap way to add some warmth. My fear would be that if you don't provide a version of electric heat, someone will eventually bring a flame of some sort inside, then you risk fire or CO poisoning.
Tom
edit
So I found a BTU calculator on line.... Assuming you need to raise the temp 50F, then you need about 1500 watts of heating ( assuming no insulation). Depending on which website you look at a person provides around 300 BTU. So a 100W lightbulb isn't the answer.

 

[mikeschn]

There is no electric available.

I saw this today... looks nice. Problem is, the pod is too small.

http://clancysoutdoors.com/nu-way-fish- ... nd-stoves/

Mike...

 

[Socal Tom]

I'm a very risk averse person, so I often see risks that other people don't and while I'm sure you are trying to help these people, its important to remember that simple mistakes can result in serious injuries. I know the last thing you want is for someone to be injured/burned because of the pods.

So far, what you've provided is safe, and a big improvement over what was likely the prior sleeping arrangements for these folks.

I had a thought in regard to the question of how big the air holes should be. As much as I search on the internet, the only helpful information I found was that the average person uses 388 Cuft of air per day. So an 8x4x4 space should have about 8 hours of air if air tight.

But a thought occured to me. I assume there will be a next pod. Why not temporarily equip it with a CO sensor, then set up a few candles... enough that will set off the CO sensor after an hour or two. Then drill 3/4 inch holes and see how many it takes to keep the alarm from going off?
Tom

 

[mikeschn]

Hey Tom,

Those are good ideas. I'd love to do testing like that once we find a way to actually keep these pod thingies warm.

See my other thread. So far I am able to get the temp from 37 to 68 using a Blackcat. But that not a ventilated system. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18902&p=1050878#p1050878

Mike...

 

[Westcliffe01]

Mike, so you realize that Nu-way is a Michigan company ?

http://www.nuwaystove.com/

Perhaps you could work together on a smaller capacity stove. It would need a pilot, a circular burner good for say 1500 btu max, inside a cylindrical tube of about 3" diameter with a 4" heat shield that blocks the radiation over a bit more than 200 degrees of the circumference (opening opposite the corner) then an expanded metal type shield on the front to prevent direct contact burns. The whole thing needs to go in the corner of the pod as low as feasible (heat rises) and 1" will be more than sufficient for the chimney. The "cozy cabin" heater I have in my blind uses a 1" tube for the chimney and it is good for at least 6000 btu.

Even just the pilot by itself will prevent anything inside from freezing, but thats hardly a comfortable temperature for sleeping.

Right now an ordinary person can't get access to the needed valve/interlocks needed to shut off the gas if for some reason the flame blows out, but Nuway has access to all of that stuff given the line of product they produce. The kind of burner used in a propane camping stove is all that is needed. Some of these stoves sell for less than $20 so that has to be a really cheap part, its just the "extras" that you or I generally can't buy ourselves.

The cylindrical can will heat by radiation as well as convection and it will be dry vented heat, the best kind. To allow water to be heated in such a confined space is a big question, (boiling water can produce a prety bad burn) but if needed that requires a surface of at least 5-6" in diameter so a lot bigger scale. The only container I can fit on my Cosy Cabin heater is a military canteen (the type that goes over the water bottle) and thats after I cut off the "rail" that was fitted to it. Not even a tin cup fitted...

There is no electric available.

I saw this today... looks nice. Problem is, the pod is too small.

http://clancysoutdoors.com/nu-way-fish- ... nd-stoves/

Mike...

 

[Miriam C.]

One: tape the insulation! It only takes a small leak in a small space to cool it off.
Two: Consider a sealed bag of the foil bubble type insulation. It really made a difference when I put it on the hatch back...

If you get it warm it should stay that way for a while. Flame of any kind around the bubble foil is a no no though. Definitely needs a small exterior burner of some sort.

 

[Miriam C.]

One: tape the insulation! It only takes a small leak in a small space to cool it off.
Two: Consider a sealed bag of the foil bubble type insulation. It really made a difference when I put it on the hatch back...

If you get it warm it should stay that way for a while. Flame of any kind around the bubble foil is a no no though. Definitely needs a small exterior burner of some sort.

Something like a rocket stove / radiator type thing would work. You could heat hot water and pipe it in along the corners and hopefully never leak.

 

[Miriam C.]

I wonder if one of the insulation places could donate spray on foam. That would keep someone from having to insulate when put together too.

 

[123jay]

I have found that the harbor freight moving pads are very warm to sleep in.
could you use a piece of scrap what ever with a slot and wing nut so it moves up and down over your hole
Even use a blue trap over the top to add a air pocket cut on wind and stop rain?

 

[123jay]

If you have a few tie together could you run low cost 1/2 drip line tie to a small water heater to thermostatic hot water goes up and cold goes down are a low cost pump pushing in to the hot water heater so the pump only push cold water like in a green house

 

[celticquetzel]

I love how you were able to harness the collective expertise and creativity from this site for this project. Realizing cost is a huge issue, thinking two little brackets on the outside for an umbrella. Perhaps cargo nets, or hooks for shopping bags, on the inside so they can keep stuff off the bed. Could you CNC notches into a spar so no additional parts needed for hooks?

 

[Martiangod]

Mike, this whole dealing with cold is a big issue.
I keep trying to out think the whole issue.
Its a tough egg to crack.
Where I currently live there is a huge transient worker population, the nature of the Oil Patch.
Many people in Alberta full time it in RV's as they move from job to job, -40 is not uncommon and - 60 is possible.
One common method to help in living in an RV in these extremes is skirting the trailers in.
I keep going back to your early post of setting the pods up.

You had the foresite to raise the pods off the ground for dampness, but being raised allows for cold air to pass underneith. Some sort of skirting to block that airflow is paramount to begining to keep warm. Simple plywood strips or plastic skirts. Then as snow arrives, bank snow up against. Snow is an awesome insullator.

Another thing that may help is you can get cheap plastic tarps that are black, this would assist by providing some solar gain, but be removable in the summer . Now if possible tarping the pods together creating dead air between them would assist further.
Also a wind break.

Look to some animals that live in extreme cold for some answers, wolf den, bear den, beaver lodge, All provide some sort of tunneling to the den living area, and the Eskimo igloo also used this model.
Years ago we had Huskies, they lived outside. Their dog house/den took on a tunnel effect at the entrance as the winter progressed and snow built up.
We can learn from nature if we open our eyes

 

[rowerwet]

IMO, just make all the vent holes at the top, body heat will rise and then find it's way out, put holes an inch or two higher than the others. Thanks to heat rising, and cold sinking, as long as the total area of the holes is enough (and they can vary that with corks) heat rising will take care of airflow in and out.
put screening over at least two holes so they can't be blocked, just to make sure they don't cork them all up.

 

[craig113]

I have been thinking of installing a water heater against the wall. Plumb it to the outside with quick disconnects and attach a coil. You can research a wood heated hot tub. A bit of charcoal / wood will heat the water and circulate it to heat the trailer.

The biggest issue is how long with the heat last. Getting up and down to a homeless person might not be the nicest if it is snowing or freezing out.