Earthship academy exam review

Things need to know
 * Electricity
 * Parallel vs series
 * Series: opposite nodes of components wired together in a row (e.g. negative of compnent A to positive of component B). Final voltage is sum of each component's voltage added together. Amps stay same.
 * Parallel: like nodes of components wired together (e.g. negative and negative nodes of components wireded together). Final amps is sum of each components amps. Voltage stays the same (note the voltage rating/usage of each component should be the same, e.g. two 12V lights is good, but a 6v light + a 12v light is bad).
 * Note: You can combine groups of components connected in parallel or series by e.g. connecting several of these groups in serries or parallel. This is useful for when need to meet a specific voltage/amp limit of a section of components, e.g. if the charge controller has a voltage limit of 90 V, connect groups of solar panels in series to add up to less then 90V, and then add additional similar groups in parallel, to stay below the 90V threshold.
 * Note as always, ideally have high voltage where possible when have a choice, to minimize energy lost in wires + minimize thickness needed for wires (brings cost down).
 * What is electricity?
 * Electrons moving along conductive material, e.g. copper wires.
 * What can you do with electricity?
 * Magetisize
 * Heat
 * Ionize
 * Power vs Energy
 * Energy is like an amount, e.g. a bucket of water
 * Power is how quicly energy is used
 * Power = V x I
 * Energy = V x I x T
 * Amps = current
 * Voltage = electrical pressure
 * Watts = electrical power
 * Sizing a system
 * How much energy needed.
 * Then figure out battery size. Note batteries often show amp hours, so multiply by volts to get watt hours.
 * Then figure out the electrical generation requirements, e.g. how many solar.
 * Note only 1/3 of battery energy should be used to be safe.
 * Also, when sizing system, assume need 1.2 times the battery size when sizing solar/other energy generation (energy lost between solar panels + charge controller).
 * System setup
 * Simple system: Solar panel -> Charge controler -> Batteries -> Converter (for AC) ->  Breaker box -> wires to components.
 * Complex system is basically the same, but has a combiner box.
 * Miscellaneous
 * Breakers take 80% of the rating.  Breakers protect wires.
 * Smaller wire guage means thicker wires.
 * Positive is usually represented by red, negative by black.
 * Water
 * Catching water
 * Silt is separated out in the scupper (gutter) + the salad bowl, and in the WOM.
 * Water is collected in cisterns.
 * Water is gravity feed into house, into WOM.
 * WOM
 * Main parts are filters and pumps.
 * 50 mesh filter -> pump -> pressure switch -> 500 mesh filter -> hot and cold water systems of house + drinking water goes to 1000 mesh filter ->  cermanic filter.
 * Bypass switch allows priming of the system. Open up bypass to allow air to get out of the system and help prime the pump (though this only works assuming you have a pressure tank in the system).
 * Grey water
 * Every fixture needs vent + trap. Vent allows good flow + rids bad smells. Trap stops bad smells coming out of fixture.
 * 3-way valve used to choose if grey water goes to planter or septic tank.
 * Grey waters -> reception box -> planters.
 * Black water vs grey water
 * Kitchen sink + toilet are black water, everything else is grey water.
 * Slope
 * Whole system needs 1/4" slope per foot. Roughly 2.5cm per metre.
 * Grey water planters
 * Each cell can be replicated, e.g. have as many as you like.
 * Last cell needs the peet moss separator thingy at the end. Peet moss helps oxygenate the water + clean.
 * Last cell has 2 pumps, 1 to recirculate + 1 to flush toilet.
 * The overflow of the last planter sets the level of the planters, so wants to be high, but below the soil.
 * Black water
 * Planters typically goes outsite.
 * Simple survival
 * Don't usually have vents except for septic tank.
 * No WOM, instead one source pump, not pressurized but operated by a switch to fill the shower hot water tank.
 * No drinking water filter per se, though Earthship Biotecture is working on a home-made sand filter to do this.
 * Outlaw septic tank
 * Once finished digging hole, protect sides of hole with scrap plastic, then 4 plastic sheets.
 * 2 pipes into the middle of the septic-tire pit. 1 for clean out, 1 from the toilet.
 * Overflow to planters needs to be lower then overflow to outside beds (in Ushuaia only).
 * Phils class (general earthship stuff)
 * 6-points
 * Food
 * Shelter
 * Energy
 * Sewage
 * Garbage
 * Water
 * Roof
 * Commong types
 * Vegas
 * Trusses
 * Valuted ceilings + fero-cement
 * Water capture
 * Rough calculation is for 1sq foot, for each 1" of rain, 1/3 of a gallon.
 * 12" of snow = 1" of rain (so don't get much from snow).
 * Make sure to cover top of cisterns, to prevent freezing in cold climates.
 * Types
 * Global.
 * Simple survival
 * Packaged (vertical glass in glass house, convex shape on top). Packaged house with double green house was the half-way house between global and packaged.
 * Hut
 * U module (single room with glass house one end)
 * Windship (2 simple surivals facing each other e.g. Philippines)
 * Retrofitted conventional houses
 * Tire walls
 * Battered back 1.5" per course on global model (or general when ever there is going to be a big load against a flat wall).
 * Mixes
 * Concrete.
 * 10 gallons gravel - 10 gallons sand - 5 gallon cement (1/2 bag)
 * 3-4-5 is standard - 3 cement - 4 sand - 5 gravel
 * Plaster motar
 * 3 sand, 1 cement
 * Add lime to make more sticky.
 * Adobe
 * 2 sand - 1 clay - 1 straw
 * If nice layer but still cracks lots, then maybe too much clay. Otherwise if too sandy, need to reduce sand.
 * Sift sand is good for finishing layers, otherwise if using for pack out/motar, don't care so much.
 * Fibers where in many of the mixes around the building in Ushuaia.
 * Clay in soil.
 * Put soil in glass jar + water, shake until all suspended, wait 24 hours,
 * Drawings
 * 2 most important drawings types are plan and section drawings.
 * Section typically calls out materials.
 * Passive cooling
 * Vents in back of rooms sucked up through skylight vent via convection.
 * Building orientation
 * Though you want a building to point towards the equator, may still want to slightly turn the building east/west due to the surroundings of where the site is and if e.g. the sun is blocked at a certain time of the day/year.
 * Scratching
 * Use whatever tools are useful for the surface you're working on.