Earth Tube Heating and Cooling

Earth tube heating and cooling by incorporating thermal chimneys helps save energy and helps us be a more carbon neutral camp.

Earth Tube Heating & Cooling - Incorporating Thermal Chimney's

We studied earth tube heating and cooling as a way to save energy and money when remodeling our park store (open Memorial Day through Labor Day).

Earth tube heating and cooling uses the natural stable temperature of earth soil, in our case just 5 or 6 feet below the surface, to heat a building when cold and to cool it when hot.

The Great Lakes keep our water table high and the temperature of the damp earth is in the 50's most of the year. Tests have shown that in a reasonably sized tube (over 100 feet long), the temperature of the air moving through the tubes does not warm or cool the earth around it enough to make any significant difference. Therefore, air moving through it will be heated or cooled in relation to its constant moderate temperature.

After reviewing information found on the web, we came up with the attached design. It incorporates a "thermal chimney" that uses hot attic air to create a natural airflow without using electricity to power fans. The hotter it is, in theory, the better this system would cool. See the earth tube concept and drawings slideshow or the earth tube concept and drawings (PDF). (The PDF is quite large, so it may take a minute to download.)

The humid warm air of summer would cool and drop its water (dehumidify) so it is important to engineer draining and sump operations as well as a way to clean and sterilize the tube to avoid mold or mildew issues. We don't have elevation numbers for the drainage as these are initial concept drawings.

My family and I stayed from July 17 through July 20, 2014. What an EXCELLENT experience!

This was the first camping trip we took with full hook ups with the new 26ft travel trailer. Our site was pretty nice. We did not plan well and booked in May. This still left us with many options. Your staff was very patient and helpful in working with us to select a good site. It was a bit narrow, but we knew that going in. Your staff provided dimensions of all sites available so we could pick a proper site. We were on the outside of loop 2.

Your amenities were great. We used the beach, playground, and biked the campground a lot. The camp store had good selections, too. We especially liked the option to purchase ferry tickets at the store. The ferry shuttle was incredibly convenient.

And those bathroom facilities. WOW!!!!!
One person in our group used the bathroom at 10pm at night. And you had staff cleaning it. (Who does that?) I have never been to a campground with SUCH CLEAN BATHROOM FACILITIES.
The showers were also immaculate. White shower curtains with no mildew. Again, who does that?!?!?!
The mood music was a nice touch.

Your patience in our later arrival was much appreciated. And as one of our neighboring campers put it: backing your camper in at 10pm in the dark is like a spectator sport. But they also were very helpful.

Kudos on your grounds. The area between the camp road and lake was such a great public space. We got in a little nap time while watching boats go by and knitting. It was a beautiful setting.

We didn't partake in the hay wagon or fire engine rides, but that was also activity for kids.

Thanks again for such great hospitality!

The Wendt & Mele Families - Linden, MI; Norwich, NY; & Dorset, VT Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping September 26, 2014

CampMackinaw.com is the official site for Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping, formerly known as Mackinaw Campground, located two and a half miles south east of the Mackinac Bridge on US 23. Mackinaw City cabins and camping with over 600 sites, including knotty wood pine cabins in Mackinaw City. Site types for all types of campers from full hook-up RV sites to cabin rentals and tent sites. Our Mackinaw cabins and campground are open to the public and conveniently located for campers in and around Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Paradise Lake, Carp Lake, Alanson, Pellston, St. Ignace, Levering and Cheboygan, Michigan.