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raw · notes · ingested 2026-10-15

SolarFool Meeting Oct 14 — KB Melton Presentation Review

Source: MANUAL

Date: 2026-10-14, 11:00 AM Present: Brett, Christina, Bruce, Paul, Jose (referenced)

Brett shared his KB Melton presentation. The following installations and topics were reviewed:

Historical Installations

1. Cool Cell

(No additional details in these notes beyond the name.)

2. ZW Office Installation

  • 6-8” pipe snaking back and forth as a room divider
  • Location: Zomeworks office

3. Andy Shack

  • 8’ x 12’ Tuff Shed
  • Water in the ceiling, louvers below water
  • Status: No longer extant

4. Dave Houses

Corrales House:

  • Belonging to an artist (Timothy Evans?)
  • Not entirely functional
  • Water in ceiling and louvers
  • Status: Extant

Dave’s ADU:

  • Water on side
  • Removed the louvers (resulting in too cold temps)
  • Status: Extant

5. Jose’s Container

  • Baer family storage (primarily)
  • Water on top
  • Polyurethane bags with styrofoam rafts that need to be drained in winter
  • Energy solaire collectors, no louvers
  • More of a Cool Cell — a system that keeps temps between 40°F–90°F; not designed for people
  • Open question: Why was the container built? To test an entirely new system?

6. SolMod

  • Water on side
  • Originally designed for heating only, but now can be used for cooling
  • Parallel pipes connected to each other (big potential for leaks — but had only one leak; that cylinder was emptied and not refilled)
  • Exactly like the drum wall
  • Connections between pipes were at top manifold; took a pump to drain them
  • 8 or 10” irrigation ABS(?) pipes

7. Davis Studio

  • Used only for cooling
  • Parallel pipes connected to each other
  • 5–7 years in use
  • No leaks experienced when under pressure
  • Used flexible laboratory tubing — if bumped, it could leak
  • If it had had a glass wall instead of plywood and insulation, it would have worked for heat as well

Action Items

  • Christina: Put dates with the above structures. Ask Jose to answer the “questions for Jose/Bruce” section.

Materials Discussion: Duxberry Trading / Tank Depot

  • Perfect plastic tubing array for roof water collection system
  • Questions raised:
    • Could they be molded white on one side, black on the other?
    • Alternative: get white and paint with super black selective paint on the “sun side”
    • Or paint a black one white on the interior-facing side for interior design purposes
    • Are they antifreeze compatible?
    • Does water move freely through the spaces? Compatible with thermosiphon? (Jose would likely say yes)
  • Paul: These tanks minimize leaks and would work with “pig mats” on the roof. Could ask tank manufacturers to make a pig mat equivalent.
  • Bruce: 2 × 4’ tank sections — then it’s modular, can be increased or decreased depending on location.

Modular Building Discussion

  • Experiment with a space made of wood, not a container
  • Modular industry makes “portable construction offices” — smaller spaces made of normal construction materials
  • Tuff Sheds are too flimsy (Bruce)
  • Question: Do these offices come on wheels? If so, could be used as a demo
  • Look for “used modules” or ask Melton if they have one available

AI Rendering Request

Bruce: Ask AI to incorporate this system into a “client-ready” picture with interior design, inside and outside. Use the above tanks in the picture — choose the one with best image and presentation materials.

Contact / Coordination

  • Bruce will email Dan Antoniolo’s contact info
  • Talk to Dan about Steve G., professor at SFCC
  • Coordinate about the container project