Solar Panels... read more
Tyres. Building blocks for any size earthship... read more
To ask questions or post a comment click here... read moreChecking the boundaries
August 19th, 2008After Mike had left and we had discussed the exact location and route of the build I had some concerns regarding the boundaries so I borrowed a GPS receiver from the local bicycle shop and Jon Myself and Richard of Swaziquad went to the site with 3 of Richards quadbikes to do a reco.
After much searching we found trig point A.. Only 4 more to go
Mike Reynolds Swaziland
August 14th, 2008After a gruelling 30 Hour journey from Albuquerque, NM, USA Mike finally arrives at Oliver Thambo Airport in Johannesburg.
A quick overnight in Nelspruit and then on to Swaziland
Check the Orientation of the plot
July 20th, 2008Find out where North is
As an earthship relies solely on the Sun for heating energy it was important to check which way was North.
I quickly ran up to the site with a compass.
Damn I need to get fit.. thats a long way up in the Swazi Sun
Here is a view of Plot2 from Plot 1, This will be the site of a larger build at a later date.
Here is a Vid taken from Plot2 before I got totally out of breath 
Earth filled tyres found in Swaziland
June 16th, 2008I was doing a quick rekky in Swaziland and came across this in the Ezuluwini valley
Although these are not Earth rammed, the concept is there.
I must find the guy responsible and invite him to the build in May 2009
Thermal Observations
June 6th, 2008One of the most staggering claims of the Earthships is that they can withstand temperatures that range from 30 below freezing to 40 degrees above freezing and yet maintain a steady 19 degrees or so without any heating.
This is achieved by a combination of thermal mass in the form of thick earth filled tyre walls and correct alignment with the winter sun angle.
I got up today to find a sprinkling of snow on the foothills of the mountains and ws suprised how chilly the outside was. I had previously seen a thermometer inside the house always showing 18-21 degrees and decided to take it outside. It was 10 degrees cooler. The Earthships maintain a steady temperature from the thermal mass stored in the Earth walls. It really is quite amazing
