Author Topic: Updated Photos! - Greenhouse Ideas - DIY Solar Panel - Construction Photos  (Read 12333 times)

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Heater Suggestions - Plus construction Photos
« Reply #25 on: November 11, 2019, 08:05:52 PM »
I guess... I am... Thermo-Cube.
The automated feature... It does look pretty handy.

Kevin
« Last Edit: November 12, 2019, 05:50:48 AM by Kevin Jones »

SeaWalnut

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Re: Greenhouse Heater Suggestions - Plus construction Photos
« Reply #26 on: November 11, 2019, 08:10:30 PM »
Found this link.
At 0C ,the air conditioner its 3 times more efficient than resistance heating and at -10C its double efficient than resistance heating.
Even at -20C its still slightly better than resistance heating.
Off course ,this air condioned has a special feature for heating,it defrosts the cold coil peridically to keep it free of ice that can act as an insulator .
On top of that,for temperatures lover than minus 20C ,it switches to resistance heating wich it has it incorporated in it .
It only has resistance heating to protect the lifespan of the compressor.
https://www.nordicghp.com/2017/01/heat-pump-effective-temperature-range/

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Plus construction Photos
« Reply #27 on: November 12, 2019, 07:32:00 AM »
A few years back I experimented with a Starplate greenhouse. Weird/difficult angles aside... it is still functioning well and is a very efficient over-winter plant storage device:










Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Heater Suggestions - Plus construction Photos
« Reply #28 on: November 12, 2019, 09:56:46 AM »
Every stick is pressure treated.
I have a solar panel and lithium battery/inverter system I will be installing for a LED low power DC lighting system.
Plus I gotta have tunes!

Kevin

Excellent!

Hard freeze with gusty winds for about 18 hours now. Lots of ice. Anenometer froze up yesterday. Greenhouse has stayed at a toasty 33 - 38F per a wireless greenhouse temp monitor 500' away from our house.  Console sits on a window ledge, temp monitor is strapped to a column this side.

24F as I write.  Greenhouse propane heater is holding the temps to around 35F, second row, left digit.



Someone asked about venting - if your greenhouse is fairly leaky then no, you don't need fresh air or venting.  I LOVED the Southern Burner greenhouse heater for its accuracy, no maintenance and clean output.  Raised orchids, took many a show award.

Fan sitting near the 18' peak faces down.


« Last Edit: November 12, 2019, 09:58:28 AM by Mark in Texas »

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #29 on: November 12, 2019, 10:45:04 AM »
Mark,
I envy those nice heaters. Beautiful GH too!
It's going down to 21 tonight... setting a record for cold.
I'm hoping for some nice hard sunshine today so I can at least get a little solar heating.
I depend on some thermal mass... brick floor and open soil floors to help moderate the temps.
I try to keep the containers well watered and the ground soaked to absorb heat.
I think it helps take the edge off.

Kevin

Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #30 on: November 12, 2019, 12:35:52 PM »
Mark,
I envy those nice heaters. Beautiful GH too!
It's going down to 21 tonight... setting a record for cold.
I'm hoping for some nice hard sunshine today so I can at least get a little solar heating.
I depend on some thermal mass... brick floor and open soil floors to help moderate the temps.
I try to keep the containers well watered and the ground soaked to absorb heat.
I think it helps take the edge off.

Kevin

Good luck!  Sounds like your greenhouse is nice and tight.  Mine is not especially when we have 35 mph north winds at 25F!  Greenhouse door was iced over this morn, couldn't open it.  Still freezing here.

I'd have one of those bell top burners that sits atop a 25# propane tank as backup.  I use one to toast up the bathroom before a bath.  They're 5K, 10K, and 15K.

TNAndy

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #31 on: November 12, 2019, 01:20:13 PM »
Regarding electric heaters, I learned a very hard lesson several years ago.  I had been using a pretty nice oscillating heater with a built-in thermostat.  Unfortunately, if the power goes off, these types of heaters do not turn themselves back on.  The power doesn't have to be off very long for this to happen.  A flicker might do it.

We left the house to visit family and friends over Christmas and were gone a week.  Apparently, there was an outage.  I lost dozens and dozens of little coffee saplings.  (Strangely, a few saplings survived.  I have no idea if a tiny minority of coffee trees are slightly more cold tolerant than most or not.  It's not the kind of experiment I want to repeat.)

If there's any chance you won't be on site to monitor and remedy any power outages, I strongly recommend a basic heater with no electronics.  Since then, I've used a thermostat-free blower type heater and an oil-based radiator type heater.  If the power is on, these heaters are on.  Fortunately, basic heaters tend to be less expensive than the fancy ones with thermostats.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #32 on: November 12, 2019, 01:28:40 PM »
Andy,
I think you make a good point... Periodic power outages are a fact of life.
On the upside... these Milk-House style heaters I have are either on or off.
Pretty basic. As long as they are getting juice they will run. No re-set necessary.
Also... I plan to be be on-site, as you say, whenever I use them.
I am chained to these plants!

Kevin

SeaWalnut

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #33 on: November 12, 2019, 04:56:57 PM »
I remember your geodesic dome pictures that you posted on my dome greenhouse thread.
This is my dome ,picture taken by a neighbour .
I didnt finished it iet with double glazing but im cloose and im also working at the wood heating device.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #34 on: November 12, 2019, 08:18:04 PM »
Yours is a much more elegant and beautiful structure... a true dome.
My is technically an Icosahedron... one of the 5 platonic solids.




Seanny

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #35 on: November 12, 2019, 08:52:12 PM »
I used 2 of these, RANCO ETC-111000-000 Electric Temperature Control,
for my refrigerators.

The settings are persistent.
The controllers recover from power loss and continue to run their programs.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #36 on: November 12, 2019, 10:00:14 PM »
Here's an image from the Starplate folks:




A bunch of 2X4s connected with bolts and covered in GH plastic.

Kevin

SeaWalnut

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #37 on: November 12, 2019, 10:12:19 PM »
Here's an image from the Starplate folks:
My dome is also an icosahedron just its a 4V frequency.




A bunch of 2X4s connected with bolts and covered in GH plastic.

Kevin

Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #38 on: November 13, 2019, 08:27:42 AM »
Regarding electric heaters, I learned a very hard lesson several years ago.  I had been using a pretty nice oscillating heater with a built-in thermostat.  Unfortunately, if the power goes off, these types of heaters do not turn themselves back on.  The power doesn't have to be off very long for this to happen.  A flicker might do it.

Yep, my controller and propane heater depend on electricity. After I lost years of hard work during a heater failure Jan. 2018 I bought a free standing Dyna-Glo 150K heater as back up and monitor the temps with a Davis Instruments wireless alarm system that works off battery backup.

That's another bennie with the smaller Southern Burner heaters, they don't use electricity.

Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #39 on: November 13, 2019, 08:32:07 AM »
Here's an image from the Starplate folks:




A bunch of 2X4s connected with bolts and covered in GH plastic.

Kevin

I have been fascinated by those Starplates since they came out, what, about 40 or so years ago?  Am just wondering about venting, hinging a roof and wall panel automated style.

Pokeweed

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #40 on: November 13, 2019, 08:46:43 AM »
The Southern burner heaters look really good, but they are out of business now. Probably still some in supplier inventory. D

Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #41 on: November 13, 2019, 09:42:49 AM »
The Southern burner heaters look really good, but they are out of business now. Probably still some in supplier inventory. D

News to me.  Closed March 2019.

Kevin Jones

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #42 on: November 13, 2019, 09:46:37 AM »
The Starplate system can be problematic. It requires a lot of custom construction solutions.
It was a stop gap measure for me... but several years later it still functions fine for what it's worth.
A single sheet of plastic will wrap perfectly around the bottom section. Than another will wrap perfectly around the top.
I insulated the northern section with foil covered bubblewrap stuff.
And I built some odd looking triangular doors in the north section that opened in... and gravity automatically closes them.
Ventilation is accomplished by propping the doors open:







« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 12:04:32 PM by Kevin Jones »

SeaWalnut

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - Construction Photos
« Reply #43 on: November 13, 2019, 11:14:30 AM »
If id use propane to heat then i would buy an older heating central like a Viessmann 22kw that works on gas .
It doesnt loose temp memory in case of a power outage and they are dirt cheap from used @ 100 dollars.
Pipes, and one or 2 radiators or instead radiators i would go with floor( ground heating).
1 kw of gas here its 10 times cheaper than 1 kw of electric power.
Even if you use 3 times more efficient heat pump for heating ,the gas would be still at least double cheaper than that.

brian

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #44 on: November 13, 2019, 12:51:36 PM »
The geo-dome and icosa-dome look really cool but the work involved is too much for me.  My A-frame ("gothic arch") was plenty enough work for me and I didn't even have to cut the frame.

If I was building another greenhouse I'd do quonset-style just wide for enough single sheets of polycarbonate to span the roof... rather than having two roof faces and twice the work.  And wood frame instead of metal... installing thousands of drill-screws into steel sucked.  Maybe some kind of clamp system would work instead of screws.  Or even magnets but they get expensive
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 12:58:15 PM by brian »

brian

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #45 on: November 13, 2019, 12:54:16 PM »
Where I am, Natural Gas is dirt cheap, but Propane is relatively expensive.  Propane is cheaper than electric heating, but not nearly as cheap as natural gas.  Natural Gas is only available as a piped utility, but propane can use big tanks and truck deliveries.

Daintree

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #46 on: November 13, 2019, 11:42:59 PM »
It gets MUCH colder here, but I would recommend a portable radiant propane heater.  They are made for garages, ice fishing huts, etc.  For your needs, it would run a long time on a 20 lb tank, cost way less than electric, and you can easily move it around.
I heat my 700 SF greenhouse with the natural gas equivalent of these types of heaters (although mine are larger and wall mounted) and find they work very well.
If you have a Home Depot, there is a Dyna-Glo 18,000 BTU propane cabinet gas portable heater for about $60.

Cheers,
Carolyn

SeaWalnut

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #47 on: November 14, 2019, 05:01:55 AM »
Propane from gas tank has 14 kw per kg heating power while wood has 4 kw per kilo.
You need 3 times more wood to carry than propane but wood its easyer to get,cheaper,safer.
Id chose wood heating over propane gas canisters anytime.
Calculate kwh price of the different fuels in your area before you decide to get a heating sistem.

Mark in Texas

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #48 on: November 14, 2019, 10:04:02 AM »
The geo-dome and icosa-dome look really cool but the work involved is too much for me.  My A-frame ("gothic arch") was plenty enough work for me and I didn't even have to cut the frame.

If I was building another greenhouse I'd do quonset-style just wide for enough single sheets of polycarbonate to span the roof... rather than having two roof faces and twice the work.  And wood frame instead of metal... installing thousands of drill-screws into steel sucked.  Maybe some kind of clamp system would work instead of screws.  Or even magnets but they get expensive

Been there done that.  I have to predrill using a tungsten bit before driving a "self tapping" screw into mine.  And the columns are rusting like crazy at the bottom.  Nice for 7 year old house, eh?   >:( Polycarb is the only way to go. Most of mine is Palram Solarsoft.  North roof was redone in clear Lexan poly carb.

brian

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Re: Greenhouse Ideas - DIY - Construction Photos
« Reply #49 on: November 14, 2019, 10:54:20 AM »
So far my Conley galvanized steel frame has not rusted at all despite extreme humidity.  It is raised off ground level, though, so the feet stay out of the dirt.

Polycarbonate really is fantastic aside from the installation effort.  My old garage-roof greenhouse panels still looked great after... 5yrs?  I forget how long its been.  And they don't ever seem to get dirty on the outside, rain and snow keeps them looking nice.