Is a Concave Greenhouse Feasible?

[GardenRN]

A friend and I were concocting plans for a larger greenhouse on his property. We were thinking of making a hoop house, but the top section, instead of making it a convex curve, if we make it concave, it can collect rainwater and run to a central drain that could then run the water to a storage tank.

If the drain is adequate, there shouldn't be a problem with weight from the water because it will be draining off. We thought of the issue of snow weight in the winter, but if the greenhouse is doing it's job, and is warmer, the snow should melt and run into the drain, right?

Does anyone see any problems with this plan? It was just an idea, but it seems like there must be a problem with it or I'd see some constructed this way.

Any input appreciated.

[Father's Daughter]

My guess would be that any measurable snow fall might not melt quickly enough and you would be risking a roof collapse.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I agree, I think you will have problems with snow. Also the water may collect between the ribs. You always have some sag between ribs.

In a heavy snow load area, I would go Gothic

Eric

[wordwiz]

Jeff,

Why not just make the roof sloping from the back to the front, add an eaves trough and collect the water there?

Mike

[DoubleDogFarm]

Mike,

I'm listen, how does that work? Are the ribs triangles?

Bows are much stronger than straight lines.


Eric

[wordwiz]

Eric,

This is my greenhouse.

[img]https://valleycat.net/garden/greenhouse.jpg[/img]

About 200 sf of surface but it would collect a lot of water from a small rainfall if I add a trough to collect and channel the water to a rain barrel.

Mike

[DoubleDogFarm]

Mike,

Sorry, Ok I still had the hoophouse in my head.

Looks like we have similar greenhouses.

Eric

[Bobberman]

Just run a roof type alum drain pipe the length of the greenhouse on both sides. Place it 2foot from the ground with a slight slope. Run it into 50 gallon drums that are a a foot lower than the greenhouse floor. The drain pipes can also act like vents on each side so the plastic can be held by them when the heat is bad! Run a syphon hose into 3 -50 gallon drums and they will all fill togetherat the same rate Put screen along the area below the drain pipes so the greenhouse is not open to animals and birds! The drain pipes can also be fastened to the main pipes for extra support for both! The one I took down 100 feet long had a alum support two feet up from ground to support plastic when it gets hot! Good idea to get rain water! Also have a section at the base of the greenhouse to raise the plastic a foot for air on very hot days so you won't need as much fan power! Its easy to do using a 2by 4 running the length connected to the main supports! Do it right and it will pay off!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Dr Jeff, Dr Jeff, Please report to the Another Greenhouse topic. Stat!

Here I am drawing pictures again.

Jeff, I was thinking you could U-bolt on the gutter. The gutter would be bolted on at every rib. So this would be every 3 to 4 feet. Depends on how you build the hoophouse. After the gutter is attached, you run tape length wise across the top of the gutter. Basically its a seal between the greenhouse film and the gutter. One more thing this gutter will also keep the ribs parallel.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Topbmp-5.jpg[/img]

Eric

[Bobberman]

Ya the drawing looks great! You can run a T on the end of the roof drain pipe into the greenhouse into the barrel! What is also nice is the stored water will make it a solar greenhouse with a cooling and heating effect so add 250 gallon or more on each side 5 barrels and use the barrels also to support the table on each side! The barrels can be 10 feet apart with the syphen hose connect into each barrel. The main drain barrel will drain all the barrels at the same rate allowing you to use the water in everybarrel at the same time! A hose at the bottom will always syphon to maintain the same level in each barrel automatically once it is set up!because the barrels will always have some water in them!WOW I want one!

[DoubleDogFarm]

bump

[GardenRN]

Ok, lots of good points, and nicely illustrated Eric, lol. I don't know why the heck I didn't just think of a gutter. DUH. Sometimes my brain has to go the round-a-bout way, passing through the most difficult options first. I thought of the idea, and never tried to think of an easier way to do it, just got stuck on how to make it work. Thanks guys!

[garden5]

Garden, I know the feeling. I, too, have a habit of starting out with a concept and then working backwards from the most complex way to achieve it to the simplest way .

Do post a pick when you get your GH built.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Start everything with a KISS. "Keep it simple, Stupid!"


Eric

[garden5]

Eric.....very sound advice. No use in over-complicating things.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Jeff,

Anything new with this adventure? You know what they say, Never go into business with family or friends.

Eric

[GardenRN]

Not yet. We were just trying to think ahead a bit. We are really hoping and getting a good feeling about how the whole selling veggies deal is gonna go. We are almost sure that by mid summer we'll be wishing we had gone twice as big. So the greenhouse will be built (if it ever materializes) in the fall or winter of 2011. Along with clearing out a larger section of land to accommodate more plants.

I know what they say about going in with friends and family. But sometimes you don't have a choice. He has the land and half of the energy, I have the know how and the other half of the energy. Besides, he and I have worked together a lot in the past. Lots of split side jobs and everything. We always split everything 50/50. A deal we made a long time ago. Keeps anyone from feeling bad because you know going into it you're gonna be splitting it half and half. And if that doesn't seem fair to you, then you try it alone and don't bring it to the table.