As you learn more and experience how something works you come up with caculated opinions! I look at the tipical dome greenhouse and see too much wasted heat and light! The dome or hoop houses that I look at seem to be facing the wrong direction or lets say not the best direction! My reasoning is up for debate but here is what I think!
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Most of the greenhouse I viewed are facing one long side south! This seems like it would be the best way to set the greenhouse but if you think about it the north side gets no sun and part of the sun from the south side passes right through the north side hitting the ground! This is a waste of heat and light.
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If the greenhiouse length would be perpendicular to the noon sun 5 hours of the greenhouse would recieve 90 percent of the sun instead of only 50% !.
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I think the A frame with insulated north outside wall and a reflective inside north walk will receive more light intensity than any other type of greenhouse! Light is even reflected back from the top of the north A frame wall because of the angle! The A frame greenhouse will have the south side face the noon day sun! I think thatthis is why the A frame greenhouse is best to become a solar water storage ultimate greenhouse!Does anyone have any other ideas along these lines?
The A frame is probably hard to cover because they don't make a stadard fitting cover. The nice thing about the A frame is the main wall is rectangular and if made of 2 by 4 wood with spacing even at 18 inches the outside layer for the handy man is simple to put on in 20 minutes with just a staple gun.. The inside layer if using 2 by 4's can be a very thin 3 mill plastic layer because the outside layer is the strong layer and protects the inside layer!
One problem with the hoop greenhouse is the plastic has to be seperated with forced air to to have a air space. The newer rigid materials with air spaces make some really nice greenhouses but for the average person that has little to spend I recommend the insulated north wall A frame!
One problem with the hoop greenhouse is the plastic has to be seperated with forced air to to have a air space. The newer rigid materials with air spaces make some really nice greenhouses but for the average person that has little to spend I recommend the insulated north wall A frame!
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DoubleDogFarm
- Super Green Thumb
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Frank, Do you have a camera?? You keep saying A frame. It sounds like a lean to type greenhouse. My greenhouse has a solid insulated north wall. I wouldn't call it an A frame.
[url=https://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/1%20Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Greenhouse%20Photos/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ16]My greenhouse[/url]
https://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/1%20Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Greenhouse%20Photos/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ16
Eric
[Link edited by applestar]
[url=https://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/1%20Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Greenhouse%20Photos/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ16]My greenhouse[/url]
https://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/1%20Double%20Dog%20Farm%20Greenhouse%20Photos/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ16
Eric
[Link edited by applestar]
Its simple to explain and make. make a 2 foot high frame 12 foot wide and 16 feet long out of two by 4's. You now have a rectangle connected together. Using 2 by 4 by 8;s mae 4 frames of 4 foot by 8 foot high.now simply set them on top of you two foot frame and meet the tops in the form of a A frame! That is it simple and easy to make! Insulate the north side and put plastic in the south and do what you want with the ends!
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Paint the 2 by 4;s white! I put a reflective surface on the inside north wall and even added a 2 inch styrofoam insulation! & added 500 gallons of water in drums! I am working on learning how to post pictures! I used about 60 2by 4 by 8's and 6 sheets of flake board plus one roll of 10 by 20 6 mill plastic and inside one roll of 3 mill 10 by 20 plastic! I placed the water drain gutter on the utside of the north wall about 3 foot high and have it running into 2 -- 50 gallon drums! On the south border I have a screen which will allow a opening at the bottom in the spring for colling! Its keeping nice so far! Any other question I will try to explain?
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Paint the 2 by 4;s white! I put a reflective surface on the inside north wall and even added a 2 inch styrofoam insulation! & added 500 gallons of water in drums! I am working on learning how to post pictures! I used about 60 2by 4 by 8's and 6 sheets of flake board plus one roll of 10 by 20 6 mill plastic and inside one roll of 3 mill 10 by 20 plastic! I placed the water drain gutter on the utside of the north wall about 3 foot high and have it running into 2 -- 50 gallon drums! On the south border I have a screen which will allow a opening at the bottom in the spring for colling! Its keeping nice so far! Any other question I will try to explain?
As I look more at the A frame greenhouse it seem that a narrow inside would be a better heat collector because there is less space collecting the large amount of sun light! Consider a 12 foot high north wall slightly angled at a 75 degree from the ground. The south wall with a 60 degree angle meeting the top of the 12 foot wall.
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A equalateral triangle would have all sides 12 foot so the inside would be 12 foot. As the angle of the north wall approches 90 degrees the inside area gets narrower. The light from the south wall would be reflected back into the greenhouse unlike the hoop house. The extended height would capture the reflected light that would pass over a hoop house and reflect it into the greenhouse so the A frame would have a much higher light intensity and heat capturing ability right?
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The north wall is insulated and has a shiny surface! Plants should grow much better in this more intense light and heat especially designed as a solar water collecting green house!
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It seems to me that you would have the reflected and direct sunlight coming together all over the A frame greenhouse Right?
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A equalateral triangle would have all sides 12 foot so the inside would be 12 foot. As the angle of the north wall approches 90 degrees the inside area gets narrower. The light from the south wall would be reflected back into the greenhouse unlike the hoop house. The extended height would capture the reflected light that would pass over a hoop house and reflect it into the greenhouse so the A frame would have a much higher light intensity and heat capturing ability right?
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The north wall is insulated and has a shiny surface! Plants should grow much better in this more intense light and heat especially designed as a solar water collecting green house!
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It seems to me that you would have the reflected and direct sunlight coming together all over the A frame greenhouse Right?
Are you talking passive solar heated GH? Yes, an A-frame sunken pit house would rock but you need the angles to be right. Not just a perfect triangle. You want the front to absorb and the rear to reflect. Check your library on passive solar building. Some good sources found but mostly dated 1970's tech.
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DoubleDogFarm
- Super Green Thumb
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I put up another small green house over the weekend to put my excess cole crop seedlings in for another month. I bought 12 -2 by 4's. I put two two by fours together and drilled a 3/8 hole three inches from one end of each of the two boards. I bolted them together and stood them up and formed a triangle . I had two land sacape timbers parrellel 10 feet appart and use them for the base of the triangle!.
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It took me 4 hours to complee the whole thing which is 10 by 14 with a 6 foot 6 inch center.. I put it over a foot hole that I dug out last year. Worked great, I covered the floor with old carpet with the white back side up! I will see if I can get a few pictures it looks great! Ued my 6 mill plastic that I have a 100 foot roll of! One layer is all I need now with the milder weather!
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It took me 4 hours to complee the whole thing which is 10 by 14 with a 6 foot 6 inch center.. I put it over a foot hole that I dug out last year. Worked great, I covered the floor with old carpet with the white back side up! I will see if I can get a few pictures it looks great! Ued my 6 mill plastic that I have a 100 foot roll of! One layer is all I need now with the milder weather!
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valley
- Greener Thumb
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- Location: ranches in sierra nevada mountains California & Navada high desert
Thanks for the quick return.
We will be building a greenhouse at our lower ranch. The wind will blow a 4 hour greenhouse into the next county but I get the idea.
The greenhouse at the upper ranch must withstand good amount of snow, the roof is 12X12 pitch, the lower greenhouse can get by with much less pitch. Best of luck.
We will be building a greenhouse at our lower ranch. The wind will blow a 4 hour greenhouse into the next county but I get the idea.
The greenhouse at the upper ranch must withstand good amount of snow, the roof is 12X12 pitch, the lower greenhouse can get by with much less pitch. Best of luck.
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valley
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- Location: ranches in sierra nevada mountains California & Navada high desert
A Frams are strong. When snow slides off an A Frame, say 10 to 15 ft of pack, it will have no place to go on an A frame but will lay on the roof. Here in the mountains it will collapse. If there is 8' of wall the snow will slide off and pile next to the green house. At the lower ranch an A Frame would have a chance as there 6" of snow is a lot.
Here in the mountains A Frame houses are built on fondations and are up off grade, the snow has some place to go, as the snow gets deeper it lays on the roof which is not a great problem as the rafters are 4"X10" or 4"X12" lumber with 2'' toung and grove roof planks. We are builders, we built the house we are in.
In some areas and for some purposes A Frams are great, when loss of ceiling hight is not a problem. In a green house where no snow to speak of is expected I think it would be fine and if built heavy enough in windy areas.
We covered our greenhouse here with solid corrigated plastic, I'm wondering how it will do where the roofing is blown of some houses.
I'm not disagreeing with anything you have posted, your design with rafters closer center to center and a ridge beam tied well to an underpinning 2' off the grade is something I would consider.
Thanks again.
Here in the mountains A Frame houses are built on fondations and are up off grade, the snow has some place to go, as the snow gets deeper it lays on the roof which is not a great problem as the rafters are 4"X10" or 4"X12" lumber with 2'' toung and grove roof planks. We are builders, we built the house we are in.
In some areas and for some purposes A Frams are great, when loss of ceiling hight is not a problem. In a green house where no snow to speak of is expected I think it would be fine and if built heavy enough in windy areas.
We covered our greenhouse here with solid corrigated plastic, I'm wondering how it will do where the roofing is blown of some houses.
I'm not disagreeing with anything you have posted, your design with rafters closer center to center and a ridge beam tied well to an underpinning 2' off the grade is something I would consider.
Thanks again.