greenhouse growing

[ehanes7612]

added 6 x 12 with a 8 to 10 foot roof slant (still need to finish exterior layer of roof)..this is facing south , direct sunlight (when it does come out) is blocked by my house from mid fall to mid spring) ..will just tarp the south wall in the summertime (i have 70 % shade for the roof during that time too)

inside new addition..this will be the paph seedling and phal room

inside older greenhouse ..which will be the FS plant room (for colder nights)..i have to deconstruct the 'shactruction' below the black fan ..hopefully, without removing the top shelf..the entrance to the new addition is to the right of all that

 

[Ozpaph]

are you sure its electrically safe? Would hate you to have a shocking experience! (at a minimum you need an earth leakage device).

 

[ehanes7612]

if i had a metal frame GH i would be concerned (all electrical devices sit on wood or are attached to wood, well off the ground (including wires(..and i make sure the humidifier is off when i water the plants..i have surge protectors and very touchy circuit breakers

 

[wjs2nd]

Looks cost effective. How long did it take you to put all this together? Do you use it all year long?

 

[NYEric]

yes, wood doesn't conduct electrically! :evil: You do have me down as recipient of your plants if something happens to you, right!

 

[Justin]

nice work!

 

[ehanes7612]

Looks cost effective. How long did it take you to put all this together? Do you use it all year long?

i use it all year ...the older part took about 8 hours and the newer part took about 4 hours...its extremely sturdy and cost about 500 for all the materials

 

[ehanes7612]

yes, wood doesn't conduct electrically! :evil: You do have me down as recipient of your plants if something happens to you, right!

yes Eric, along with my 19th century porcelain doll collection

 

[Rick]

It's cost effective as long as the codes people don't find outoke:

My first GH was similar, and got away with it for years in TN

 

[ehanes7612]

i was fine with the previous GH but the new addition, TECHNICALLY , i am over the limit (120 sq ft)..but my neighbors are really cool and seattle only investigates if a neighbor complains..juts to give you a sample of how seattle works..check this out
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2011585964_apartments12m.html

"He said the city does not inspect structural components of large buildings directly, but instead relies on a private report from a third-party inspection firm selected by the contractor."

 

[Shiva]

Glad you can get away with this setup. Definitely not for my climate. Do you ever get snow or real cold weather in Seattle?

 

[biothanasis]

very nice growing area with lots of space !!!!

 

[ehanes7612]

Glad you can get away with this setup. Definitely not for my climate. Do you ever get snow or real cold weather in Seattle?

occasionally , but in general the averages are above freezing for nights..i have an apple tree above the older GH to contend with (why the roof is slanted as it is)..i usually only need one 1500 watt heater to keep 60 F nights.. if it does get below freezing i use two

 

[SlipperFan]

I'm with Michel -- it wouldn't work here. But I hope it works well for you.

 

[ehanes7612]

Here are new pics of the greenhouse, I tore the plastic off the older wall segment (diagonal beams in the middle) to open up the greenhouse...i have been selling off many more plants to downsize ..and the seedlings on the left may come inside during the winter (under lights) so i can move the adult brachys and parvis over there ...then i can put plastic back up on the middle section and section it off again ..i want the old part of the greenhouse to be a work space..and i also dont want to have to use more than one heater

 

[tenman]

if i had a metal frame GH i would be concerned (all electrical devices sit on wood or are attached to wood, well off the ground (including wires(..and i make sure the humidifier is off when i water the plants..i have surge protectors and very touchy circuit breakers

I have two dedicated circuits going into my greenhouse; for each circuit the first double outlet was a GFC or whatever they call it, the kind they have in bathrooms and kitchens to prevent electrocution. After two sets of them broke due to humidity (they would throw for even light loads as time went by), after less than three years, I just put in regular ones, and the coolers, fans and pumps are plugged in to surge protectors which are then plugged into the outlets higher up. I have been meaning to put in the GFC-type breakers which they now make, in the breaker box itself inside the house, but haven't gotten around to it. My greenhouse is wood-framed, the floor is plastic grid over gravel and all the outlets are up high.

70% shade?? Seems awfully high to me. I use 30% here in Ohio (the glazing admits 85% of light, so I end up with right about 60% sunlight in the greenhouse). You must get much stronger light there than we have here, though I do have the barbatum-type mottled leaf paphs and the brachis and phals mostly shaded by other higher shelves (and of course the 200 or so trichopilias are underbench for coolness and shade) . But the parvis and the strap-leaved ones are getting that full 60%.

 

[ehanes7612]

I have two dedicated circuits going into my greenhouse; for each circuit the first double outlet was a GFC or whatever they call it, the kind they have in bathrooms and kitchens to prevent electrocution. After two sets of them broke due to humidity (they would throw for even light loads as time went by), after less than three years, I just put in regular ones, and the coolers, fans and pumps are plugged in to surge protectors which are then plugged into the outlets higher up. I have been meaning to put in the GFC-type breakers which they now make, in the breaker box itself inside the house, but haven't gotten around to it. My greenhouse is wood-framed, the floor is plastic grid over gravel and all the outlets are up high.

70% shade?? Seems awfully high to me. I use 30% here in Ohio (the glazing admits 85% of light, so I end up with right about 60% sunlight in the greenhouse). You must get much stronger light there than we have here, though I do have the barbatum-type mottled leaf paphs and the brachis and phals mostly shaded by other higher shelves (and of course the 200 or so trichopilias are underbench for coolness and shade) . But the parvis and the strap-leaved ones are getting that full 60%.

we get extremes in light..i dont have glazing....i dont shade between 1st oct and mid may...but summer here are too much for my plants to handle , i have found that 70% works best and for keeping down temps too..i only shade the south facing wall and south slant roof..i have no problems blooming plants that set their buds in the summer ..i do however have problems blooming wilheminae for example ..so i sold them all..my plants need to set buds between march and oct or they have a difficult time blooming.

 

[Trithor]

Interesting construction. Not so sure of your electrical, good thing that fertilizer added to water reduces its electrical conductivity, and that wet wood is an insulator!:evil:
(NYEric, I hope Ed has your address)

 

[ehanes7612]

Interesting construction. Not so sure of your electrical, good thing that fertilizer added to water reduces its electrical conductivity, and that wet wood is an insulator!:evil:
(NYEric, I hope Ed has your address)

well, the electricity goes off (at the source) when i water ..as i do get a pool of water on the ground for a minute. When i leave the greenhouse i go back into the house and turn on the electricity. The wood (on the ground) is treated and dries really quickly and is 4 inch squared thick, coupled with the water not being able to soak in it, makes for a difficult conductor. I do have to contend with the possibility of damage to the wiring..but i have been shocked before, (sticking a fork into a socket when i was 10 just for..well, i dont know what i was thinking), not pleasant. I have also been shocked by bad spark plug cables, faulty wiring on the ship i served (Navy), and i myself built a ven der graff machine..my relationship with electricity is pretty solid ..we go back a ways

 

[Trithor]

well, the electricity goes off (at the source) when i water ..as i do get a pool of water on the ground for a minute. When i leave the greenhouse i go back into the house and turn on the electricity. The wood (on the ground) is treated and dries really quickly and is 4 inch squared thick, coupled with the water not being able to soak in it, makes for a difficult conductor. I do have to contend with the possibility of damage to the wiring..but i have been shocked before, (sticking a fork into a socket when i was 10 just for..well, i dont know what i was thinking), not pleasant. I have also been shocked by bad spark plug cables, faulty wiring on the ship i served (Navy), and i myself built a ven der graff machine..my relationship with electricity is pretty solid ..we go back a ways

You are the bomb!:rollhappy: