greenhouse

[mpugh5@aol.com]

well ,i'm continuing to gather equipment and preparing to get the greenhouse set up in the spring. i bought a book called the solar greenhouse. for all the thinking we(I) do trying to prepare to get my system up and going ,there are always things to learn.the book says that there is a 12%+- heat gain in situating the greenhouse east west. i really don't know why my thinking was north south outside of the convenience of the location. so now i'm going to have to give this a lot of thought . i'm wondering if the investment of cutting into the bank,side of hill and bracing ,etc. will be a good long term investment. if it's going to help the plants grow on short winter days and keep the fish just a bit warmer i guess i'll have to figure it in. if there are any thoughts on this they will be appreciated ,cause i don't really want to dig in .i think i better take the tape measure out and get to measuring.

[Ironfish]

Hi Mpugh5,

My greenhouse (20x42) is setup east and west. My next setup will be north and south.
I'm raising yellow perch and the heat buildup was to much. I had to put a silver tarp cover on 2/3 of the house, leaving 1/3 exposed to the sun. My tanks are on the north side under the tarp. This slowed the heat buildup and eliminated the algae growth which was bad.
With the house running N & S you could put the tanks in the North end covered leaving the veggies in the South fully exposed to the sun. Using exhaust fans to pull air from the N to the S would keep the temp. swings more in line. Then, if that still wasn't enough, a wall could be put in between the fish and the veggies to keep more of a temp. difference.
The final setup I'm looking at over the next few years will be a large insulated pole building in the north with 2 greenhouses side by side attached to the south end of the building also running N & S. This setup will give me more climate control for the fish, whether they are perch, hybrid bluegill, or tilapia.

Ironfish

[jackalope]

mpugh5@aol.com ya know, subterranean homes & shops are easier to heat because there is no heat escape in the hillside wall .... as well, the hillside wall, if it is stone or block and the sun hits it directly, will hold heat in for the evenings .... just a thought

[mpugh5@aol.com]

ironfish and jackalope that's what i was looking for just a look a little bit farther, i'll be going into the bank a little either way, the question was just how far.i think that going north south will only effect me in the winter soooooo. i'm still going to have to go at it with the tape measure. thanks