Total Pageviews
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Readjusting measurements and putting in insulation
Although we've had some significant winds in the past two years since I installed my greenhouse there has been no problem with missing panels or wind damage. I figure I should insulate the structure to provide for year-round aquaponics, however, I have to avoid any significant added weight to my plastic and aluminum greenhouse. I used 1/2" x4'x8' polystyrene foam to line the north walls and ceiling. I drilled holes in the struts on either side of the ceiling in four locations and strung plastic coated clothesline wire across from wall to wall at ceiling level to support the foam against the ceiling. I simply taped the upright panels to the north wall and taped all seams with some 3" wide industrial tape that seems to be holding very well. On the south wall, from the ground to four feet up, the upper level of the grow beds, I used conventional sheets of foam insulation that I had in storage. I also had some mylar/aluminum coated bubble insulation which I used on the west wall up to a level of four feet. That is to protect my fish from getting too much light. Above the insulation I used 1/2" interval bubble wrap that came in 30" wide lengths about 27 feet long. I taped the pull-apart seams with postal tape and taped the several strips together. The material is very light in weight, an advantage in the situation, and quite strong when the pull apart seams are taped. I chose this material instead of using poly sheeting because of the additional insulation factor. I had underestimated the width of the bins that I plan to use as grow beds which led to readjustment in the size of the supporting tables. I'm not using concrete blocks because of size constraints and my two level setup.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sounds neat - might be worth making a video and posting to youtube. All kinds of folks are interested in improving the Harbor Freight greenhouses.
ReplyDelete