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Greenhouse wall angles question

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ChinaVoodoo

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Partly for style. Partly to maximize the efficiency of the greenhouse I will be building as soon as the snow melts, I want to have a south wall that is 90deg to the sun at the equinoxes. Here, the sun is at 36deg on Sept 23 this year. So the front window would be at 54deg to the ground. Is this a retarded idea? If not, is there reason to go with any other configurations?

Currently I conceive it as a saltbox configuration. Lean to in the back, long angled wall (12') in the front. 12' wide x12'long x9'7"tall
 

Knucklehead

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Are you going to raise the plants in the greenhouse the whole season? What happens in Sept?
 

DIY Pete

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The angle of the glass to the sun depends on your goals. Your proposed front glass angle will maximize solar input at the equinoxes. If your goal is to extend the growing season then I think you are spot on. If you are trying to grow year round you might want to change the angle a little to increase solar input closer to the winter solstice.

Pete
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Are you going to raise the plants in the greenhouse the whole season? What happens in Sept?

I'll be using it to extend the season Around the time when the tobacco is yellowing, and the bulk of my tomatoes are turning red. It's not uncommon for frost around then, and most ccertainly soon after. I'll be starting my seedlings indoors soon.

There are some people who claim you can use a cold frame all year here, but I think they're full of baloney, or heat tracer.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I also think I can use it for sun curing. Seeing as it's an enclosed space, I can keep it humidified while out in the sun. Except for freaky climate changes, it's usually very dry here.
 

bonehead

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do you feel like the loss of floor growing space because of the angled glass at the front is almost at the ground level is worth it? how far back from the glass do you have to keep the plants to get a useable growing height? it seems like you will have a lot of unusable floor space at the front. i would make the front strait up at least a few feet so the plants can grow up without hitting the glass. just my opinion.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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do you feel like the loss of floor growing space because of the angled glass at the front is almost at the ground level is worth it? how far back from the glass do you have to keep the plants to get a useable growing height? it seems like you will have a lot of unusable floor space at the front. i would make the front strait up at least a few feet so the plants can grow up without hitting the glass. just my opinion.

You know what? I was worried about that. I thought I might put hinges on the lower part of that wall so I could plant herbs at the front and access them from the outside. But then again, I'm pretty inexperienced at building and short on time. I think I will follow your advice.
 

ArizonaDave

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You know what? I was worried about that. I thought I might put hinges on the lower part of that wall so I could plant herbs at the front and access them from the outside. But then again, I'm pretty inexperienced at building and short on time. I think I will follow your advice.

Have it go 4 or 5 ft straight up, then angle the rest? Looking at the picture, couldn't you just duplicate the left side in reverse on the right? I'd love to see a pic of your finished product.
 

Knucklehead

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I don't think the sunlight will be deflected because of glass angle. My windows are straight up and the sun goes through them just fine, regardless of sun angle. I would look at some commercial glass greenhouses and copy them, worrying more about utilizing interior space.
 

Smokin Harley

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I actually built one pretty close to that quite a few years ago. worked wonderfully. Make sure you design in a good ventilation/swamp cooler system.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I don't think the sunlight will be deflected because of glass angle. My windows are straight up and the sun goes through them just fine, regardless of sun angle. I would look at some commercial glass greenhouses and copy them, worrying more about utilizing interior space.

It's more about how many square feet of exposure there is per cubic foot of volume and square foot of earth within the structure. But then, usable space, like you say is important. Maybe all I need is a 3' pony wall up to the angled par. I think I will wind up with a compromise of various concepts.

For example, Bob linked a passive solar design where the north wall is insulated. Such a design would negate the biggest advantage I have in summer which is the long day. I believe about 16.5hrs at the solstice, with the sun rising and setting in the north east and north west. Nevertheless, some way to keep heat in and store it would help extend the growing season.

I think a temperature controller with a fan or something will be in order. If I do include a water heart sink, then that will help kept cool in the day too, hey.
 

Smokin Harley

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check out harbor freight , they sell a couple greenhouse kits that Ive actually considered buying myself someday. They also offer an accessory automatic vent opening arm ,I cant remember if a ventilation fan comes with or is extra . Very nice set up though the way it comes as is. double wall clear plastic with extruded aluminum frame. sliding door .
 

DIY Pete

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It's more about how many square feet of exposure there is per cubic foot of volume and square foot of earth within the structure. But then, usable space, like you say is important. Maybe all I need is a 3' pony wall up to the angled par. I think I will wind up with a compromise of various concepts.

For example, Bob linked a passive solar design where the north wall is insulated. Such a design would negate the biggest advantage I have in summer which is the long day. I believe about 16.5hrs at the solstice, with the sun rising and setting in the north east and north west. Nevertheless, some way to keep heat in and store it would help extend the growing season.

I think a temperature controller with a fan or something will be in order. If I do include a water heart sink, then that will help kept cool in the day too, hey.

You could go with an insulated North wall and ceiling but add skylights to the North side roof to let the light in during the summer months. Then you could stuff the skylights with insulation during the winter to reduce heat loss.

Most of the research I have done, sorry I don't have time to look for the source at the moment, indicates that you are better off having the North and side walls solid and insulated. The thought process is that you lose way more heat through the sides than you gain with the sunlight that comes in through them. I will see if I can find the source tonight after work.

Pete
 

deluxestogie

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A couple of closed, 50 gallon drums of water can buffer the temperature swings. Likewise with stone masonry. (Or, combine the water and the masonry into a large, custom fish tank.)

Bob
 

ArizonaDave

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A couple of closed, 50 gallon drums of water can buffer the temperature swings. Likewise with stone masonry. (Or, combine the water and the masonry into a large, custom fish tank.)

Bob

I've actually seen a reference similar to that for "Solar heat" a few years back. Of course, heat is never a problem in AZ. It's in the mild 70's here this winter.
 
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