Home made geodesic dome greenhouse
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TMAK Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 08 Aug 2014 Posts: 97 Location: Co. Roscommon
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Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:25 pm Post subject: Home made geodesic dome greenhouse |
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Hi,
I just started making a dome greenhouse, it's 6 meters in diameter, and will be covered with polythene, and hopefully will be all put together in the next fortnight. Hopefully it will stay up, I've come up with my own plan to try and eliminate all the compound angles needed to make one from the plans online.
My question is, has anybody made there own here and would you have any tips or ideas about internal layout or heating. I would love to keep it heated for the winter but it is a large area to heat.
Any hints or tips really appreciated
_________________ Tommy K |
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Greengage Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 09 Nov 2011 Posts: 3066 Location: Kildare
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tippben Rank attained: Vegetable garden tender
Joined: 15 Jan 2011 Posts: 921 Location: north tipperary
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Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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Try a heat sink, Basically dig a big pit, and fill it with wine bottles full of (initially) hot water. Water holds heat better than air, and glass works better than plastic. A pipe goes into the pit from outside, and another comes out into the space, with a bit of mesh to stop debris falling in. Then you fill in the pit. You put a small solar panel on the top of the dome, which goes through a regulator, which powers a 12v battery, which powers a computer fan on the ingoing pipe. The fan sucks air in to the pit, which is warmed by the residual heat stored in the pit, then the warm air rises naturally overnight, heating the space. The beauty of this is that it is virtually free. Ok, your battery may run low, and you may need to put it on a car battery charger, but that's all. No fumes either, unlike conventional heaters. There are better designs than this out there, but I couldn't find them today. http://books.google.ie/books?id=ypklGBTovz4C&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=polytunnel+heat+sink&source=bl&ots=R3khB9FQN6&sig=_gLm_hSCpQs32xuKEFjmuZTAIl8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DRMLVK22Ksfkav3FgZAJ&ved=0CFYQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=polytunnel%20heat%20sink&f=false
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Good guy Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 11 Feb 2013 Posts: 2593 Location: Donegal
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:04 am Post subject: |
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Ingenious!
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TMAK Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 08 Aug 2014 Posts: 97 Location: Co. Roscommon
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Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 6:10 am Post subject: |
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Sound like a great idea tippben,
Added bonus, I have a great excuse to get a few bottles of wine in!!!
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TMAK Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 08 Aug 2014 Posts: 97 Location: Co. Roscommon
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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Hi.
Haven't been on here for ages. I got my dome built. I'll try and get some photos attached, I tried last week but they wouldn't go up. Fingers crossed
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_________________ Tommy K |
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TMAK Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 08 Aug 2014 Posts: 97 Location: Co. Roscommon
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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I still have a fair bit of tidying up around it to do but at least the structure is up...
Now has anybody got any ideas of what to sow in it at this time of year.
I would ideally like to keep it for ornamentals and make a place to relax in the winter when the garden is out of bounds.
All I really have in it at the minute are a few seeds starting off and some shrubs that are to tender to leave out over winter. Fuschas
_________________ Tommy K |
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Good guy Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood
Joined: 11 Feb 2013 Posts: 2593 Location: Donegal
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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Great job, well done. You could easily grow salads for winter use. Lettuce, lambs lettuce, radishes, scallions, maybe baby beets for their leaves should all do quite well. Potted herbs wii do we, too. They all cost more to buy, out of season, too, so you get a better return as well as the freshest produce.
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tagwex Rank attained: Chlorophyll for blood

Joined: 23 Feb 2010 Posts: 5146 Location: Co. Wexford
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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How did you manage to stretch the polythene, cannot have been easy?
_________________ “It’s my field. It’s my child. I nursed it. I nourished it. I saw to its every want. I dug the rocks out of it with my bare hands and I made a living thing of it!”
This boy can really sing http://youtu.be/Dgv78D2duBE |
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TMAK Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree

Joined: 08 Aug 2014 Posts: 97 Location: Co. Roscommon
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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Cheers for the advice goodguy. Will definitely try some of that list.
Stretching the polythene was lots of fun tagwex. Plenty of blood sweat and tears. And a whole lot of foul language!! But got there in the end.
Here's hoping it will stand up to the storm tonight. Fairly wild out there.
_________________ Tommy K |
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