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greenhouses

How to make greenhouse "insulated blanket"?

K Eilander

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posted 2 years ago

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I've seen Chinese greenhouses with insulated blankets before, but they generally consisted of little more than a straw mat over the outside layer. Not something I was interested in messing with.

A few minutes ago this video dropped.

I like the double-layer design, and the fact that the mat is inside changes my opinion entirely. All of a sudden it seems more practical to me.

Now what I'm mainly looking for engineering advice:
How to build such an insulated mat?
How to motorize it so it rolls up (and unrolls)?

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R Scott

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posted 2 years ago

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He has his own channel, but hasn’t posted much. He did go through how he built it and he imported his insulation directly from China.

There are blankets for concrete work that may work, and variations of bubble foil that would work for smaller houses.

One really cool feature is how the blanket is also the top vent. To not vent, the blanket rolls down 4 feet to cover the gap in the inner plastic.

I would add a similar roller to the outer layer for shade cloth in my climate.

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R Scott

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posted 2 years ago

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His channel

https://youtube.com/@dongjianyi2492?si=2GM3VptIBC93YGqY

K Eilander

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posted 2 years ago

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Update:
On the channel that R Scott found, this shows the motor well

Also I found another "webinar" the guy did that has more details, including an architectural drawing at this timestamp:

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Rob Brooks

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posted 2 years ago

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Hi, I was wondering if you'd had much luck with designing your own system in the end? I've been looking into deep winter greenhouses with insulation blankets like this for a while, but never found a very simple way to make one in practice.

Zeus forero

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posted 2 years ago

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If you're searching for a diy automated blanket you could use stepper motors, t or c channels as guides and an arduino as the controller. You might need a few motors depending on the slope of the roof and the weight of the blanket. The motors work at 12v and 24v so you could run them with a battery and a voltage stepper.

Annie Hope

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posted 2 weeks ago

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I was wondering if anyone has had success with a DIY insulation blanket.

I am interested in making a cheapo Chinese greenhouse, but the insulated blanket is the most difficult part. Both making it and how to roll it - either with motor or by hand.

Has anyone had success without the blanet but with the "Greenhouse within a greenhouse" and some good thermal mass?

We have frequent frost but with a min of record of -4C (we are 7km from the sea).
I also have a water table only 5 feet down, and it sits at 13C year round. I have thought I could make a second well in the greenhouse, and pull water from that and use it to heat somehow.

John F Dean

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posted 2 weeks ago

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On a small scale, I have seen limited success in using bubble wrap that is sometimes used as packing material. I have found my approach to be more work than it is worth. I collected the scraps and glued them together sort of like a quilt. I did have the good sense to use larger pieces. It took too much glue and too much time.

I learn from the mistakes of others who take my advice.

Christopher Weeks

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