posted 1 year ago
Just a few FYI's and thoughts (from being raised as a pipe fitter, and building a climate battery greenhouse a couple years go, Zone 61):
I have an issue with a 6" header pipe as above: resistance = need bigger fans = use more electricity... I figured the min. size header (and riser) pipes to be 10", 12" HDPE WITH A SMOOTH INNER LINING was just about the same cost as 10" and a FRACTION of the cost of PVC, so we ran 12" header/riser pipes. I used 10" fans, AC Infinity and they did NOT move the needed volume of air, had to put a "pull" fan on the outlet slaved to the 'push' fan up at the peak of the roof.
I used the spreadsheet from (the guy who did all the commercial Canadian climate battery houses), and should have had about 15% excess winter heating and 8% excess summer cooling... winter heating is working great, I do need a small (8") automatic exhaust fan to avoid overheating on warm winter days with full sun... the internal temp. dropped to 47 for a couple hour once over 2 winters, next lowest 'low' was 54. Even on cloudy winter days always 70's. Summer: it works FOR A GREENHOUSE, might hit 92-93 on sunny days which is great for a greenhouse, but bit too hot to work there comfortably.. we now schedule greenhouse work for early mornings...
Too hot to grow good salad greens in the winter ! (We have a hoophouse going up this fall for 2 planing beds (winter greens!) and 2 rows of fruit trees)
Papaya, Banana growing well and fruiting; the citrus trees and avocado are growing well, citrus is flowing now. Mango has not done well. We move the figs in for the winter and have an early crop.