What have you repurposed while building ?

[lazy gardener]

Never heard of such thing as a solar powered fan. I’ll have to look into that. Maybe something I just have to work with and test and play with to get it right. I know from reading post in the garden thread you have quite the greenhouse. I wish I could see pictures.Mine is only about 5 x 4But that’s all I need because plants in the summertime would never survive in the greenhouse in Virginia

My greenhouse is nothing fancy. Just a CP structure with 2 x 4 ridge pole, framing on end walls. Doors are combination aluminum windows that I picked up at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Raised bed on each side held in place with 2 x 10's scavenged from my Town Mall aka Town Dump. Covered with 4 mil construction plastic which lasts about a year before it needs to be replaced.

An even easier build is a hay bale cold frame. 5 or more bales of hay, oriented with the long wall to the N, a single bale on E and W, and open on the S. A bit of framing, cover with storm windows, and you're good to go. A cold frame will easily add 2 months onto each end of your growing season. Figure that for EACH layer of protection, you gain 1.5 gardening zones. So, if I do covered crops in green house or hay bale frame, I bring my 4.5 zone to 7.5! That allows me to have cold weather crops ALMOST all year long. When spring weather settles, break your cold frame apart, put the glass into storage, and use the hay for mulch in your garden.

 

[Hopperkiller]

Never heard of such thing as a solar powered fan. I’ll have to look into that. Maybe something I just have to work with and test and play with to get it right. I know from reading post in the garden thread you have quite the greenhouse. I wish I could see pictures.Mine is only about 5 x 4But that’s all I need because plants in the summertime would never survive in the greenhouse in Virginia

Well i looked up solar fans. Hadnt heard of them either. Lots of cheap junky options out there and some good looking ideas but rather costly. Finally had to go to bed and my last thought was all a person needed was to find a 12 inch 12v fan and then start gathering solar parts and he could make one for any coop. With a deep battery, ac converter, and fan he could build a system around 150 bucks if so inclined. Whoever brought up this solar fan comment may have hit on the beginning of a new thread for thrifty scrounging engineers!

 

[Birdsong 82]

I am definitely no engineer. I think I can make this greenhouse thing work. It’ll just take A little creativity

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent idea on the deep cycle battery and the converter. I have both.

 

[Birdsong 82]

My greenhouse is nothing fancy. Just a CP structure with 2 x 4 ridge pole, framing on end walls. Doors are combination aluminum windows that I picked up at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Raised bed on each side held in place with 2 x 10's scavenged from my Town Mall aka Town Dump. Covered with 4 mil construction plastic which lasts about a year before it needs to be replaced.

An even easier build is a hay bale cold frame. 5 or more bales of hay, oriented with the long wall to the N, a single bale on E and W, and open on the S. A bit of framing, cover with storm windows, and you're good to go. A cold frame will easily add 2 months onto each end of your growing season. Figure that for EACH layer of protection, you gain 1.5 gardening zones. So, if I do covered crops in green house or hay bale frame, I bring my 4.5 zone to 7.5! That allows me to have cold weather crops ALMOST all year long. When spring weather settles, break your cold frame apart, put the glass into storage, and use the hay for mulch in your garden.

I’ve seen the Haybale cold frames. Always wanted to go for it but always get caught up in something else. The greenhouse frame we have currently is in wonderful condition. It’s a metal frame lots of shelves. I’m going to go to bargain Village and pick up some old windows since the plastic blew off and get some six mill construction plastic from work. I have a couple of old windows of mine at home but they’re all plexiglass. Not sure if that will work but I’ll give it a try. I’ve also heard of valves they make that when it hits a certain temperature to heat releases air and open Vent for you. I’m going to look into that a little bit and see if there’s one I can make or if cheap enough could buy

 

[lazy gardener]

I've seen a home made duct system. It involves a "sleeve" made of poly, to which you attach your fan so that it draws air from the middle upper level of the green house, and exhausts it into the "sleeve" which then inflates and exhausts the air out of the vents at the top of each end of the green house. The "sleeve" collapses when not full of air. The fan could be attached to a thermocube type of thermostat, or even a digital thermostat. Do a google search for STC1000. I'm not really sure what benefit the "sleeve is, other than perhaps capturing the hot air and moving it out more efficiently. I think I would try this sort of ventilation option b/c I can't wrap my head around how the thermostatically controlled vents work, and IMO, you'd still need a fan to exhaust the air, since my green house overheats, even with both doors wide open. Granted, I have not rolled up the sides. That's a project for fall, reworking the green house so that the sides will roll up without allowing chickens and other riff raff in. Had a rat and mouse move in last fall b/c I was using it to store leaves for the chicken coop. Totally disgusting.

 

[Nardo]

I've seen a home made duct system. It involves a "sleeve" made of poly, to which you attach your fan so that it draws air from the middle upper level of the green house, and exhausts it into the "sleeve" which then inflates and exhausts the air out of the vents at the top of each end of the green house. The "sleeve" collapses when not full of air. The fan could be attached to a thermocube type of thermostat, or even a digital thermostat. Do a google search for STC1000. I'm not really sure what benefit the "sleeve is, other than perhaps capturing the hot air and moving it out more efficiently. I think I would try this sort of ventilation option b/c I can't wrap my head around how the thermostatically controlled vents work, and IMO, you'd still need a fan to exhaust the air, since my green house overheats, even with both doors wide open. Granted, I have not rolled up the sides. That's a project for fall, reworking the green house so that the sides will roll up without allowing chickens and other riff raff in. Had a rat and mouse move in last fall b/c I was using it to store leaves for the chicken coop. Totally disgusting.

What? How can the fan only pull air from the upper middle level of the green house? I'm not getting a visual. And I need pictures.

 

[lazy gardener]

Warm air rises. Yes, the fan is pulling air and does not differentiate, but, the warm air will rise, and the fan is placed high in the green house, so it is assisting natural air flow to draw the warm air up and out.

 

[Birdsong 82]

has anybody else seen @Nifty-Chicken thread about homemade waterer. It’s beyond repurposing Its Pretty awesome and pretty amazing

 

[PotatoHead]

I was finally able to secure some used tin for my coop & run roof! It’s almost complete