Gentleperson Nick asks about sealing a wet wall during the winter. Two winters ago we moved up to RI from MD and built a new greenhouse. This one is too large for a cabinet-type swamp cooler, although I guess I could just have multiplied them, so we have a cooler wall that looks just like the picture Nick supplied (although much smaller). Up here, we worry a lot about sealing the greenhouse during the winter, and the aluminum shutters on the outside of the wet pads are not much better than an open window.
During the non-summer seasons, I find that the roof vent and exhaust fan provide adequate cooling. May through September, we use the wet wall. When the wet wall is not being used, we seal it with bubble pack on the outside of the aluminum shutters, using the exterior grade tape sold for attaching insulation. It lasts through the season and then some! On the inside, we remove the pads and stuff the opening with the thick styrofoam insulation sold at home centers, cut to size and taped together. The exhaust fan has a longer season of utility, but when it starts getting really cold, we block that up and seal it with bubble wrap, also, and just rely upon the roof vent for cooling. J&L Orchids has quite a nice arrangement for sealing their wet wall. Rather than have aluminum shutters on the outside, they have a side wall vent--polycarb. This seals very nicely--but requires still another vent motor, still another relay, still another run of wires... The vent racks are external, so it doesn't require space in the greenhouse. I wish I had done it their way, and some day I may. In MD, I found that the cooler was useful during the day, but useless during the night, when the RH was always in the upper 90s. Here, since I live near the shore, this is still true. I use the computerized controller to limit the hours the wet pad pump runs, although I allow the shutter to remain open. I sprang for a Wadsworth EnviroStep controller, and I am so glad I did--it supports all kinds of interactions and controls. Nick, may you enjoy your new greenhouse as much as I am enjoying mine! --Lisa, pleurothallidiot I have no commercial interest in any of the products mentioned above. -- Lisa Thoerle, Little Compton, RI [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
