From: Ernie (genesis_at_gtwn.net)
Date: 09/30/02
Message-ID: <003601c268ed$644e8300$20a4ecd8@pavilion> From: "Ernie" <genesis_at_gtwn.net> Subject: Re: Corrugated Plastic Dome Shelters - Let's build Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 18:53:10 -0700
The thing about coroplast/corulite is that you can bend it and cut it with a
knife, glue and rivet/screw it together. I posted some months ago how some
people were using the glue technigue on things besides domes. For a
greenhouse you have considerations for 1. dirt getting into the flutes so
you have to seal the ends with tape or silicone, 2. flutes in an up/ down
direction as much as possible to allow condensation to flow out, as
recommended with the polycarb. see
http://www.cloudtops.com/polycarbonate_physical_properties.htm
The 1/4" thick horticultural translucent Coroplast was around $16 for a 4x8
sheet when I purchased some a few years ago. The 3/8" thick type would be
better for insulating but may not be available in the horticultural type. An
~ 8 x 8 ft octa pyramid could be made, with only (4) 4x8 sheets required.
I have a web page on the pyramid idea -
http://www.gardendome.com/oct_tet_vbo/oct_tet_truss_vbo.html
These people use lots of the hdpe - http://www.farmwholesale.com/panels.php3
Ernie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rosencrantz, Rachel" <RachelRo_at_broadband.att.com>
Subject: RE: Corrugated Plastic Dome Shelters - Let's build
> Well, the immediate need is something quick to cover the plants, (which
will
> probably not be a dome this week) but when I started thinking about it I
> thought it would be a great place to try out a dome. As for a long term
> structure, we don't own the house we live in (right now) so for the
> immediate future I wouldn't be building something that permanent.
>
>
> -Rachel
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: J. Michael Rowland [mailto:jmr_at_marathoncomputer.com]
> > Sent: Monday, September 30, 2002 11:53 AM
> > To: Domesteading
> > Subject: Re: Corrugated Plastic Dome Shelters - Let's build
> >
> >
> >
> > Rosencrantz, Rachel wrote:
> >
> > > Ok, so summer is over and frost are coming in soon in the
> > Boulder area and
> > > right now I'm going to a quick fix heavy plastic and wood
> > beam "greenhouse"
> > > (we'll see how well that works with the winds....) as a
> > quick attempt to let
> > > the squash actually finish their growing. However, I had
> > been thinking
> > > about how hard would it be to make a greenhouse _dome_ over
> > the garden. I
> > > remembered your plastic dome building party and I was
> > wondering if I could
> > > do something like that, but I was stumped as to what would be
> > > translucent/transparent enough to work as a greenhouse so
> > that the plants
> > > would have light (and solar warmth). Would the coroplast
> > "clear" variations
> > > be clear enough to work?
> >
> > There's also a polycarbonate multiwall sheet product from GE called
> > Verolite. It's more expensive than the Coroplast, but it's
> > clearer (though
> > not transparent) and it comes in a UV-resistant version that carries a
> > 10-year warranty. As a matter of fact, I have four sample
> > pieces of it in my
> > office now, as I'm thinking of using it in a rack cabinet design.
> >
> > It's 10.3mm thick, square channels in cross-section, and
> > feels more rigid
> > than Coroplast. I think there's enough surface area on the
> > edges of these
> > things that you could cut it into mitered triangles, glue the edges
> > together, and make a very clean, sturdy, lightweight dome.
> > (Probably not the
> > disaster-relief solution that this thread started out with,
> > though. I liked
> > the fact that Pat's interlocking tab design goes together
> > without glue.)
> >
> > But, to answer Rachel's question more directly, I think that even
> > translucent white polycarbonate or polyvinyl plastic, as used in milk
> > cartons, would let in enough visible light and infrared to support a
> > greenhouse.
> >
> > The question is, are you building cheap with the aim of replacing the
> > materials each season, or can you afford to build something
> > that will last
> > 10 years or so?
> >
> > Oh, and the other question is: Is it possible to build such that the
> > greenhouse will let radiant energy in during the daytime, and
> > then not lose
> > it all at night, without requiring human intervention?
> >
> > jmr
> >
> >
>
>