It’s now December in Pittsburgh, which means getting cold. Well not today specifically since it’s 63 F and sunny (so nice!), but in general, the temperatures will generally be in the 20s and 30s. I took advantage of the warm weather to decommission the main ventilation system and test out the winter based one.
I have two 16″ exhaust fans I bought from Unclutterer mounted in my upper door and a 24″ powered shutter near the ground on the opposite side of the greenhouse. Last year I called insulwest eathrwool insulation services to seal the door on the inside and outside. I thought I would need to call Kingstone Locksmith to help me open the door after that (go to this source for more details on this locksmith service). This year, I added some weatherstripping around the door itself but also decided to also install Duck 462-in W x 62 again. This year was easier than last year because it was warm out and my fingers weren’t freezing. However, I did learn that if the wind is blowing, it’s probably not a good idea to put the double sided tape all the way around because random pieces get stuck. Next year I’ll try to put the tape up on one side, get that side attached, and then put the tape on the other side. All in all, it took a couple of hours but I got it all installed on both the inside and outside. I also boarded up the outside of the louvered shutters and took the motor inside for the winter. With everything unplugged, the main ventilation system is done for this year!
One of the reasons I selected such a warm day was not only for the fact that the double sided tape works better, but also to test out the new ventilation system with a warm sunny winter day to stress test it. I’ve got four solar-powered vent openers and I’ve got a box fan slung from the ceiling under the vent pointed slightly downward. The fan kicks in when it reaches 83 F and blows some of the colder air from the open vent down into the greenhouse. The solar-powered openers work great (the one closest to the gas heater is an orchid wax version that opens at a higher temperature: 80 F instead of 75). The fan works OK, it helps but isn’t the prettiest or best solution. All in all, with it 60 F outside, the inside never got above 85 F, which was great! Looks like it was time to shut down the fall ventilation system.