TerdalFarm wrote:Appreciate your extra effort to document this for everyone.
Questions...
So, the heat is a 1500 W with fan, on a thermocube? Nothing else?
How do you monitor temps in there?
Roofs will handle the snow on their own, or with you going out to sweep it off?
Manual venting on the warm days?
Each electric heater is set on "Low" which is 750 watts. The heaters have their own thermostat. I figured out where 40F was by placing them outside on a 40F day and turning the dial until it kicked on. Marked that location and that is where they sit all winter. So no thermocube or anything ... all self-regulated by the electric heaters.
I monitor temperatures with a remote thermostat. It's in a busy location in my house, so myself and my wife can always see what the internal temperature is for each box.
The roofs are constructed of 2x2s with 1 1/2 inch foam insulation on the inside. The top is 1/2 inch plywood and I've had no snow load issues. I will occasionally brush it off if I'm around, but not really worried about it.
Venting is manually done. On a day that will get above freezing, I unplug the heaters and open the windows. We don't have many days above 32F though from December 15 to February 15. With everything closed up, I get about 30F above outside temperatures inside the box. It doesn't get too hot in there because most sides are foam. Think of it this way ... if the sun is beating in a window on your house all day, you won't see that much solar gain inside because of the small surface area of the window. Works the same way in my boxes. If the entire things were exposed plastic, then we'd see much more heat inside.
lucky1 wrote:
appreciate that you did that Tim.
Easier to understand stages than guess how something went together.
Me anyway.
The styrofoam is on the outside?
You'll get a lot of solar gain from the increase in plastic window size.
And a REAL window is a great idea.
The roofline? icon_lol.gif in a couple more years... icon_lol.gif
Barb
The foam is on the outside and fastened with lag screws/washers. Works great. It is 1 1/2 inches which is R-7, so pretty good insulation for the low profile. I also like foam better than fiberglass since it won't grow mold. As much as I like how the structures work, I can't wait to get them off.
oppalm wrote:
very nice. great to see how every one is doing it. I looked at the styrofoam sheets at HD and they had an R rating of like a 5. I'll post pics tomorrow of my palm huts and my methods. I chose to go with fiberglass insulation with an R rating of 13. I use 2 60W light bulbs on a 10/20 thermocube for heat. keep up your good work.
Wow, 10/20 thermocube ... you're brave. I keep my windmill palms at 40F all winter. They enjoy their zone 10 winters, lol. Fiberglass is cheaper than foam, but I'm always worried I'll end up with a mold fest if I use it outside.
in a couple more years... 
