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Post by caretaker on Apr 17, 2014 14:25:33 GMT
Well done Ladybird it all looks good, you are not alone with your electrics, but I have put mine above the box and I have a small bit of clear plastic that covers it but thinking about Mark says I may change mine to the proper safe sockets.
This is my first proper year of using the heating box and everything has come up, now what do I do with 70 tomato plants, I only wonted 2.
I am a very happy man to day, my neighbours from hell have moved out.
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Post by ladybird on Apr 22, 2014 18:49:26 GMT
Thankyou caretaker and thanks for all the advice from everyone :)I think I may make a little "shower cap" for the plugs for now and rethink the safety angle . glad your not so nice neighhbours are gone  |
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Post by caretaker on Apr 28, 2014 21:10:18 GMT
I am very please with my heated box and it also takes the chill off my small greenhouse but I do have a back up heater set at frost.
As for my neighhbours from hell, I was talking to there land lord and he said he had to get a court order to get them out, they have broken all the furniture the back gate the front door, keeping my fingers cross what we will get next time.
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Post by roofgardener on Oct 27, 2014 20:21:22 GMT
Wow... you folks are REALLY dedicated to the care of seedlings. I'm impressed. I may be getting my first "proper" greenhouse in a few months. (By 'proper', I mean a rigid frame greenhouse, as opposed to one of those PVC "tent" types). I'll probably only be able to afford a perspex pane one, not a proper glass one. And as for keeping the frost off my seedlings.... they'll have to make do with a couple of hot-water bottles !  |
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Post by Andrew on Oct 27, 2014 21:16:13 GMT
Even Perspex pane greenhouses are not totally wind proof, but they are more rigid than the tent ones definitely. My brothers blew down last year. The wind had basically ripped throught it and blew out the perspex panes, which were obviously more flexible than glass, and bent the frame with it. I guess what I'm saying is that if your going to go for a perspex one, then try and find somewhere with a bit of shelter from the wind to put it. Welcome to the forum by the way. |
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Post by roofgardener on Oct 27, 2014 22:32:13 GMT
Hi there Andrew,
Hmm... vulnerable to winds, you say ? I havn't had good experience of winds and greenhouses.
Weeell.... it will be sheltered on one side (directly up against a tall brick wall), and with a 3' tall brick wall around two other sides...sooooo.....hmmm....
Thing is.. it will be 20' up, with thoroughfairs on two sides 20' below... so I can't risk glass panes blowing out and falling down to ground level. So it will have to be perspex. Perhaps I can reinforce the structure somehow ?
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 1, 2014 22:29:17 GMT
Andrew, I've been thinking about what you said. (at the risk of somewhat 'spamming' this thread).
I know how to repair "tent-style" cheap PVC greenhouses. There are no panes to worry about, and the tubular support rods can be repaired or replaced. (I'm lucky in that I work at an engineering company.. they can do ALSORTS).
However... a cheap pressed-aluminium frame.. of the sort that is within my budget.. is another story. If a perspec panel flexes and "pops out" in the way you describe, then it will massively increase the 'drag' of wind over the greenhouse, which could cause a cascade effect, with all sorts of nasty asymetrical stresses being applied. I could easily imagine that leading to a "zipper" effect, collapsing the whole house of cards.
Even a single blown panel could lead to distortion of the frame. I couldn't easily repair that with the precision required for the panel to be re-fitted PROPERLY. And it DOES have to be fitted properly, because the panels work with the aluminium skelatal frame to give the whole greenhouse its structural integrity.
I hadn't thought this through... and I'm glad you pointed it out in your post.
I think.. for the 2015 season... I'll stick with the cheap "tent" greenhouses, and settle for buying a larger "polytunnel" style one as my primary, and re-use the existing one as a secondary.
Thanks again for your input. I think you may have saved me a MAJOR heartache. I'll save my money up over 2015 and look into getting a higher-quality steel/perspex greenhouse in 2016... perhaps with additional reinforcement from my colleagues in the workshop. They may be able to build an external "exoskeleton" that bolts to the greenhouses own structure, and anchors it against flexing.
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Post by mentalmick on Feb 5, 2015 0:43:57 GMT
hi new member here.
diy propogator
Been bored about 6 weeks ago I decided to make a 5 ft x 2.5 ft propagator, as I cant work due to caring for the Mrs. Made a wooden frame up out of old wood I had in shed. Used 16mm off cut of twin wall to line base for insulation, then used some left over laminate flooring insulation the 6mm thick stuff on top of that. Had a brand new single washable electric blanket in loft. Made a double thickness bag same size as blanket, out of thick damp proof membrane and laid electric blanket flat inside, this was then glued shut ans a soldering iron run along the edge to totally seal it, I then ran gaffer tape all around the sides of that as a extra precaution. I then made a 2 part lid out of 10mm twin wall 12 inches high. This can be removed in spring/summer turned upside down and with propagator switched off used as a bench to grow things on. Had it running for 3 now with no issues it is plugged into a timer and is on for 1hr 15mins off for 15 mins , it holds at a steady temperature of 70 deg at night. It may not be prettiest thing in the world but does its job and best of all cost me nothing to make
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Post by Cherry on Feb 5, 2015 4:44:00 GMT
mentalmick I don't know anything about electrics, but I would be worried about the safety of a propagator which used an electric blanket for heating, even though it has been sealed up very well. I could be worrying needlessly, but others with DIY knowledge will be along soon. Welcome to the forum.
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Post by Tel on Feb 5, 2015 9:36:40 GMT
Welcome to the forum mentalmick, that is good user name, hope you are sane though. I hope you are right about your electric blanket, water and electric a deadly combination.  |
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Post by mentalmick on Feb 5, 2015 15:12:39 GMT
hi guys, yes its safe it doesnt run continual, I have it on a timer 1.5hrs on 15mins off,I check it daily to see if there is a heat build up but all is fine.
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Post by Rosie on Feb 5, 2015 15:32:10 GMT
As long as it's a washable blanket it might be ok. And welcome to the forum mentalmick |
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Post by ladybird on Feb 7, 2015 11:03:42 GMT
well I have decided not to sow any seeds for another week, and then it will be loads together to fill the propagater for it`s first use . I need to make a cover for it this week , much as I`d love a permanant wooden top structure like cartakers ( though I see his pic is gone ) I need it to be removable as I move the table tops on the right side of the GH tables, to grow my tomatoes in the table frame , and the only place to put them is on top of the heated propagater which won`t be in use then . I couldn`t believe the number of slugs and eggs i found in the sand  I`ll have to watch that . |
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Post by mentalmick on Feb 8, 2015 22:06:21 GMT
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Post by ladybird on Feb 9, 2015 9:39:55 GMT
Any chance you could get the pictures bigger mental nick , I would really love to see your invention . I had the same idea when I started my bench about electric blanket , as some of them are washable . And your seems quite hot . |
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I`ll have to watch that .
