"Amber Ormerod" wrote in message
...


"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004 15:31:43 -0000, "Amber Ormerod"

wrote:

Is there anything I can do to reduce condensation over the
Winter? I am
presuming next year I should get a high level vent fan sorted
out. I have
part of the greenhouse heated for the cacti and the auto vents
are just
shut
all the time - I have tried to adjuust them without any luck. I
do keep
the
doors and vents open for as long as I can in the day but its
still so
damp
in there ;-(

Thanks in advance
amber

email happy at dryad dot org

What form of heating do you use? If it's a paraffin heater,
remember
that, as a rule of thumb, every gallon of paraffin you burn puts a
gallon of water into the atmosphere, much of which will condense
on
cold surfaces. If you can't adjust the auto vents, try propping
them
open a little with a block of wood.


I have a 10x10foot greenhouse aprox 1/4 is bubble wrapped for the
cacti and
has a electric fan heater. The rest of the greenhouse is not heated.
I have
a vent oposite the door and auto vents in the roof which are not
opening at
all atm. The days here (Hampshire) have been very damp for at least
1/2 the
week. I leave the door open for ventilation but thats frequently
doing
nothing as its damp outside too. I have had a few days warm enough
to dry it
all out, but on a whole I have things like wooden plant stakes going
mouldy
already! I have some of the anti damp crystals in the cacti section,
but
there is not really a problem in there. I wasn't sure if the
crystals woudl
work out too expensive or do nothing in that space?

As a rough and ready figure, any of these water-absorbing materials
would cope with only about their own weight of water vapour, after
which they have to be rejuvenated in the oven. In other words, they
are quite unsuitable for dealing with the amount of damp you are
likely to find in your greenhouse.

I think there is no substitute for ventilation on every sunny day, and
just suffering it for the rest of the time.

Franz