Yeah....somehow you never know how much a greenhouse would cost until you
build one!

As a point of reference....in the DC area yesterday it was about as humid as
it can get and the air temp was 100F. The min/max thermometer in my
greenhouse was 86.7 degrees as a high. That is about the hottest the GH has
been all summer and we have had a couple of days in the high 90s. I have
50% shade cloth on it right now and use tap water in the Swamp Cooler. Tap
water is very warm this time of year so the cool is mostly coming from the
air movement and the evaporation.

Good growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news
I used a lot of the advice from Charley's greenhouse when I built my GH.
I've provided a link to their tips page. I used their formulas to
calculate how large a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) I'd need as well
as how large a heater. My GH was 8x16 and I put Charley's swamp cooler in
it which was over kill, but when I expanded the GH to 8 x 30 I didn't have
to get a larger cooler. It still works fine.

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_tips

OK. I checked them out. The air here is not dry but quite humid from
spring to fall. It's only dry in the winter but the plants still thrived
even with the 20 to 30% humidity. Wetting the gravel in winter with the
hose would bring it up to maybe 40 or 45% for a few hours - when the hose
wasn't frozen. Then I'd use a 1g spray bottle. These swamp coolers
wouldn't help much as they only drop the temps down 5 to 10F for the
affordable one. That's not much when you're dealing with 120/130+ all
summer long. Also, I don't know how many sq. feet the Rion is because of
the roof shape. The larger SC is $590 and needs a constant water supply.
Blasting the limestone to run a line is cost prohibitive as is this
cooler. We've already spent a lot more than we figured on on the Rion
GH, what with all the gravel, cement, rebar, bubblewrap, shade-cloth,
fans, heaters, extra weather stripping etc. etc... etc... ad
infinitum................

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:R8gAi.4157$yv3.34@trndny01...
Yeah....somehow you never know how much a greenhouse would cost until you
build one!

As a point of reference....in the DC area yesterday it was about as humid
as it can get and the air temp was 100F. The min/max thermometer in my
greenhouse was 86.7 degrees as a high. That is about the hottest the GH
has been all summer and we have had a couple of days in the high 90s. I
have 50% shade cloth on it right now and use tap water in the Swamp
Cooler. Tap water is very warm this time of year so the cool is mostly
coming from the air movement and the evaporation.

Can you tell me approximately how many gallons of water a day your SC uses?


Good growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news
I used a lot of the advice from Charley's greenhouse when I built my GH.
I've provided a link to their tips page. I used their formulas to
calculate how large a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) I'd need as well
as how large a heater. My GH was 8x16 and I put Charley's swamp cooler in
it which was over kill, but when I expanded the GH to 8 x 30 I didn't
have to get a larger cooler. It still works fine.

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_tips

OK. I checked them out. The air here is not dry but quite humid from
spring to fall. It's only dry in the winter but the plants still thrived
even with the 20 to 30% humidity. Wetting the gravel in winter with the
hose would bring it up to maybe 40 or 45% for a few hours - when the hose
wasn't frozen. Then I'd use a 1g spray bottle. These swamp coolers
wouldn't help much as they only drop the temps down 5 to 10F for the
affordable one. That's not much when you're dealing with 120/130+ all
summer long. Also, I don't know how many sq. feet the Rion is because of
the roof shape. The larger SC is $590 and needs a constant water
supply. Blasting the limestone to run a line is cost prohibitive as is
this cooler. We've already spent a lot more than we figured on on the
Rion GH, what with all the gravel, cement, rebar, bubblewrap,
shade-cloth, fans, heaters, extra weather stripping etc. etc... etc... ad
infinitum................

I bought a portable Bonaire about three years ago for my third g/h!!! It
worked quite well, has a 3 gal tank so
you would have to fill it every day. You will have to do some research on
where to purchase near you. I got mine at HomeDepot in S.Cal. & was close to
$300
http://www.bonaire.com.au/products/products4.html
Just a thought, have you checked with your greenhouse company.
Good Luck
Cheers Wendy

"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:R8gAi.4157$yv3.34@trndny01...
Yeah....somehow you never know how much a greenhouse would cost until you
build one!

As a point of reference....in the DC area yesterday it was about as humid
as it can get and the air temp was 100F. The min/max thermometer in my
greenhouse was 86.7 degrees as a high. That is about the hottest the GH
has been all summer and we have had a couple of days in the high 90s. I
have 50% shade cloth on it right now and use tap water in the Swamp
Cooler. Tap water is very warm this time of year so the cool is mostly
coming from the air movement and the evaporation.

Can you tell me approximately how many gallons of water a day your SC
uses?


Good growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news I used a lot of the advice from Charley's greenhouse when I built my GH.
I've provided a link to their tips page. I used their formulas to
calculate how large a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) I'd need as well
as how large a heater. My GH was 8x16 and I put Charley's swamp cooler
in it which was over kill, but when I expanded the GH to 8 x 30 I didn't
have to get a larger cooler. It still works fine.

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_tips

OK. I checked them out. The air here is not dry but quite humid from
spring to fall. It's only dry in the winter but the plants still
thrived even with the 20 to 30% humidity. Wetting the gravel in winter
with the hose would bring it up to maybe 40 or 45% for a few hours -
when the hose wasn't frozen. Then I'd use a 1g spray bottle. These
swamp coolers wouldn't help much as they only drop the temps down 5 to
10F for the affordable one. That's not much when you're dealing with
120/130+ all summer long. Also, I don't know how many sq. feet the Rion
is because of the roof shape. The larger SC is $590 and needs a
constant water supply. Blasting the limestone to run a line is cost
prohibitive as is this cooler. We've already spent a lot more than we
figured on on the Rion GH, what with all the gravel, cement, rebar,
bubblewrap, shade-cloth, fans, heaters, extra weather stripping etc.
etc... etc... ad infinitum................

"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
I bought a portable Bonaire about three years ago for my third g/h!!! It
worked quite well, has a 3 gal tank so
you would have to fill it every day. You will have to do some research on
where to purchase near you. I got mine at HomeDepot in S.Cal. & was close
to $300
http://www.bonaire.com.au/products/products4.html
Just a thought, have you checked with your greenhouse company.
Good Luck
Cheers Wendy

No. They just sell GHs. Plenty of other places carry supplies like swamp
coolers or some type of A/C we cannot afford as retired people. We hadn't
planned to go over $3000 and passed that a few months ago. I still need
another large roll of bubble wrap insulation and more clear tape. It's been
one thing after another since we built it last spring. Don't get me wrong, I
love the GHs but this larger one entailed a lot more expenses than the small
$300 Harbor Freight GH. More than we planned to spend and still there is no
end in sight. Coming up with another $300 or $500 for coolers or A/C is out
of the question.

I have no way of telling how much water my swamp cooler actually uses. When
it runs it pumps the water back over the aspen wood pads. It pumps a small
amount of water out into the drain so there isn't a mineral buildup.

When I started the Greenhouse 5 years ago I did not see a big increase in
the waterbill. I don't think the water usage is much.

Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:R8gAi.4157$yv3.34@trndny01...
Yeah....somehow you never know how much a greenhouse would cost until you
build one!

As a point of reference....in the DC area yesterday it was about as humid
as it can get and the air temp was 100F. The min/max thermometer in my
greenhouse was 86.7 degrees as a high. That is about the hottest the GH
has been all summer and we have had a couple of days in the high 90s. I
have 50% shade cloth on it right now and use tap water in the Swamp
Cooler. Tap water is very warm this time of year so the cool is mostly
coming from the air movement and the evaporation.

Can you tell me approximately how many gallons of water a day your SC
uses?


Good growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news I used a lot of the advice from Charley's greenhouse when I built my GH.
I've provided a link to their tips page. I used their formulas to
calculate how large a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) I'd need as well
as how large a heater. My GH was 8x16 and I put Charley's swamp cooler
in it which was over kill, but when I expanded the GH to 8 x 30 I didn't
have to get a larger cooler. It still works fine.

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_tips

OK. I checked them out. The air here is not dry but quite humid from
spring to fall. It's only dry in the winter but the plants still
thrived even with the 20 to 30% humidity. Wetting the gravel in winter
with the hose would bring it up to maybe 40 or 45% for a few hours -
when the hose wasn't frozen. Then I'd use a 1g spray bottle. These
swamp coolers wouldn't help much as they only drop the temps down 5 to
10F for the affordable one. That's not much when you're dealing with
120/130+ all summer long. Also, I don't know how many sq. feet the Rion
is because of the roof shape. The larger SC is $590 and needs a
constant water supply. Blasting the limestone to run a line is cost
prohibitive as is this cooler. We've already spent a lot more than we
figured on on the Rion GH, what with all the gravel, cement, rebar,
bubblewrap, shade-cloth, fans, heaters, extra weather stripping etc.
etc... etc... ad infinitum................

one of my units (I have two swamp coolers) has an 6x5 foot pad that is 8
inches thick and a water reservoir that holds about 15 gallons. If the
water intake valve is shut off, this reservoir will go dry within the day.
This tells me that in a 24 hour period I use at at least 15 gallons of water
times 2. This does not include the bleed off tubes and the miscellaneous
drips and spills which dumps out of the system who knows how much water per
day so I don't get crusty buildup.

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsTpAi.30236$Bv1.3801@trnddc06...
I have no way of telling how much water my swamp cooler actually uses.
When it runs it pumps the water back over the aspen wood pads. It pumps a
small amount of water out into the drain so there isn't a mineral buildup.

When I started the Greenhouse 5 years ago I did not see a big increase in
the waterbill. I don't think the water usage is much.

Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
news:R8gAi.4157$yv3.34@trndny01...
Yeah....somehow you never know how much a greenhouse would cost until
you build one!

As a point of reference....in the DC area yesterday it was about as
humid as it can get and the air temp was 100F. The min/max thermometer
in my greenhouse was 86.7 degrees as a high. That is about the hottest
the GH has been all summer and we have had a couple of days in the high
90s. I have 50% shade cloth on it right now and use tap water in the
Swamp Cooler. Tap water is very warm this time of year so the cool is
mostly coming from the air movement and the evaporation.

Can you tell me approximately how many gallons of water a day your SC
uses?


Good growing,
Gene




"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news I used a lot of the advice from Charley's greenhouse when I built my
GH. I've provided a link to their tips page. I used their formulas to
calculate how large a swamp cooler (evaporative cooler) I'd need as
well as how large a heater. My GH was 8x16 and I put Charley's swamp
cooler in it which was over kill, but when I expanded the GH to 8 x 30
I didn't have to get a larger cooler. It still works fine.

http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_tips

OK. I checked them out. The air here is not dry but quite humid from
spring to fall. It's only dry in the winter but the plants still
thrived even with the 20 to 30% humidity. Wetting the gravel in winter
with the hose would bring it up to maybe 40 or 45% for a few hours -
when the hose wasn't frozen. Then I'd use a 1g spray bottle. These
swamp coolers wouldn't help much as they only drop the temps down 5 to
10F for the affordable one. That's not much when you're dealing with
120/130+ all summer long. Also, I don't know how many sq. feet the
Rion is because of the roof shape. The larger SC is $590 and needs a
constant water supply. Blasting the limestone to run a line is cost
prohibitive as is this cooler. We've already spent a lot more than we
figured on on the Rion GH, what with all the gravel, cement, rebar,
bubblewrap, shade-cloth, fans, heaters, extra weather stripping etc.
etc... etc... ad infinitum................

"Al" wrote in message news:y%FAi.3596$ku.3125@trnddc03...
one of my units (I have two swamp coolers) has an 6x5 foot pad that is 8
inches thick and a water reservoir that holds about 15 gallons. If the
water intake valve is shut off, this reservoir will go dry within the day.
This tells me that in a 24 hour period I use at at least 15 gallons of
water times 2. This does not include the bleed off tubes and the
miscellaneous drips and spills which dumps out of the system who knows how
much water per day so I don't get crusty buildup.

I would think since it uses evaporative cooling it would have to go through
some water to be effective. And with fans running that coolness would be
sucked out as fast as the swamp cooler cools it.

Ahhhh.

So were not talking about a lot of water. How about a couple 55 gallon
plastic barrells, one for watering with a sump pump and a hose. That's what
I use in my basement where I grow my orchids only with a 12 gallon
container.

The second could have it's own sump pump and hose and be used for filling
the reservoir on the swamp cooler.

If the barrells are dark in color they will hold some heat for cool nights
and days.

I'd watch for sales for the pumps. You wouldn't need the expensive types.

Bob

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsTpAi.30236$Bv1.3801@trnddc06...
I have no way of telling how much water my swamp cooler actually uses.
When it runs it pumps the water back over the aspen wood pads. It pumps a
small amount of water out into the drain so there isn't a mineral buildup.

When I started the Greenhouse 5 years ago I did not see a big increase in
the waterbill. I don't think the water usage is much.


Thanks Gene. I've been doing some research online and read that they're not
very effective in humid climates. It's very humid where I live. Think of a
tropical jungle. The humidity drops off when the heat starts to drop,
around the middle of Sept. The plants have to come in before the middle of
Oct. which is our first frost date here. Is your climate also humid?

Yes, DC was built on a drained swamp. From mid-July through Labor day it
can be very sticky. We also get that nice hot moist air from our friends
from the south.

I think when they say that the swamp cooler isn't effective they are
refering to places like Houston or NOLA.

My swamp cooler has a big squirrel wheel fan that moves lots of air through
the greenhouse. I'm sure that's helping a lot too. I've visited Krull
Smith near Orlando. They have walls of swamp coolers and I know when I
stand near them I can tell the difference than the areas away from the
cooler.

My greenhouse is often cooler than my house.....

Gene


"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsTpAi.30236$Bv1.3801@trnddc06...
I have no way of telling how much water my swamp cooler actually uses.
When it runs it pumps the water back over the aspen wood pads. It pumps a
small amount of water out into the drain so there isn't a mineral buildup.

When I started the Greenhouse 5 years ago I did not see a big increase in
the waterbill. I don't think the water usage is much.


Thanks Gene. I've been doing some research online and read that they're
not very effective in humid climates. It's very humid where I live.
Think of a tropical jungle. The humidity drops off when the heat starts
to drop, around the middle of Sept. The plants have to come in before the
middle of Oct. which is our first frost date here. Is your climate also
humid?

On Aug 27, 6:15 pm, "Gene Schurg"
wrote:

Yes, DC was built on a drained swamp. From mid-July through Labor day it
can be very sticky.


they don't call it foggy bottom for nothing--!!


We also get that nice hot moist air from our friends
from the south.

yes, the gift that keeps on giving.....

sorry, spent the weekend in an un-air conditioned house in NY and my
brain is still frizzled. :0

--j_a

Well if it is very humid, you could go with one of those small window air
conditioners & a fan to
circulate the cool air.
Cheers Wendy
"Manelli Family" wrote in message
...

"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
newsTpAi.30236$Bv1.3801@trnddc06...
I have no way of telling how much water my swamp cooler actually uses.
When it runs it pumps the water back over the aspen wood pads. It pumps a
small amount of water out into the drain so there isn't a mineral buildup.

When I started the Greenhouse 5 years ago I did not see a big increase in
the waterbill. I don't think the water usage is much.


Thanks Gene. I've been doing some research online and read that they're
not very effective in humid climates. It's very humid where I live.
Think of a tropical jungle. The humidity drops off when the heat starts
to drop, around the middle of Sept. The plants have to come in before the
middle of Oct. which is our first frost date here. Is your climate also
humid?

"Wendy7" wrote in message
...
Well if it is very humid, you could go with one of those small window air
conditioners & a fan to
circulate the cool air.

Air condition a GH? When I win the lottery........ :-D