12'X12' Shed/Refugium/Greenhouse Project

[npaden]

I'm working on putting in a 12' X 12' shed that I want to setup as a shed/refugium/greenhouse setup. I've actually been planning it since last summer and still am not sure on several things. I've posted several threads on various parts of it in the past including this one http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=34170

Here is my latest tenative plan for the setup:

I will have about 1,000 gph of flow going from the 100 gallon sunk in rubbermaid back to my display tank in the house.

Originally I was looking into putting in a 4'X4'X8' refugium which would be 950 gallons or so. I was going to build it into the ground for insulation and for strength. I just never got comfortable with any kind of a cement or plywood frame with a pond liner so I think I have scrapped that idea and am looking into just using 2 - 300 gallon rubbermaids. They end up taking up a lot of space but they are cheap and sturdy. Anyone know of a better option?

I am wanting to insulate the shed to help with heating and cooling. Not sure on what I need to do for a vapor barrier to help with the humidity issues. I've seen just plastic sheeting used but not sure if that is good or not. Any thoughts here?

One other item is the roofing. I was just going to use the corrugated greenhouse type material that is readily available at home supply stores like this:

I don't want to lose all my heating and cooling benefits to get a little light though. I could just use some 400W MH over the rubbermaids and some shop lights elsewhere and have a regular roof.

The other really big decision is the venting. I guess there isn't a big point in insulating and worrying about retaining temperature if I'm going to have to vent the thing a lot. Here is the climate data for Lubbock:

Month - Avg Hi - Avg Low - Overall Avg

Jan - 51.9 - 24.4 - 38.1
Feb - 57.8 - 28.9 - 43.3
Mar - 66.2 - 36.2 - 51.2
April - 74.7 - 45.4 - 60.0
May - 82.8 - 55.6 - 69.2
June - 90.0 - 64.1 - 77.1
July - 91.9 - 67.7 - 79.8
Aug - 90.0 - 66.0 - 78.0
Sept - 83.4 - 58.4 - 70.9
Oct - 74.4 - 47.0 - 60.7
Nov - 61.6 - 34.5 - 48.1
Dec - 53.2 - 26.1 - 39.7

As far as heating and cooling I have a special electric rate that switches from 8 cents per kwh in the summer to 4 cents per kwh in the winter so it will cost less to heat than cool for the most part.

Last question in the floor. I was thinking of just putting in a cement perimeter for the footing and putting gravel on the rest of the floor. That would give me more options down the road I think. Not sure if I just just make the whole floor cement except where I need to sink the 100 gallon rubbermaid.

Oh well, I've lost myself from rambling so much. I'm sure there are a bunch of questions I forgot to ask but they can fit in another post I'm sure.

Just looking for any advice from someone that may have actually tackled something like this.

Thanks, Nathan

 

[1937 Waco]

Hello Nat:

Here are some radical ideas. First, I would have a cement floor with a drain in the middle. Second, Have you thought about putting a garage door in as that will give you lots of room to move things in and out. Second, If you made a square plywood tank, and then used that rubber spray-in lining, I think that it would be water proof and you could use some foam insulation on the sides to maintain a constant temp. You could get a hot tub cover for the really cold nights. In fact, if you could get a used hot tub, you would have a tank and all the plumbing. Not sure what to do about the moisture problem. I do know that a super heavy duty coat of paint will protect just about anything from moisture (currently 50 miles off shore in the Gulf of Mexico). Hope that helps, Bob

 

[npaden]

This is exactly why I post this stuff! I had originally ruled out the plywood tank with the liner because I was going to build it into the ground. Since then I've come up with the idea to just use the 100 gallon rubbermaid dug into the ground and leave the 300 gallon rubbermaids above ground. I don't have any real issues with building a plywood frame and using a pond liner above ground or especially on a cement slab! I could do the plywood frame and pond liner for just a tiny bit more than the rubbermaids but I could make it the exact size I wanted.

I could just get the foam type sheets of insulation to cover it on the cold nights.

Let's keep the ideas rolling in!

Thanks a bunch Bob!

Nathan

 

[Anonymous]

Then I would consider insulating everything, make a frame outside (or between the liner and plywood) to insulate all the way around. Styro's cheap enough, yeah? Are you limited to only a 12'x12' space? What can go up as well as down?

As for the plastic, when I worked at Pet<cough>o, we lined the ceiling of the fishroom with visqueen (sp?), thick, clear plastic, to help reduce heat loss. The result was, though (especially in winter) several hundred gallons of water "hanging" from the ceiling. (Oh, the stories, but I won't.) Anyway, it helped reduce heat loss, as it was set up in a huge warehouse with a very high ceiling, but EVERYTHING stayed very, very wet. This was in San Diego, btw (so you can sort zone).

 

[taikonaut]

npaden, did you read the thread about double-walled green house panel in the DIY forum?

 

[taikonaut]

nm,