A 15 meter (50 foot) geodesic dome frame is something you won’t see too often. The dome has a misting water system in it and by golly, they will be needing it today at the Big Day Out festival presently in Sydney this weekend. As some parts of North America went down to the coldest weather yet this winter, it was the complete opposite in Australia. Keep in mind, it’s currently summer down under.
On related news, I just looked at the thermometer: -24 Celsius (that’s really cold in Fahrenheit).
The holidays are over, people are going back to their routine, and every year, people are starting to dream and plan their spring and summer projects. As expected, adding a greenhouse on the property is a popular choice. So we added a few pages on Domerama:
George’s Geodesic Greenhouse project: fully documented with text and over 80 images.
Don’ S. Collins’ geodesic greenhouse kit assembly: See Don and friends assemble a kit.
Greenhouses in pictures: a collection of greenhouses of all kinds, from the last century to now.
Glass used to be the method most used to cover greenhouses. Now it has been replaced by plastics, mainly acrylic (plexiglass) and polycarbonate (Lexan) sheets.
Both glass alternatives have one factor in common: they will shrink as the temperature drops
The shrink rate of either material varies on factors such as the manufacturing process and raw materials used, but for a typical greenhouse, the shrinkage will be noticeable. To remedy this, the solution is to use “channels” to hold the panels in place while solving the shrinking issue.
Panels are slipped in between 2 channels. The fit is snug with just a slight amount of wiggle room. In situations where the temperature is low, such as in winter, the long lips of the channel ensure that the panel will not fall. The result is that there is no stress on the panel and the greenhouse remains watertight.
When glazing a geodesic greenhouse, H channels are on each side of every panel and each side will need to be shorter to accommodate the space used for the channel.
The more layers a polycarbonate panel has, the greater the insulating value it will have. It is common to see double layer panels for greenhouses.
For more information on polycarbonate for greenhouses, click here.
Ever see a geodesic dome greenhouse kit assembly? Many are considering putting up a geodesic greenhouse , but few ever saw one being assembled.
Don S. Collins was kind enough to let us publish his story of how he went to visit a couple of friends to assemble their geodesic greenhouse kit, complete with polycarbonate glazing and a heat collector among other features. The pieces were pre-drilled and measured to make it easier to put together.
To find out who this adorable pooch is and to see how the geodesic greenhouse kit assembly went, click here!
I admit it may seem mean, but seeing garage shelters implode in the winter time puts a smile on my face. Why? Because it proves that being dumb does not make a garage shelter more resistant against Mother Nature. The owner of this garage shelter knew the structure was weak but still put it up. What’s worse is that manufacturers convince people it’s a good idea. In Canada’s northeast? Are you friggin’ kidding me? And this one was protected by a building (which no snow or water fell from its roof onto the shelter).
This is a classic case of a supplier overselling his product just to make more money, and the suckers who bought the sales pitch. As you can see from the image above, the thing just fell apart following a snow storm followed by melting snow weather.
Garage shelter suppliers are great hypnotistsSomehow, companies have convinced people that shelters are great to protect your vehicle from snow. But all that snow they promise you won’t have to shovel is on top of your shelter, accumulating after each storm.
Look at the image on the left: that is just one of the many boulders of snow on the roof of the garage shelter. We had to cut many holes in the roof to remove these giants to get the ATV out. Oh, and the ATV’s protecting roof broke under the weight of the snow because the ATV was the only reason the entire thing did not cave in all the way.
A house roof is designed to support its own weight and the accumulation of snow during the winter. So why on Earth would a skimpy frame made of thin tubing become strong enough to support 18-24 inches of snow? It may support the weight for a while, but the moment that snow becomes wet or another snow fall happens, your temporary structure is on its way to buckle. And this is what happened to this particular shelter.
Bottom line here: temporary shelters are not a good solution in most winter climates. Those who insist using them are the first to reinforce the structure with bracing and additional wood. So that means… People who don’t know any better buy these shelters, and those who do know better also buy them, but they reinforce the hell out of them… Uh, what?
There is no moral here; traditionally-shaped shelters have their uses, but if you have the space for it, a geodesic dome might be a better solution. I live in the countryside, so a dome is not far-fetched where quonset (half-moon) structures are common. And you can also throw a metal or plastic mesh over the frame before you put on the tarp, making it even more resistant to snow load.
Still, seeing these babies implode makes for fun pictures.
