Orchid Care OrchidTalk Orchid Forum Links Nursery

Welcome to OrchidTalk Orchid Forums


The Friendliest Orchid Community on the Internet!


  •  » Learn to Repot your Orchids
  •  » Learn Orchid Care Tips and Secrets
  •  » Find the perfect Orchid for your Growing Environment
  •  » Chat with Orchid Growing Professionals

OrchidTalk - "Bringing People Together to Grow Orchids Better!"


Let us help you grow your Orchids better; Join our community today.


YES! I want to register an account for free right now!


Register or Login now to remove this advertisement.

Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Aluminium strip shading.

Click here to increase the font size Click here to reduce the font size
  1. #1
    Real Name
    Geoff Hands
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya ?
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    England, South coast.
    Posts
    4,366
    Member's Country Flag

    Default Aluminium strip shading.

    I'm thinking of using ( aluminium strip type etc..) , as a third and final layer ; I am having problems keeping temperatures down ( already) this year despite ventilation, extractor fans, humidification, etc.
    I do have a big turbo fan - 20 inch diameter , hollow blades, spins at 10,000 rpm, water fed into the blades and thrown out centrifugally produces tremendous stream of moist air, and this can bring the greenhouse temperature down by 5 degrees C in half an hour - but the problem is the noise - makes the neighbours complain . One says he has measured it at 146 decibels - which I find difficult to believe, but whatever, I cannot use it again..

    But the problem with the aluminium stuff is that there is no edge or end reinforcement, no eyelets, no easy way of fixing , and where I live, we do at times ( around the equinoxes) get gales sweeping up the English Channel - which separates UK from France , and I live a mile from the sea. 100mph winds ( 160kph) are often measured at the nearest weather station, 10 miles away. So although I have a sheltered garden, its all relative ! So I need to fix the shading very well, else it will blow away in the first gale.

    But how ? I have some ideas, and I'm looking for more, especially from anyone who actually uses the stuff.

  2. #2
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
    Posts
    2,103

    Default

    Geoff - can you tell us more about the shade? Is it rigid aluminum slats? Aluminized mylar mesh? What?

  3. #3
    Real Name
    Geoff Hands
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya ?
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    England, South coast.
    Posts
    4,366
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by raybark View Post
    Geoff - can you tell us more about the shade? Is it rigid aluminum slats? Aluminized mylar mesh? What?
    I am waiting for a sample. When it comes I will reply perhaps with a pic. There seems to be only one kind available here , wxcept perhaps to big contractors who are not interested in my45 sq. meter greenhouse. I had some of it a dozen years ago when I tried to make a horizontal blind - thermal shield, inside the greenhouse, actuated by light cells, but my engineering and avaialble tools nd supplies were not as good as my ideas, and I disposed of the actual cloth then.

  4. #4
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
    Posts
    2,103

    Default

    If it is a "cloth", you might find a product similar to "Bear Claws", which is a 2-piece plastic contraption that is pressed into the edge of the cloth on opposite sides, then slides to link together, giving you an eyelet anchoring point. There are other designs known as "tarp clips" as alternatives.
    Last edited by raybark; April 24th, 2018 at 06:28 PM.

  5. #5
    Real Name
    Jack
    My Grow Area
    Outside 24/7
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Bulbophyllum and the rest!
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Cooper City, Florida
    Posts
    7,614
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    I have no clue but look forward to how you solve the problem, which I am sure you will!

  6. #6
    My Grow Area
    Outside 24/7
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Vanda, Phals & Dendrobium
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Bangalore,India
    Posts
    7,119
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Similar thoughts as Jack.

  7. #7
    Real Name
    Geoff Hands
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleya ?
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    England, South coast.
    Posts
    4,366
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    So, I have finished my installation, and my goodness does it work ! We are having a good summer - people are comparing into 1976 ( the best summer in my adult life) -more or less wall-to-wall sunshine for the last 2 months - here on the south coast ( The weather is always different near the sea - my garden is one mile from the English Channel - with trillions of tons of sea-water currently at say 14˚ C - which obviously affects winds, and clouds etc - as compared to a dozen miles inland where the land is currently aat 23˚ C. ) . So - last year, in similar conditions I had greenhouse inside temperatures of 40˚ C. and could only reduce by spraying water - and the effect was short lived. A week ago, my temperatures were in the mid 30s, reduced from last year by running two humidifiers non-stop, set at 75% humidity.
    As soon as installed the blinds, the temperature went down. Now in the high 20s - 27 or 28 at the most. I reckon this will be the biggest improvement in my culture since I discovered RO, 30 years ago...
    Some details ;-first pic - this is the cloth. Strips of aluminium, shiny on one side ( outside, to reflect the suns rays away) and painted white on the other ( inside )Name:  cloth.jpg
Views: 464
Size:  166.8 KB
    It comes in 2.1 or 4.2metre widths. I had the narrower one. I made each blind by fixing one end of a length to the greenhouse ridge ( I fixed to a wooden strip screwed to a length of plastic gutter mounted on the ridge by cords runnning down to ground level at each side. The other end of each strip is glued to a length of rain pipe, and rolled round it.
    The roller part is arranged by cords fixed to the ridge, extending down underneath the blind, going round the roller, back up to the ridge, round a pulley - pic below :-
    Name:  pulleys.jpg
Views: 586
Size:  137.7 KB
    and then coming back to ground level - so I raise or lower them thus :-Name:  hoisting.jpg
Views: 529
Size:  185.5 KB
    To space the blind away from the glass, so as to allow air circulation - and prevent conduction of hear, I have fixed further drain pipes to the outside of the greenhouse, thus :-
    Name:  RH-side.jpg
Views: 490
Size:  146.8 KB
    It has been a lot of work, since it is a big greenhouse, and I had to make 5 double blinds , i.e. to extend both sides of the ridge, and all made more difficult by the shape of the greenhouse. But its done now. I shall leave them down until about the autumn erquinox, then haul them up to the ridge, and pass an extra strap across the greenhouse from one side to the other over each blind, to give security against winter gales.

  8. #8
    Real Name
    Jack
    My Grow Area
    Outside 24/7
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Bulbophyllum and the rest!
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Cooper City, Florida
    Posts
    7,614
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Looking good Geoff!

  9. #9
    My Grow Area
    Outside 24/7
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Vandeae tribe orchids
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Malaysia
    Posts
    1,226
    Member's Country Flag

    Default

    Interesting! Did you come out with the design yourself?

Similar Threads

  1. t12 cool white + led strip
    By MICKEY in forum Semi Hydro / Lights / Greenhouses / Accessories
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: October 10th, 2015, 02:02 PM
  2. what color for shading cloth for orchid growing
    By orchidhayate in forum New Growers: Ask the Senior Members
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: June 6th, 2013, 09:14 AM
  3. Burlap for shading?
    By sand_tiger86 in forum General Orchid Culture
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: September 1st, 2008, 02:32 PM
  4. Shading tips?
    By sand_tiger86 in forum General Orchid Culture
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: July 8th, 2008, 03:17 PM
  5. Shading Coefficient / Glass Techie Stuff
    By sadie in forum Semi Hydro / Lights / Greenhouses / Accessories
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: August 16th, 2007, 08:22 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
OrchidTalk --An Orchid Growers Discussion Forum brought to you by River Valley Orchidworks. A World Community where orchid beginners and experts talk about orchids and share tips on their care, cultivation, and propagation.