making a window in the low tunnel hoop house

Does anyone have ideas how to make a window that can open and close easily on a low tunnel hoop house plastic sidewall. this would let excessive heat out in daytime and keep warm air in at night? Basically more like a flap. Pictures would be better if possible. Would love to hear success stories.

Thank you,

Has55

I roll up either one or both sides.

Camprn, Thank you for your reply. Do you have any pictures how you are doing this.? Have you develop a easy way to get it open? would you explained your technique in more detail, please.

I was toying around with cutting a simple flap. part of my new experiment involves making/cutting 1 large window on each side or 2 smaller windows. I will be taking the plastic off the hoops as needed for access.  I'm just not sure how to do it. I know I can pull the flap up to let heat out, but I haven't figure out how to keep the heat in when I lower the flap. I'm sure it needs to overlap somehow. so I don't know if I should cut out a piece of plastic and attached it to the hoophouse. I had plan to simply uncover it as needed, then reapply. I hope to have a video up soon.

has55 wrote:Camprn, Thank you for your reply. Do you have any pictures how you are doing this.? Have you develop a easy way to get it open? would you explained your technique in more detail, please.

I was toying around with cutting a simple flap. part of my new experiment involves making/cutting 1 large window on each side or 2 smaller windows. I will be taking the plastic off the hoops as needed for access.  I'm just not sure how to do it. I know I can pull the flap up to let heat out, but I haven't figure out how to keep the heat in when I lower the flap. I'm sure it needs to overlap somehow. so I don't know if I should cut out a piece of plastic and attached it to the hoop house. I had plan to simply uncover it as needed, then reapply. I hope to have a video up soon.

has55, do you have a true hoop house or just a hoop atop your garden bed.? What I had was a hoop over the bed. I took a piece of strapping and stapled it to one side ot the plastic and rolled it 1/2 way up the side of the hoop when the weather was hot. I had the strapping rest on the large binder clips on the hoop ribs.

Somewhere on this website, I posted a link to a utube video where a guy from Garden Fork demonstrated how to build a low tunnel with a vent at the end.  The vent opened when it got cold.  The kind you would install in a crawl space to help vent the space.  They cost about $15 and it is said they don't always work great.  I bought two of them but never made a sturdy enough hoop house to install them.

Found the video showing the automatic vents:


http://www.gardenfork.tv/how-to-build-a-cold-frame-hoop-house-gardenfork-tv

yolos,thank you for the video. It was so helpful. I have scratched my other ideas so I can go back to my old project. I was so close to the answer for simple winter protection last year, but didn't know it. 

camprn, My hoops extend outside the beds, they are metal hoops.  last year, I used pvc and made them inside of the bed using pvc tubing and coupling.

 Like the man said on above video, I had to opened it up in the day and closed it  prior to going to work. I work night shift-7p-7a. No problems on days off, unless I was doing something in the evening. so I had to keep that ongoing mental alarm clock going and watched my remote temperature gauge to prevent over heating. It's work, but the saving in food and having it organic, I believe is worth it.

this is what I had last year using the ideas from colorado state univ research. I going to try to update this with gardenfork ideas.

has anyone found a source for smaller automatic ventilator? I have been looking, but so far no luck. I'm thinking about 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 in size.

or a miniature solar fan for outdoors

Make your own...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbs8lsRmViU

Off the shelf...

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=solar+powered+fans&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=33849276715&hvpos=1s2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=994044601173346923&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3my3icyjwn_b

If you have power available in the garden area, a temp switch like this could be used in one hoop house to control fans in all your hoop houses.  Install a louvered dryer vent backwards at the other end of the hoop house.

http://www.rewci.com/ductstat-temperature-switch-suncourt-ds100.html

If you enjoy scrounging and re-purposing, find a temp switch off a gable fan.  The fan is too much for a  hoop house, but the switch is as simple as they get.

Boffer, thank you for your reply. The more I thought about the idea of using a fan in a a winter coop was backwards. this would be great in the summer, but I should use an automatic ventilator that will open and close as the host of gardenfork taught. 
So I'm now looking for a smaller version  of that system, like 3 x 3 or 4 x 4. Those small fans in the videos where the perfect size. do you have any ideas where I can find  automatic ventilators that size.

I haven't found any passive, heat activated vents that small.

Another possible consideration is humidity. I sometimes have winter condensation/dampness issues that need to be addressed to prevent mold, disease, and damping off issues. Venting my sealed hoop houses and greenhouse isn't sufficient. I need fans to move more air through.

I imagine your climate is different than mine, and maybe excess moisture isn't an issue you need to deal with. Just thought I'd throw the idea out there so you're not caught unawares.