Temps inside cold frame/hoop tunnel

titans01 3/22/2010, 10:28 pm

So I finished up my first few boxes yesterday and on one of them I put a hoop tunnel over it and covered it with 6mil plastic. I put a thermometer in there that keeps track of the high and low. Today it reached 62 degrees and sunny here and when I got home from work it showed that it reached 115 for the high inside the tunnel. Is this normal or is my thermometer screwed up? From what I've read most people get about 30 extra degrees out of their cold frames. Here is what it looks like:

Temps inside cold frame/hoop tunnel Coldfr10

SirTravers 3/22/2010, 10:35 pm

I don't think your thermometer is broken. I notice your hoop house is in the open. The direct sun over that lil box creates an instant greenhouse effect. It's very much like the glass on my 18 wheeler at work on a sunny day here in the oilpatch. Anything over 60 outside and I have to turn on the A/C in the cab.
You may have to provide some ventilation at the top of the hoop house to let the excess heat escape. It sounds silly but you can cut a slit in the plastic and use some duct tape to install a zipper into the plastic then just unzip it a lil.

boffer 3/22/2010, 11:02 pm

SirTravers wrote: It sounds silly but you can cut a slit in the plastic and use some duct tape to install a zipper into the plastic then just unzip it a lil.

You callin' me silly, Travers! That's how I'm going to do it. They make stick on zippers for 6 mil to use as a doorway. Say you're remodeling, hang plastic from the ceiling to limit dust distribution; it's sweet to put in a zipper to go "thru' the plastic without pulling tape etc.

TITANS

Caution, you can cook your veggies in one day if you're careful! (don' ask) Travers is right-you don't need a thermometer-just get in your car that is receiving the same sun as your bed, and you'll know what the temp is in the bed. If you're ever in doubt about opening the cf for the day, do it. I guessed wrong one day and fried everything in the box.

titans01 3/22/2010, 11:09 pm

Thanks to both of you. I was thinking about started some seeds in there in the next few days but I'm going to be gone for a couple days this weekend. I'd say I just better wait until I'm home Sunday to plant because I'm not planning on being gone until after the frost date. I guess I will just install a zipper or open both ends before I got to work and close it again in the early evening.

SirTravers 3/22/2010, 11:13 pm

If you wanna get fancy there are automatic vent openers for about 50 bucks that have heat operated pistons. The price is based on the amount of weight they can push but 15 pound openers are about fifty dollars.

boffer 3/22/2010, 11:16 pm

That's too fancy for me in the garden, but I am going to put an auto pop door on my chicken tractor, that will open at dawn and close at dusk! I just don't get what all those farmers are complaining about all the time!! Temps inside cold frame/hoop tunnel Lol

titans01 3/22/2010, 11:19 pm

SirTravers wrote:If you wanna get fancy there are automatic vent openers for about 50 bucks that have heat operated pistons. The price is based on the amount of weight they can push but 15 pound openers are about fifty dollars.

I may have to look into that because my hope is the set up 2 of these 4x8 boxes for use in the fall and early winter to see if I can keep growing then. I seen these and wonder if they will work: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=92192

But for now I better just live with what I have because my wife is ready to kill me after the fortune I've dropped building and buying the Mel's mix for 12 4x4 boxes.

boffer 3/22/2010, 11:23 pm

"But for now I better just live with what I have because my wife is
ready to kill me after the fortune I've dropped building and buying the
Mel's mix for 12 4x4 boxes."

Dang, it took me four years to get that much square footage!

titans01 3/22/2010, 11:29 pm

Well to top it of our 2 youngest sons want their own boxes too so looks like I will be building and filling 2 3x3 boxes soon.

SirTravers 3/22/2010, 11:35 pm

That's a great price for the vent opener and an awesome price on the 10x12 foot greenhouse too. I've seen it priced much higher on a few other sites. All this neat hardware!

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Temps inside cold frame/hoop tunnel

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automatic vent openers

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Nice price

Re: Temps inside cold frame/hoop tunnel


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