Ok. Zergas, I don't let the temps get below 56f at night, although the past few nights have been real warm for January. Right now it is still 53f out and still raining a little. Supposed to be warm for the next couple too. I think. Last night I turned the heater down as low as it would go and still come on and it stayed about 60. I was worried about how well it would keep up, but it has not been a problem. Even when it got down to 8f.
imdocrob:The heater and flooring came from Farm-Tek as well as the greenhouse. The heater is a pro-com blue flame 10,000btu vent free natural gas heater. They have a propane model too. It has a push button starter, not an electric starter, so nothing to worry about in an electrical outage. The flooring is made by a Canadian company called Red Rooster. Farm-Tek sell the panels for I think they were about $15, each. They are 2'x4' panels that overlap and interlock. They did not fit perfect. We had to cut one end short and the 9' wide required that 1 panel on each row had to be cut in half. For them to overlap and interlock correct we ended the first row with a half panel and started the next row with the other half. I only had to buy 14 panels instead of 16. I did not want to buy 3 panels to cut in half. The overlapping part you have to cut off the little plastic nubs that fit into holes on the corresponding panel 'cause they don't line up. We had to take it up and shorten it a bit 'cause it was bowing in the heat, when it expanded. I had it screwed to the ground with gutter screws and washers. It was all working just like I had planned, but it worked a little to good and the floor had no where to expand. It gets very warm when the sun is shining. We took the floor up well my buddy took the floor back up not all of it but 2 of the 3 rows. Shortened the end row and put them back together. Instead of using the screws again we used cable ties. Heavy ones. They will let the floor expand a needed, and no more bowing. I am real proud of the floor. I have to have a floor, and gravel sucks. The company makes white panels too. Farm-Tek only sell black. I found them at another place for about $50 for 2. They sell them to be used for table tops. I didnt know they made white until I ran across them in a Charleys greenhouse supply catalog. I have not looked for a dealer with white one's, but I am sure that you could call the company and ask for one.
mrbungalow: I don't know if the sun is closest to the earth in January. When I was monitoring it without plants in it and it was completely closed I surmised that the sun must be closer to the earth in the morning. In summer the closed greenhouse with no shade cloth, I have a 60% cover for it in summer, would get to 135f-140f. I never saw it go much above that, but the roof vents are large, and I have solar vent openers for the summer that will open the roof vents, as soon as they get warm. They work by heat not light. They have a black piston that is filled with something that expands when it heats up. And a motorized fan and shutter.
Thanks for all the complements on it. I am super happy with it.
www.growerssupply.com Farm-Tek.
Tom