Controlling a Greenhouse Environment

Once you have put up your greenhouse, it is time to make it do what it was intended to do - foster the rapid and healthy growth of the plants inside it. The strength of a greenhouse lies in the ability to control the climactic conditions inside.

One such significant climactic condition is temperature. You need to have the right temperature if you are to realize optimal plant growth. Light is another important consideration. Note that one climactic factor may have an impact on another. For instance, too much sunlight inside the greenhouse can raise the indoor temperature beyond the appropriate levels.

There are a number of actions you can take to manage the impact of external weather changes to the greenhouse's internal atmospheric conditions.

a. Ventilation - Every greenhouse should be built with two forms of ventilation in mind - natural and artificial ventilation. For natural ventilation, you need only appropriately position a number of outlets and inlets to allow the natural flow of air in and out of the greenhouse. Electricity may or may not be used but this would only be for controlling opening and closing the inlets or outlets. While natural ventilation is a great cost saver, it is ineffective in locations with high outdoor temperatures.

And this is where automatic ventilation comes in. Auto-ventilation regulates indoor temperatures using electricity powered louvers and exhaust fans. The difference between automatic ventilation and electricity-powered natural ventilation is that the former is usually part of a larger air conditioning system that detects temperature and powers the louvers and fans accordingly.

b. Cooling - When ventilation alone is inadequate to manage the temperature within the greenhouse, a different approach is required. Two common strategies used to control temperature and that can augment ventilation are: fog systems and pad-and-fan systems.

Fog systems use nozzles installed every 50 to 100 feet in the greenhouse to evenly distribute a cooling 'fog'. It is expensive because clean water must be used to prevent the tiny mouth of each nozzle from getting blocked.

Pad-and-fan technology goes hand in hand with automatic ventilation. Evaporative pads are installed at air inlets and cool the air entering the greenhouse. The cool air circulates within the greenhouse picking heat in the process before it is pulled out via the exhaust fans.

c. Humidity - Humidity must be kept in check to prevent plants from succumbing to disease. High moisture content in greenhouse air increases the amount of condensation on plants thus hampering respiration. High humidity is also a breeding ground for pests and fungal plant diseases. To better manage humidity, the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) must be measured regularly and maintained at the optimum level of 0 to 1 psi. VPD is a calculation of atmospheric humidity versus the humidity at which water condensation will start.

d. Shading - Shading is a means of temperature and light control that uses automatically operated shades or blinders. The shades close when there is too much sunlight during the day or if warm temperature needs to be retained in the greenhouse at night. A sensor detects internal temperature and triggers the shades' opening or closing.

For more information on Greenhouses please visit:

http://www.buildagreenhouseeasy.com/keeping-your-greenhouse-pest-free/

Thanks, Jonathan Miranda

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How Can a Dehumidifier for Your Home Improve Your Environment and Health?

What is a dehumidifier? How does it work?

A dehumidifier is an electronic device usually used in the workplace or in the home. It is used to reduce the humidity in the air -that is the measure of the amount of moisture in the air. A dehumidifier works by controlling the humidity by sucking in the air in the atmosphere through a fan. Once the air is inside of the device is enters the section which contains cooled coils. At this point condensation is used by cooling the air so that it reaches its maximum threshold for holding moisture and converts into water droplets. These water droplets then drip down the coils into a water storage area. The air is then reheated to a temperature usually controlled by a built in humidistat so that the humidity levels are kept at a desired level.

In terms of water storage the dehumidifier will have a built in water reservoir and a sensor to ensure that it does not overflow - this means it switches off automatically when it reaches a certain capacity level. Obviously, this is potentially a problem if the device is in a high humidity area and needs to be switched on all the time; however this problem can be dealt with effectively by the use of a hose to drain the water away or you can get a dehumidifier unit with a condensate pump built in that will ensure the water is regularly pumped out of the device and down a drain.

Different types of dehumidifiers?

There are several types of dehumidifiers but which are the best humidifiers and which one is right for you? Well the choice can be made initially by your requirements. If you are looking for dehumidifiers for home then you have two choices - a portable dehumidifier or a whole-house dehumidifier. The portable devices provide a small, lightweight option, often made of plastic meaning they are very cost effective. These devices are designed to give their best performance in small spaces such as bedrooms or kitchens and as such will be less effective if in a large open space.

If you are looking for an option to control the humidity of your entire house and basement then you will be looking for a larger unit. These larger units will need to be professionally installed, at an obvious additional cost but will provide a much wider area of service and can be especially useful if you have very high humidity areas or a storage area which needs to be carefully controlled. The whole house units will be fitted alongside the heating and air conditioning systems of the house and will work in parallel to work more effectively.

The third choice is a restoration humidifier and these units are more heavyweight machines that are used with heavy water damage so will not be used as dehumidifiers for the home.

Is it expensive?

Using a portable dehumidifier obviously comes with the fact that it uses a lot of electricity. Obviously this varies unit to unit exactly how much electricity it will use and how much this will cost and it is important to balance this into benefits of using a dehumidifier. Using a dehumidifier will give the room a higher perceived temperature meaning that you will be using your heating less which will obviously compensate some of the electricity costs. On top of this you have to factor in the fact that if you are in the workplace then your work efficiency will be much higher in well controlled conditions than in a high humidity office or if you are at home then you will enjoy a less stressful life in general by feeling refreshed. Another way you can reclaim some of the cost is by recycling the water that the dehumidifier produces and using it to water your plants and flowers - extending the benefits of costs involved. It is important to balance all of these factors when choosing the best dehumidifier for you as they will all have different costs for the unit, electricity usage and water storage.

What are the benefits?

On top of the fact that a dehumidifier makes the atmosphere there are many health benefits from getting a dehumidifier for your home. The most noticeable problems that can be seen to be caused by high levels of humidity are mold and fungus forming on your walls, wallpaper peeling away, condensation forming on your windows as well as a general feeling of stuffiness in a room. All these problems are caused by high humidity and especially in the case of the mold it can cause serious illness. Once it forms it can be difficult to get rid of, so it's much better to be prepared and fight it before it forms! On top of this limiting the humidity in the air can help clear the air making your breathing better and fighting off any colds or coughs. A dehumidifier can be exceptionally useful in areas of storage such as basements (which often suffer especially badly from high humidity problems) as they are often the centre of the causes of damp and leaks and so dehumidifiers for basements are very popular.

Disadvantages/problems?

The only problem that you could mention with dehumidifiers is that of the additional cost and it is important to balance this against the whole range of benefits you will gain from installing the unit in your home or basement. The best thing to do is get a list of the best humidifiers for your home and compare the costs and advantages of each and then choose the most suitable one

Overall it is not hard to see how dehumidifiers for home, basement and workplaces have become very common and useful in areas of high humidity and it is well worth the investment to improve your health and lifestyle.

If you would like to learn more about improving your home environment with a dehumidifier, you can visit Best Dehumidifiers for Home.

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