Design an attached winter greenhouse / solar thermal mass heat room

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• published: 24 Nov 2013
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This video is intended to help people that want to attach a winter sun room to collect the suns heat and also use as a greenhouse to their home, This video shows some of the key design features that we have found most beneficial over the 15 years that we have heated our home from and grown winter crops in our attached greenhouse / solar mass sun room. The greenhouse is running East and West and faces South (which is necessary). It has no roof overhang, so the sun will have a sliver of light come in through the summer month around summer solstice, on June 22, and not over heat the room. I designed windows that can be opened that draw cool air from under the deck on the East side and through convection it will create a very heavy draft out the West side that has a window located up higher. If I need a greater cooling draft, I have a small window located at about 12 feet high, up near the ceiling that draws the hot air right out and sucks the cool air in through the East side (It works very well in July and August). Remember when you are designing your greenhouse, that the more plants that you intend to put in your sun-room/greenhouse, the more you will have moisture in the air (which can be a good thing in dry climates if you do it right as well as oxygen from the plants in the air). Build your greenhouse with good moisture barriers, ventilation and material :). If you are building your greenhouse, it would be wise, as the same time, to install earth tubes in the ground and run them into the greenhouse and then in the winter, you will be able to get fresh earth heated air drawn into the room for circulation needs (easier than installing it later). We have found that for our uses and long term overall productivity, it is best to use this greenhouse in the winter and relocate the plants out into the garden and outside summer greenhouse in the early to late spring... by removing the plants in the summer, the attached greenhouse is purged of all garden pests (white fly, aphids etc..) and by doing this and not allowing plants to sit in the greenhouse when there is not enough sun (thereby causing the plants to become unhealthy and susceptible to pests and their propagation) we have eliminated virtually all pest problems by insuring the plants get enough light and good natural fertilizers and the greenhouse is cleaned out in the summer. And in the fall, around September, when the southern sunlight starts to shine heavily through the southern exposed windows, we start to fill all the grow boxes and pots with our winter crop. We have found over the years that most plants transfer incredibly well and take off like crazy (some better than others). This year we focused on plants for our green-drinks and they grew stellar fast and lush green and better than in the summer greenhouse that was starting to cool down. We only use peat moss and compost in our grow boxes and do not use any dirt whatsoever and have found the plants do best as well as the simplicity of transplanting... We hope this gives you insight so you can do even better with your design than we have :). Happy growing, god bless with good health :). Please feel free to comment or ask any questions :)