Saturday, January 7, 2012
Starting the Rocket Mass Heater
Today I finished building and fired up the rocket mass heater for the geodesic dome. Ironically, it's January and we're having record breaking warm temperatures in the 50's but I couldn't resist and started it up. I will do a full video about the construction in the future, but wanted to share a few pictures of it.
This heater is a bit different than some you may see. I wanted to be sure there was enough drafting in the chimney so I doubled up the barrels.
The entire burn tunnel is buried under the floor. It took a little while to get the drafting to start. It didn't help that the internal chimney wasn't insulated yet (missing some parts for it), but once the system got warmed up, it turned into a raging inferno.
A picture without the flash shows how well the fuel is burning in the tunnel.
I ran out of sand so I wasn't able to completely bury the horizontal exhaust. It was quite hot to the touch, but as you moved down the pipe, I could hold my hand against the duct and it was slightly warm. It was quite funny to see the sand around the duct drying out so quickly. It will be interesting to study the temperatures along the system in the future!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Carrots in an aquaponic system
Carrots are a great root crop that just about anyone can enjoy. Some people think you can't grow them in an aquaponic system. Here's proof that you can!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Adding the polycarbonate
Here’s the latest in the dome greenhouse series showing the polycarbonate installation. It’s nice having it enclosed and not working out of the wind. It’s still cold, but the heating system is next on the list!
Transcript:
Welcome Back!
This video will show how the exterior of the dome is covered. The northern face of the dome has no polycarbonate and is covered in OSB and will eventually be shingled. Each of the triangle sections needs to have studs added to support the boards. Placing them can be tricky when it’s difficult to reach all the points.
Sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work…
Once all the studs are installed, it’s time to install the OSB. I found it was easier to set the sheathing by ripping the OSB into two foot strips instead of leaving them 4 feet wide. It also reduced the amount of scrap that was generated.
The shed roof and part of the dome are covered in water and ice shield. This will protect the building during the winter and will allow me to shingle the roof in warmer weather. The shielding has an adhesive backing which helps to hold it down to the OSB and a few roofing nails insures a gust of wind won’t peel it off.
The polycarbonate sheets are 6 by 24 feet long. I set up a couple of sacrificial sheets of OSB on the ground as a cutting area.
I decided to repurpose an old tape measure and cut it up so I could easily measure out the various leg lengths for the triangles. With a couple of clamps to hold the ends, it made it easy to triangulate all the points. I found it was easier to make my marks by just poking a nail through the material. Trying to mark the frozen poly with a frozen Sharpie was a futile effort.
The polycarbonate cuts very easily with a sharp circular saw. After I filmed this, I discovered it was even easier if I placed another scrap piece of polycarbonate under it so the blade didn’t have to also cut into the OSB.
Setting up a guide allows for a nice straight cut. After each piece is cut, the protective film can be removed and the sawdust in the flutes is blown out with compressed air.
Installing the panels was quite simple providing there was no wind. Before cutting each panel, I did measure each opening to insure the measurements matched the computer calculations. There were a couple of sections that were slightly off which was probably from slight errors in the hub construction or the strut measurements. But, for the most part they all went in as planned.
Each panel was cut so that the flutes are orientated to allow for condensation to drain out.
Once I got down to the ground level, it was even easier to install each section. All the panels are held in place with stainless steel screws that have a neoprene-backed washer. The screws pierce right through the polycarbonate and the washer creates a watertight seal against it.
All the joints will be taped in the spring since the waterproof tape needs to be applied when it’s over 60 degrees. During this filming it was 20 out. You may have noticed that I’m wearing insulated boots, long-johns, a sweatshirt, insulated hoodie sweatshirt, scarf, winter coat, winter hat under the hoodie, and insulated gloves!
All the panels intersect nicely over the hubs. The original plan of rabbiting each stud so that the panels wouldn’t interfere with the bolts worked out well. Also adding the bevel to the studs made a large flat surface for the panel to rest against.
The panels along the base are cut extra-long so that they will hang over the knee wall. This will help to shed water and prevent it from getting into the dome through the knee wall. The overlapping pieces are simply cut off with a razor knife.
The northern face of the dome that isn’t covered by the shed was also studded and covered with OSB. Unfortunately, my HD camera was broken so I wasn’t able to film this part, but this is what the final construction looked like.
When I laid out the building, I oriented it so it faced due-south. It now acts like a huge sundial and it’s very easy to tell when it’s time for lunch!
That’s it for now. Next up may be the heating system. It’s getting difficult to work in the freezing temperatures! Don’t forget to join our Facebook page!
This phenomenon is called “needle ice” and it occurs when the soil temperature is above freezing and the air goes below freezing. The water in the soil is drawn out by the cold air and quickly freezes, building these long strands of ice. They’re also fun to crush!
Transcript:
Welcome Back!
This video will show how the exterior of the dome is covered. The northern face of the dome has no polycarbonate and is covered in OSB and will eventually be shingled. Each of the triangle sections needs to have studs added to support the boards. Placing them can be tricky when it’s difficult to reach all the points.
Sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work…
Once all the studs are installed, it’s time to install the OSB. I found it was easier to set the sheathing by ripping the OSB into two foot strips instead of leaving them 4 feet wide. It also reduced the amount of scrap that was generated.
The shed roof and part of the dome are covered in water and ice shield. This will protect the building during the winter and will allow me to shingle the roof in warmer weather. The shielding has an adhesive backing which helps to hold it down to the OSB and a few roofing nails insures a gust of wind won’t peel it off.
The polycarbonate sheets are 6 by 24 feet long. I set up a couple of sacrificial sheets of OSB on the ground as a cutting area.
I decided to repurpose an old tape measure and cut it up so I could easily measure out the various leg lengths for the triangles. With a couple of clamps to hold the ends, it made it easy to triangulate all the points. I found it was easier to make my marks by just poking a nail through the material. Trying to mark the frozen poly with a frozen Sharpie was a futile effort.
The polycarbonate cuts very easily with a sharp circular saw. After I filmed this, I discovered it was even easier if I placed another scrap piece of polycarbonate under it so the blade didn’t have to also cut into the OSB.
Setting up a guide allows for a nice straight cut. After each piece is cut, the protective film can be removed and the sawdust in the flutes is blown out with compressed air.
Installing the panels was quite simple providing there was no wind. Before cutting each panel, I did measure each opening to insure the measurements matched the computer calculations. There were a couple of sections that were slightly off which was probably from slight errors in the hub construction or the strut measurements. But, for the most part they all went in as planned.
Each panel was cut so that the flutes are orientated to allow for condensation to drain out.
Once I got down to the ground level, it was even easier to install each section. All the panels are held in place with stainless steel screws that have a neoprene-backed washer. The screws pierce right through the polycarbonate and the washer creates a watertight seal against it.
All the joints will be taped in the spring since the waterproof tape needs to be applied when it’s over 60 degrees. During this filming it was 20 out. You may have noticed that I’m wearing insulated boots, long-johns, a sweatshirt, insulated hoodie sweatshirt, scarf, winter coat, winter hat under the hoodie, and insulated gloves!
All the panels intersect nicely over the hubs. The original plan of rabbiting each stud so that the panels wouldn’t interfere with the bolts worked out well. Also adding the bevel to the studs made a large flat surface for the panel to rest against.
The panels along the base are cut extra-long so that they will hang over the knee wall. This will help to shed water and prevent it from getting into the dome through the knee wall. The overlapping pieces are simply cut off with a razor knife.
The northern face of the dome that isn’t covered by the shed was also studded and covered with OSB. Unfortunately, my HD camera was broken so I wasn’t able to film this part, but this is what the final construction looked like.
When I laid out the building, I oriented it so it faced due-south. It now acts like a huge sundial and it’s very easy to tell when it’s time for lunch!
That’s it for now. Next up may be the heating system. It’s getting difficult to work in the freezing temperatures! Don’t forget to join our Facebook page!
This phenomenon is called “needle ice” and it occurs when the soil temperature is above freezing and the air goes below freezing. The water in the soil is drawn out by the cold air and quickly freezes, building these long strands of ice. They’re also fun to crush!
Monday, December 19, 2011
geodesic dome at night
One of the nice things about having the dome enclosed is that I can work in there at night without freezing in the wind! Still no heat, but we're getting closer!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Dome Teaser video #9
Here's the next teaser video on the dome project. All is going well. I'm still scrambling to get the building enclosed before winter set in. It's getting challenging working in this weather...everything is frozen in the morning, then barely thaws during the day, making it wet and slippery.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Geodesic Dome Greenhouse - ASSEMBLING THE DOME!
The structure is up! Making great progress!
TRANSCRIPT:
Hello Everyone!
Once again you’re treated to an extra-long video about building the dome!
The structure went up in a day! I started off the morning by laying out all the pieces around the perimeter knee-wall and bolting everything
together. This helped to create a firm base to build on.
A fellow aquaponic grower and dome lover, Steve, volunteered to help erect the dome. This was one job where having an extra set of hands was
extremely helpful. We found it was easiest to connect two legs together with a hub, and then set them into the base unit. When the bolts were placed
in the hubs, each section was able to stand on its own without any supports. Once we figured out a system, the entire assembly process was relatively
smooth.
A couple of the bolts would get stuck going through the struts, but a little persuasion would get them in. Once each triangle section was installed,
we would connect each one with a horizontal strut. This simple action made the side wall rigid enough to support my weight of leaning against it.
It took a little bit of thought on how to assemble to the second level, but we decided the best way to assemble it was the same way as the first tier:
Steve would support the assembly from the ladder and I would align it with the hub and run the bolt through it.
The horizontal strut was a bit trickier but I was able to lean a ladder against the dome and hold it into place.
The third tier went together just as smoothly. The dome was self-supporting and there was no problem leaning against the structure to assemble the
struts.
By the end of the day, the dome was now visible from the road and a few of the neighbors would stop by to see how we were progressing.
We finished late in the evening using flashlights….here is how it looked when it was completed.
Here’s a little time-lapsed segment of the dome being assembled.
On October 30th, we had a freak snowstorm that decimated the region. We were without power for a week while the town and line crews cleaned up the
roads and utilities. The project was put on hold…
Once we recovered from the storm and most of the snow melted, it was time to go back to work. Even though the dome was standing on its own, I stilled
needed to adjust a few of the hubs and tighten the nuts.
The next part of the project was to build the walls for the shed area. One of the biggest problems with working in the fall is the rain and snow,
along with the constant freeze and thaw cycles. This turns any disturbed dirt in to mud. I decided that it was best to build the walls up by the
house and set them in place with the tractor.
When building a prefab-type building, it’s critical to make sure each section is square and accurate. Once each wall frame is squared up, I would
secure it with a few angle braces to keep it from racking. After all of the studs were nailed in place, I would again check to make sure it was still
square and then install the sheathing. Since the walls are placed so close to the ground, I installed treated plywood sheathing along the bottom 16
inches of the wall to help prevent rot and insect damage.
The excess sheathing is marked and cut off to the appropriate length and then nailed into the studs.
My good friend, Ford, helped me lift the walls and carry them to the greenhouse site. Each section fit perfectly into place. Ford was also kind
enough to hold the wall in place while I secured each section together.
After all the walls were in place, I finished installing the remaining sheathing.
Even though the dome structure probably could support the weight of the shed roof, I felt it was best to add a support beam across the length of the
shed and cantilever the rafters over the dome. The rafters are attached to the dome, but they have almost no load bearing weight against it.
There are 35 rafters, all custom cut with the correct angle to match against the dome. Any of the excess is then cut off, and the scrap is then used
as blocking between the rafters to keep them from racking. The roof decking is then laid down, cut, and secured.
Once again, that’s the end of another segment. I invite you to join our Facebook page at the link below for building updates prior to these video
releases. Thanks for watching!
TRANSCRIPT:
Hello Everyone!
Once again you’re treated to an extra-long video about building the dome!
The structure went up in a day! I started off the morning by laying out all the pieces around the perimeter knee-wall and bolting everything
together. This helped to create a firm base to build on.
A fellow aquaponic grower and dome lover, Steve, volunteered to help erect the dome. This was one job where having an extra set of hands was
extremely helpful. We found it was easiest to connect two legs together with a hub, and then set them into the base unit. When the bolts were placed
in the hubs, each section was able to stand on its own without any supports. Once we figured out a system, the entire assembly process was relatively
smooth.
A couple of the bolts would get stuck going through the struts, but a little persuasion would get them in. Once each triangle section was installed,
we would connect each one with a horizontal strut. This simple action made the side wall rigid enough to support my weight of leaning against it.
It took a little bit of thought on how to assemble to the second level, but we decided the best way to assemble it was the same way as the first tier:
Steve would support the assembly from the ladder and I would align it with the hub and run the bolt through it.
The horizontal strut was a bit trickier but I was able to lean a ladder against the dome and hold it into place.
The third tier went together just as smoothly. The dome was self-supporting and there was no problem leaning against the structure to assemble the
struts.
By the end of the day, the dome was now visible from the road and a few of the neighbors would stop by to see how we were progressing.
We finished late in the evening using flashlights….here is how it looked when it was completed.
Here’s a little time-lapsed segment of the dome being assembled.
On October 30th, we had a freak snowstorm that decimated the region. We were without power for a week while the town and line crews cleaned up the
roads and utilities. The project was put on hold…
Once we recovered from the storm and most of the snow melted, it was time to go back to work. Even though the dome was standing on its own, I stilled
needed to adjust a few of the hubs and tighten the nuts.
The next part of the project was to build the walls for the shed area. One of the biggest problems with working in the fall is the rain and snow,
along with the constant freeze and thaw cycles. This turns any disturbed dirt in to mud. I decided that it was best to build the walls up by the
house and set them in place with the tractor.
When building a prefab-type building, it’s critical to make sure each section is square and accurate. Once each wall frame is squared up, I would
secure it with a few angle braces to keep it from racking. After all of the studs were nailed in place, I would again check to make sure it was still
square and then install the sheathing. Since the walls are placed so close to the ground, I installed treated plywood sheathing along the bottom 16
inches of the wall to help prevent rot and insect damage.
The excess sheathing is marked and cut off to the appropriate length and then nailed into the studs.
My good friend, Ford, helped me lift the walls and carry them to the greenhouse site. Each section fit perfectly into place. Ford was also kind
enough to hold the wall in place while I secured each section together.
After all the walls were in place, I finished installing the remaining sheathing.
Even though the dome structure probably could support the weight of the shed roof, I felt it was best to add a support beam across the length of the
shed and cantilever the rafters over the dome. The rafters are attached to the dome, but they have almost no load bearing weight against it.
There are 35 rafters, all custom cut with the correct angle to match against the dome. Any of the excess is then cut off, and the scrap is then used
as blocking between the rafters to keep them from racking. The roof decking is then laid down, cut, and secured.
Once again, that’s the end of another segment. I invite you to join our Facebook page at the link below for building updates prior to these video
releases. Thanks for watching!
Friday, November 11, 2011
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