[Greenbuilding] Temporary Sunspace ?

Thu Oct 11 16:50:46 CDT 2012

I have known that such a book existed, but could not remember who wrote 
it. Chapters (alas, the only book source in my town) was no help.  Thank 
you!

LYNELLE
On 10/10/2012 5:53 AM, Norman Feldman wrote:
> For growing plants through the winter in a sunspace you might find Elliot Coleman's The Winter Harvest Manual a good reference. Mr. Coleman is a commercial organic grower in Maine who grows vegetables through the winter in unheated greenhouses. He grows varieties which can tolerate the cold as long as they're protected from wind and snow.
>
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> Today's Topics:
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>     1. Re: Temporary Sunspace ? (LarenCorie)
>     2. Re: Temporary Sunspace ? (Lynelle Hamilton)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2012 16:48:23 -0400
> From: "LarenCorie" <LarenCorie at axilar.net>
> To: <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Temporary Sunspace ?
> Message-ID: <4436914F14BD42EBA7D4A610FBD5781B at LarenPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>          reply-type=original
>
> From: Lynelle Hamilton <lynelle at kos.net>
>
>> Has anyone had experience with a removable "sunspace"?
> Hi Lynelle;
>
>    I wrote an article about them (called "Instant Sunspaces"
> IIRC) using the example of a Michigan Great Lakes climate,
> very similar to your own, in ESSN in early 2005. The article
> is available (free) at the link in my signature, below.
>
>> I have a 7 x 14 foot sliding door on the south wall of
>> the house.  The overhangs are such that I get no direct
>> sun in summer, but do get a considerable amount in winter.
>>   I use the door in the winter, as it's the shortest path to the
>> woodpile and I am lazy. I am on Lake Ontario, near
>> Kingston. My location means that I don't get a huge
>> number of sun days in the winter, and the single slider
>> (itself triple-glazed glass) means that there is no airlock
>> when I load wood, let the dog out, etc.
>>
>> I am thinking of constructing a sunspace that would only
>> be installed in October/removed in April.  I am thinking
>> that this would allow the collection of warm air, even in
>> winter, helping to warm the house and offer a buffer for
>> the cold.
>> Overall size is about 14 x 10 feet.
> It should also greatly increase you effective collector area.
> While your sliding door might have 75sqft of triple glazing,
> The sunspace might have 130+sqft in single glazing, which
> would transmit a lot more light. What you need to be careful
> about is that your instant sunspace is sealed well, and that
> you also keep the sunlight and warmth from being absorbed
> by mass in the sunspace, and also down into the ground,
> which would prevent it from ever getting into the house.
> Carpeting, rolled out over the slab, and even over brick
> veneer, can go a long way to accomplish this.
>
> Here are  a couple of pictures of a crude temporary polyethylene
> sunspace that I built to only be in place for a few months, one
> Winter, while I was remodeling a house.
>
> < http://web.axilar.net/LarenCorie/TempSunspace2.htm >
>
> < http://web.axilar.net/LarenCorie/ssi1.jpg >
> Notice the carpeting, to shade the uninsulated slab.
> The uninsulated flexduct brings warm sunspace air
> down, into the house through an old small milk
> chute so that it could heat the locked house.
>
>> The south is my view of the water, so for the heat and
>> the view, I don't want to have a structure out there in the
>> summer.
>     If you wish to maintain your Winter view, you will need to
> avoid polyethylene, and multiwall or corrugated polycarbonate
> glazings. There is a very clear, light weight material, available
> from Warp Bros.
>
>> I'm wanting something that would have, at most a 18" kneewall
>> on the perimeter, with the rest removable.
> I recommend having the whole South wall as glazing, and removable.
>
> However, you might be better off, simply building this new wall
> with more sliding glass doors, that you could look through to the
> lake. Then depending on the conditions, open or close inside or
> outside doors, to optimize performance.  That avoids having to
> mess with twice annual sunspace building or tearing down, and
> storage projects. And it might also provide you with expanded
> Summer nighttime living space, for dining, sleeping, parties, etc.
>
>> From: "Kathy Cochran" <kathys_old_house at goldrush.com>
>> if you did this you would be able to grow winter
>> veggies in pots that would get warmth thru the glass!
>
> Hi Kathy;
>
>    Yes.  But it will depend on multiple factors. The pots might
> be moved indoors at night, or have insulating covers. In Fall
> and Spring, nighttime temperatures might not be too cold for
> plants. And, of course, it will also depend on the kind of plants.
> Since the house will be receiving heat from the sunspace, and
> also sheltering the sunspace on its North side, it can also give
> some heat back to the sunspace at night, for plants. However,
> heating a sunspace drastically reduces the net heat gained that
> it can supply to the house.
>
> -Laren Corie-
>   Natural Solar Building Design and
>   Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
>   Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
>   www.ThermalAttic.com  (many new
>   photos and pages, coming soon)
>
> Read my Solar house design articles in:
> -Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter-
> www.essnmag.com
>
> Home base-LittleHouses YahooGroup
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/
>
> Founder-WoodGas - Power from wood
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas
>
> Founder-RefrigeratorAlternatives YahooGroup
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RefrigeratorAlternatives
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:43:56 -0400
> From: Lynelle Hamilton <lynelle at kos.net>
> To: Green Building <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Cc: LarenCorie <LarenCorie at axilar.net>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Temporary Sunspace ?
> Message-ID: <50738F6C.5080406 at kos.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Thank you, Laren!
>
> The worry about the permanent install is the desire to avoid overheating
> in the summer.  I could construct a solid roof, but don't want to lose
> more light.  That said, a permanent install has the distinct advantages
> you noted.
>
>
> On 08/10/2012 4:48 PM, LarenCorie wrote:
>> From: Lynelle Hamilton <lynelle at kos.net>
>>
>>> Has anyone had experience with a removable "sunspace"?
>> Hi Lynelle;
>>
>>   I wrote an article about them (called "Instant Sunspaces"
>> IIRC) using the example of a Michigan Great Lakes climate,
>> very similar to your own, in ESSN in early 2005. The article
>> is available (free) at the link in my signature, below.
>>
>>> I have a 7 x 14 foot sliding door on the south wall of
>>> the house.  The overhangs are such that I get no direct
>>> sun in summer, but do get a considerable amount in winter.
>>>   I use the door in the winter, as it's the shortest path to the
>>> woodpile and I am lazy. I am on Lake Ontario, near
>>> Kingston. My location means that I don't get a huge
>>> number of sun days in the winter, and the single slider
>>> (itself triple-glazed glass) means that there is no airlock
>>> when I load wood, let the dog out, etc.
>>>
>>> I am thinking of constructing a sunspace that would only
>>> be installed in October/removed in April.  I am thinking
>>> that this would allow the collection of warm air, even in
>>> winter, helping to warm the house and offer a buffer for
>>> the cold.
>>> Overall size is about 14 x 10 feet.
>> It should also greatly increase you effective collector area.
>> While your sliding door might have 75sqft of triple glazing,
>> The sunspace might have 130+sqft in single glazing, which
>> would transmit a lot more light. What you need to be careful
>> about is that your instant sunspace is sealed well, and that
>> you also keep the sunlight and warmth from being absorbed
>> by mass in the sunspace, and also down into the ground,
>> which would prevent it from ever getting into the house.
>> Carpeting, rolled out over the slab, and even over brick
>> veneer, can go a long way to accomplish this.
>>
>> Here are  a couple of pictures of a crude temporary polyethylene
>> sunspace that I built to only be in place for a few months, one
>> Winter, while I was remodeling a house.
>>
>> < http://web.axilar.net/LarenCorie/TempSunspace2.htm >
>>
>> < http://web.axilar.net/LarenCorie/ssi1.jpg >
>> Notice the carpeting, to shade the uninsulated slab.
>> The uninsulated flexduct brings warm sunspace air
>> down, into the house through an old small milk
>> chute so that it could heat the locked house.
>>> The south is my view of the water, so for the heat and
>>> the view, I don't want to have a structure out there in the summer.
>>    If you wish to maintain your Winter view, you will need to
>> avoid polyethylene, and multiwall or corrugated polycarbonate
>> glazings. There is a very clear, light weight material, available
>> from Warp Bros.
>>
>>> I'm wanting something that would have, at most a 18" kneewall on the
>>> perimeter, with the rest removable.
>> I recommend having the whole South wall as glazing, and removable.
>>
>> However, you might be better off, simply building this new wall
>> with more sliding glass doors, that you could look through to the
>> lake. Then depending on the conditions, open or close inside or
>> outside doors, to optimize performance.  That avoids having to
>> mess with twice annual sunspace building or tearing down, and
>> storage projects. And it might also provide you with expanded
>> Summer nighttime living space, for dining, sleeping, parties, etc.
>>
>>> From: "Kathy Cochran" <kathys_old_house at goldrush.com>
>>> if you did this you would be able to grow winter
>>> veggies in pots that would get warmth thru the glass!
>>
>> Hi Kathy;
>>
>>   Yes.  But it will depend on multiple factors. The pots might
>> be moved indoors at night, or have insulating covers. In Fall
>> and Spring, nighttime temperatures might not be too cold for
>> plants. And, of course, it will also depend on the kind of plants.
>> Since the house will be receiving heat from the sunspace, and
>> also sheltering the sunspace on its North side, it can also give
>> some heat back to the sunspace at night, for plants. However,
>> heating a sunspace drastically reduces the net heat gained that
>> it can supply to the house.
>> -Laren Corie-
>> Natural Solar Building Design and
>> Solar Heating/Natural Cooling/Energy
>> Efficiency Consultation Since 1975
>> www.ThermalAttic.com  (many new
>> photos and pages, coming soon)
>>
>> Read my Solar house design articles in:
>> -Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter-
>> www.essnmag.com
>>
>> Home base-LittleHouses YahooGroup
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/
>>
>> Founder-WoodGas - Power from wood
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WoodGas
>>
>> Founder-RefrigeratorAlternatives YahooGroup
>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RefrigeratorAlternatives
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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