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Dave
Dave
6 years ago

Attached greenhouse:

As soon as you create that interstitial space Ben recommended you have taken away the ability to maintain that wall of the house, inspect and treat for termites and without pumping a ton of air through there you would probably have more moisture problems with it than without.  Natural convection won’t get it done. 

Without sealing off the ground between the 2 walls and foundation, that gap would also grow weeds right up against the house wall keeping the humidity levels elevated and would allow termites a perfect place to build their tunnels.  I think you would be far better off without that air gap and have a 2-3 foot clear space along your exterior wall. 

Yes, the relative humidity levels on that wall will be higher than on the rest of the house but it will still be able to breathe.  Your RH still won’t be as high as they are in the SE.  You will want to make sure that your attic has plenty ventilation and it might be better to block off any soffit vents inside the greenhouse that go into the attic.   I’m not sure about that but if they are open, you could have condensation issues in the attic in the winter.

Another thing that can give you issues in your climate is ice damming which could lead to even more problems if you are going from a steeper pitch house roof to a shallower pitch greenhouse roof.  The same problems would be there if you went to a gable end only the melting water would enter the wall instead of the roof.

A far better option would be to build the greenhouse several feet back from the house, pour a 3′ wide sidewalk between the house and the greenhouse that slopes away from the foundation and deal with those 2 steps in the cold.

 

 

Warren
Warren
6 years ago

Jack, I appreciate all the work you do for us. You inspired me to put in a garden this year.  What you have done at your homestead is amazing! A regular Garden of Eden. You teach me every day how to live better.

I just looked up Jiffy Lube price. With a Groupon coupon an oil change with full synthetic oil is $79.99 (regularly 119.97). I buy 5 quarts of Mobile 1 full synthetic for $26 and a 15,000 mile filter for $9. So it costs me$38 with sales tax.

I always change both car and pickup at the same time, every 6 months. It takes me about 2 hours to do them, including hauling off the used oil to my buddy’s shop. Like you I do NOT work for $4/hour.  I save $84–about $40/hour. I also know the oil is warmed up a little before I drain it for a more complete elimination of contaminants. I check the coolant level, windshield washer fluid, and I look things over, checking for any leaks. I have done this on every vehicle I have ever owned; 50 years. I use full synthetic because I can change it half as often which more than pays for the higher price. And it is far better for your vehicle.

It also keeps scammers from opening my hood. I have heard of too many fraudulent people in the business who ripped people off, making unnecessary repairs, even cutting hoses and belts to sell you new ones.

AMEN to Charles comment about transmission oil. I had the oil changed in my Chrysler transmission once since it had 90,000 miles on it. (Since then I do it myself, but it is horribly messy). The transmission quit 2 weeks later. I am absolutely sure they put the wrong oil back in it. Cost me $3,000 for a new transmission! Please don’t ever use the universal crap with the specific additive for various makes! Get the fluid at the specific dealership for your vehicle.