The Most Efficient Greenhouse on Earth | $100 a year to heat in -40C with Sand Battery Thermal Mass
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 03. 2024
- This greenhouse is the most efficient and well designed cold climate greenhouse that has ever been built! Patrick built and improved the Arkopia deep winter greenhouse design, adding a Sand Battery that is charged by Solar Evacuated Tubes, and some other awesome innovations. In Alberta, Canada gardening zone 3 (same as Arkopia in Saskatchewan) this greenhouse keeps tropical plants going all winter with only $100 in total annual heating costs (just for those few -40C special nights).
His family grows bananas, oranges, grapefruits, peaches, figs, grapes, and all the tropical things all year long even in northern Canada's harsh winter. They grow directly into the ground, in raised beds, and even did an awesome aquaponics set up using a massive 1000 gallon fish tank (thermal mass) where they grow some monster rainbow trout. A huge bird house awakens the indoor garden with symphony of songs, which is very good for plants (and humans).
From all knowledge of greenhouse builds, this cold climate greenhouse currently is the best designed and functioning greenhouse on earth.
Solar Thermal Kits: Simple Solar out of Calgary, AB www.simplesolar.ca/
Arkopia Greenhouse Build video:
• One Man Build - Deep W...
#greenhouse #homestead #farmlife #alberta #canada #arkopia
Like, Comment, Subscribe and follow @ArkopiaCZcams We are experts in preparedness, homesteading, sustainability, high efficient construction, passive solar technology, deep winter greenhouses, freeze drying & other food preservation, economics, and small sustainable food production.
We are the inventors of the Best Selling Smoothie on amazon: Arkopia Freeze Dried Smoothies. We are also a small, multifaceted farm located in Saskatchewan, Canada where we are striving to provide our hyper-local community with food (and flowers), direct to customers off our farm.
Arkopia Website: arkopia.ca/
Smoothie 12 Packs: arkopia.ca/shop/8oz-smoothie-...
Smoothie 144 Packs: arkopia.ca/shop/8oz-smoothies...
Smoothie Singles: arkopia.ca/shop/individual-8o...
Smoothies at Full Wholesale: arkopia.ca/shop/membership/
AMAZON USA: www.amazon.com/stores/Arkopia...
AMAZON CANADA: www.amazon.ca/stores/node/372...
The best thing about Dean is that he is just a real world guy with real world experience that built a greenhouse that works for four seasons. He's not a consultant trying to sell something and i proud to call him my friend. I couldnt have built the greenhouse without his ideas.
Well done man! Awesome build and the sand battery idea is brilliant. I'd love to see more of these kinds of greenhouses. Hope some day I get to build something like that here in Greece.
Great job, man!
Not just copying Dean, but making it an iteration with other solutions and improvements that now others can get inspiration from .
Here in Spain we need to figure out how to keep excess heat and sun away and increase humidity and fight water scarcity. Prevent our fish from boiling, maximize rain water harvesting, etc.
You are 100% right about Dean...I really think this is what CZcams and online stuff was dreamt to be about when it was dreamt to be used in positive ways...I think everyone is surprised that Dean is not trying to sell his ideas or "secrets" and his time but just using his internet channel in a real humble way to show how proud he is of what he's doing, some passion, just being a real guy, and getting some enjoyment from it...those are the best types of channels and content on the internet anyhow through miles and miles of garbage and wastes of time that is on-line mostly... you have to weed through all that noise and distraction to find the good stuff, but it's there!...and you guys are adding to it... I'm sure people are so grateful for this content, in a time when we crave authenticity and just good decent people.
A real world guy with 200 grand to blow
@allanparker20
He didn't blow 200 grand and your comment @allanparker20 shows exactly how much you watched his videos...which is not enough to know and comment like that....go actually watch and learn something very cool
You two need to collaborate on a 'Greenhouse Build & Grow' manual/book.
It's so inspiring to see real ordinary people do extraordinary things.
55 years ago I sat many a cold snowy nights and drew plans for buildings that were self sufficient.....never got ..love to see someone who did...thanks
I’m an old mechanical engineer - I love thermodynamics and the science of heat transfer - you guys are brilliant- keep tweaking your designs!!
Now this dudes math is definitely mathin’. Bravo sir.
I was glued to the computer screen absorbing everything I could. Yup, Patrick needs a YT channel.
Thank you so much, Dean and Patrick, for showing us how to heat a greenhouse in a cold climate. We live in Norway at 59 deg north, so our climate is pretty much like yours, but with a bit milder winters. We reached -28 deg C in January this year for the first time in decades, usually it goes down to -17 a few times each winter. We have slightly shorter days than you in the winter (but very long summer days!).
We have started to build our greenhouse at the south wall of our barn, so it will look pretty much as your greenhouses, 20 m long and 5 m wide. And now I know how to make the thermal mass floor thanks to you guys! So as soon as the rain stops and the ground dries up (frost has gone now), we can start digging and insulating for the thermal mass floor. Looking forward to have a greenhouse this winter! Greetings from Norway
Great to hear. All the best with your build. Sounds great. 👍
:o Tenker dere å varme opp med ved, solceller og/eller solfanger? Etter hva jeg forstår så kan det være litt ekstra utfordrende her på berget siden vi har mindre solinnstrømming vinterstid når vi trenger varmen som mest, men noen harde tall i så måte har jeg ikke sett. Jeg har derimot sett noen få videoer hvor man har et "teppe" i tillegg - dvs at man senker et isolerende teppe over vinduene/taket om natta (og kanskje også på kalde og overskyede dager) for å redusere varmetapet (et tips da kan være å ha teppet på innsiden, hvis ikke så kan de fryse fast og/eller snø ned, selv om det er litt mer styr)
maybe upload some videos of the process!
Can we follow your building proces? We live in Norway too and have plans to start building next year. We live nearby Rondane NP
Wow. Another great setup in a cold Canadian climate. It is sooo well done especially with that sand battery. Growing your own food for food security. Awesome!!
Well done!!! Food security is top priority and you’ve both proven that we can grow in Canada with the right know how and gear. I love all the heat syncs and use of passive solar heating.
That was an impressive greenhouse build with the thermal sand battery.
"If you don't try anything, you don't learn." WOW! Convincing people they DON'T know everything while confidently staring down their weak poker faces, has been my largest obstacle to entry for 10 years. Once ya see it, ya can't un-see it huh. You two are amazing!
This system and all the concepts included prove that it is possible to overcome any issues with weather, and to build closed systems that are very productive... Nice pack of GSDs BTW...
I don't need dogs for 4- legged coyotes anymore so I figured I would get some for the two-legged kind.
But it comes with a hefty bill.
This is awesome I'm going to be moving to Saskatchewan to be closer to my son. Leaving my home and garden on Vancouver Island so I'm going to need something like this to keep me busy through those cold winters
Thanks for sharing this greenhouse, nice to see the sand battery in use XD
Bees want to travel as far as it can and then working home. I worked on driving milking truck from farm to diary and we do the same as bees. All route is to drive to the farthest from diary and then work home. Then i only needed to drive from the closest farm full with 42metric ton milk, total 64 M.ton (Sweden). So is no wonder they flew to the window.
The only bee who is "smart" enough to understand windows/greenhouse i have seen is leafcutter bee. I hade wild leafcutter last summer in the greenhouse, they maneuver opening like a smart animal. They never ever did "smash window" as other insects, with a big leaf cut under them (same size as the bee). I really love leafcutter bees. Hope her babies survived the winter in my greenhouse.
I've been planning a passive solar greenhouse with evacuated tubes, and this is a few steps ahead of anything I imagined. Fantastic accomplishment! Ideally, I'd have a wood / pellet boiler that can also heat water and have the greenhouse heat my home as well. Add a hot tub in the greenhouse and that's my dream!
Sounds perfect
I know you guys talked about the math about a sand battery so i just wanted to elaborate on it for everyone.
The specific heat of water is just over 5x as high as sand by weight. BUT sand is about 60% heavier than water give or take how coarse the sand is. That means that by volume sand is about 20-25% as efficient at storing energy as water. So when you lay your tubing in the sand to exchange heat it will increase your efficiency the more total volume of water you can have trapped with the sand in the tubing. Also for the wood stove if you had included a heat exchanger with a liquid media you would be able to heat the sand that way instead of trying to heat the air
I will be emulating this build! Very clever!
love this osmosis of greenhouse design. Both of you
are examples to all of us dreaming
Wow, you two are very inspiring. It was cool to watch you talking to someone that is on your level and that took your concept/design and built his own system. Awesome video.
Fascinating, I've learned so much from this vid. Thanks a lot for sharing guys. Cheers and let's keep Making Alberta Great Again!!!
Outstanding, gentlemen. Cheers from 🍁Ottawa🍁
I don't think I have ever watched a 44 minute YT video from start to finish. This was an amazing video by two amazing people. I learned a ton and will apply to the projects I am doing.
Glad I could help ?
Thank you for the excellent info
I can't wait to build my greenhouse here in Willow Alaska.
Could you tell what his main glazing wall was... polycarbonate and framing was?
Twin wall 8mm polycarbonate outside, on 2x6 spruce lumber, and 6mil greenhouse poly inside.
@@ArkopiaCZcamsI could tell it was polycarbonate on the outside. didn't notice the 6 mil poly on the inside. Thanks for sharing.
ArkopiaCZcams. - how thick were the foam panels (ridgid?). Under the 14" of sand?
@@annking1576 2"
YOU ARE AMAZING , GUYS 😮❤👏👏
GOD BLESS YOU 🙏
I’m out by sylvan lake and want to start building a greenhouse this summer. So awesome.
Dean - I have to comment on your solar panels. Use them to power a Heat pump and kill two birds with one stone. Remove excess heat and reduce the humidity in the Greenhouse by using a heatpump. The hot water discharged from the heatpump would be as good as the solar evacuated tubes but no need to use glycol. In my last two greenhouses I used PEX Heat Transfer Plates on the ceiling to do this, but my next one I plan to also use a heatpump (I did use a radiator and fan with good results). A pool heater heatpump might be overkill - but it is what I am looking at. I also use a lot of iot devices to automate things so you do need to have wifi near your greenhouse.
Interesting. Heat pump right inside the greenhouse you’re saying. Nice
@@ArkopiaCZcams Yes A/C the Greenhouse and store the heat for later use - for every watt used you should be able to pull 4 watts out and get about 5 watts of heat to store. The key thing is you do not need to open windows for fall, winter and spring - you can fully automate it. You only need to use it when it is sunny - and you always have solar when it it sunny. There will be a few variable that will needed to be worked out - you water storage system of 10 totes stores about 12KWh(40KBTU) / degree C, that should be enough to help balance the highs and lows.
If you take that route and don't have other CO2 sources (humans in greenhouse, humans in attached house, pets, mushrooms etc.), consider HRV or ERV for air exchange because you run low on CO2 if built well. Can also do earth tubes for fresh (CO2) air in and then heat pump treat the outgoing air to scavenge heat.
Another nice thing with the heat pump approach is that you use the condensation (soft water-like rain) for watering. Make sure your air contacting heat pump doesn't have lead solder around the fins (or other heavy metals). I tested the condensate off my heat pump and it had lead leachate.
Also, depending on your spore load, you may want fresh air exchange or some sort of air filter.
KISS = Keep It Super Simple
This is fantastic ... this is what man was meant to do -- creative ideas put to use!!!
Like the birds and the natural aspects of how they help the plants.
Thank you for this wonderful video
Patrick, this is a super build! Would you consider doing a series of videos on construction / systems details? It would be incredible! Just have tons of questions... pony wall windows, foundation insulation (below 2x6 walls), details on sand battery dimensions & construction, aquaponics system components, media, testing, feeding, etc. You've done soooo much it is monumental. Congratulations!! Hope there's more details in the future. Would you be into tours later in the year (for those nearby)?
God has given me a lot of talents but making videos is not one of them.😂 I wouldn't be opposed to doing a few tours but as you can see by the length of Dean's video it takes a lot of time and I'm quite busy with farming .
Would absolutely be interested in tours as well. We’ll be doing our first green house this year, probably pretty basic just to extend our season a bit in the Calgary area. Gardening math seems much like chicken math though, as you keep going bigger and better. I wouldn’t be surprised if our first one is just a landing pad to expand off of in the future
@@ChaosCustomsWood Google "Rockridge Dairy "
So cool :-) You are a inspiration. I hope the birds are able to fly around in the greenhouse 🐦
You guys are rock stars ⭐️!!
You guys are awesome! Inspiration at its finest. Love the birds and the sand battery, but most of all the comments and you both taking the time to answer questions truly shows your passion for helping others. You have proven self sufficiency is possible even in some of the hardest climates. Thanks Dean and Patrick!
Thank you.
Great job
Isn't it amazing how we inspire each other to expand on an idea.Collaberation is vital to survival!
many thanks for interviewing Patrick
Thank you for sharing! Very inspiring build. Much respect 🤙
Darn cool to see this.
I also live in snow, frost in May and August and the forest!!!! Ponderosas I will not cut but want to grow food for me and bunnies. ❤❤ THANK YOU GUYS!!!!!!
Love the philosophical reasoning too, same reasons I uploaded my greenhouse & other projects to CZcams.
Let’s All keep sharing!
an exciting result of thinking-at-work, good posters...well done, little family and critters!
I'm loving seeing sand batteries being used in more places. They are going to be a game changer in terms of heating places and efficiently storing excess green energy.
Absolutely wonderful video Dean. I'm in need of actual structural drawings in order to qualify for financial support.
The banks will not move forward with funding unless they see an actual engineered stamping on any architectural drawings.
All I can do now is plug away at this slowly and still meet the county's requirements.
Anyway brother, thank you and your guest for the advancement in this technology. May God bless both of you guys in your ventures. 😊
I think all you need is a truss plan really. The rest is very simple. Sorry, I never had plans for mine, and neither did Patrick. ✌️
I don't know what your goals are in building a greenhouse like this are, but mine were personal food security and getting out of a system that is doing a lot of things that I don't agree with. If you use a bank to finance your project your still under that system. Just my opinion you have to make the best decision for you. Where I live if you are zoned for agriculture and are a low occupancy building you don't need a permit.
@@patrickbos825, So I do understand that both you and Dean are skilled craftsmen and very savvy at finding building materials to up cycle into your projects. You've both done tons of research to develop your systems. There must be thousands, if not tens of thousands of people that dream about doing something just like this with the same motivation for personal food security and clean organic produce. Both of you talk about community sustainability and encourage the folks who come across this video to take action for themselves. Could you....would you.... please work with Dean to put these concepts, plans, designs, measurements and resources into a concrete format that someone without your skill set could take to a contractor and / or a bank to facilitate the creation of more of these incredible structures. If your serious about people having these for there families, and encouraging them to do so then please....please put something out there for those who don't have your expertise.
Rob Avis has made a business and career out of doing this but you wouldn't have to go that far. Please just get something out there so that people could get this built. ❤
I would look for a pole shed drawing and use that.
Amazing, this is inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing!
Great tour thanks guy's... Thanks Dean, 👍🌴🤠
Amazing!!!! I LOVE these videos! So so many smart ideas! It’s so amazing that Patrick was able to build just from watching your other videos! I’m so impressed!!! ❤
Best video I have seen for some time on greenhouses in winter, Thank You
Well done, love the whole sharing concept and how sustainable it is. Beautiful!
Great info. Thanks for sharing
This greenhouse is wild! What a build!
Such a great video. It’s so great to see the knowledge and ideas shared in this manner. You guys are wonderful human beings.
Thanks as always for sharing.
LOVE IT . Wow. Thank you so much for the video.
They could consider adding some type of heat recovery ventilator to breathe off some of that humidity without the fresh air coming in at freezing temps. Even better yet they could consider an HRV connected to some earthtubes on the intake side.
A REALY AWESOME Setup !!!
So happy I found this channel!
great channel found you thru CP, Nate. thanks for showing your skills and knowledge.
WOW there is a lot to know to obtain a balanced eco system. Both of use have been learning from experience. Sure hope you are documenting all things that work.
Fascinating program, thank you !
So wonderful to see..
Great vid guys very educational
Fascinating and thoroughly engineered all the way to the perimeter ground frost mitigation. Excellent!
Amazing setup, thanks for showing this architectural masterpiece..
Thanks for sharing!
This is amazing. Love it. Thank you for sharing.
How cool! I would love a set up like this! I love all the passion between these guys. I'm zone 4, and I miss my garden in the winter.
amazing! thanks for sharing.
Great video! Both of your greenhouses are inspiring!
Fantastic project, and inspiring!
Awesome work guys.
Inspiring, nice work guys 👍
Love this! I also really like how you clarified the ground conditions of the "bananas in Nebraska" guy. I've had to explain that so many times to people when I talk about Sunken thermal mass greenhouses with people on my channel. No mistake, that guy built something amazing, but I think I'm going to point people here to these videos from now on. You did such a great job explaining it.
Very interesting second generation improvements on the proven first generation Arkopia greenhouse. Excellent site planning benefits with the microclimate. The thermal blanket China style will be a nice upgrade to hold heat during the cold winter nights.
There is a guy in California who has been building underground Quonset homes for twenty plus years. He has a long underground fresh air duct excavated downhill from the house to create a natural draw for fresh air intake. The ground temperature will pre warm the fresh air initially than you could install another sand battery to heat the air up above your 12 degree Celsius minimum target temperature.
Thanks for sharing and continuing the improvement process of the Canadian cold weather greenhouse technique! 🇨🇦❤️
Well done boys!! Proud of you!
I would have loved to do the blanket, I probably wouldn't have to heat at all. But we built when the supply chains were completely broken so we made the best decisions we could at the time.
Great job, wonderful ideas. Love the solar hot water heater.
thanks for sharing your projects guys, cheers
Another fantastic setup . Living on the Minnesota/ Ontario border. This is the style I will definitely be going with. Zone 3a
Great job !
I did a thermal mass in a greenhouse and used a good 6" of air-crete for the bottom layer of insulation. People will argue about the soil wicking out the heat and until there's a good side by side comparison of heat retention I do agree it's a great idea to insulate the bottom.
Excellent Video thank you!
What beauty, It's so exciting, I hope to build the third Arkopia. Quebec.
Get er done. 💪✌️
I'm trying myself for 3rd in Ontario. :-) Friendly competition for a better future! (No sand battery, though. I have other ideas...)
@@leofortey7561 I'm very curious Leo. ;)) ps I'm interested in biomeiler and biogas/bio digester
great job! someday I will build one too.. great advice.
Just awesome!
Excellent!
I would love to have this ! I love the Thermal Mass , however I would have incorporated Rocket Mass Heaters to keep the frost out of the foundation. I would dig the pit down so, the Mas heater would be a natural rise and no power needed for circulation. But then.. YOU DID IT ! and it is awesome ! Bananas in Alberta ! You rock !
Another very talented farmer.
I just geeked out 🤠!!! ya'll talked numbers about heat discernment and I got it!!!!
Yet i learned so very much from this video. Priceless 🤠
Great build.
Love this! Thanks for the share. =)
Great accomplishment Patrick. Maybe a roll down thermo-blanket to keep some of the heat in on those very cold winter days. I have though a greenhouse used in the winter should only be open on the glazing side when the sun is out. I always thought of a jet fighter lens being the thick insulation to flip over the greenhouse glazing at night or on those cold winter days/ nights. Great job Guys.
I wanted one , but I built during the lock downs and supply chain collapse. Maybe on the next one.
Don't need anything fancy In winter. A lil sewing and rope with a solar triggered motor to rise and lower the blankets... Add tarps to make a blanket sandwich of the blanket... and moving blankets would work great for this.
It' an awesome post thanks!
As a Canadian I have hitchhiked across Canada about five times. This dude is kind of my expectation of Canadian farmers. He sounds kind of slow until you realize that he's explaining rocket appliance. He's only slow because he's dumbimg it down for us noobs. These men usually have a laboratory and a brewery and one hell of a kitchen.
I find it hard to spit the words out that are in my head, so it can be interpreted by others. We are engineers, mathematicians, inventors, and works harder than anyone you’ll ever know.
Thanks for showing , its greate! Cordula from Germany
❤ every house needs this ❤
love this video. I grow citrus in the ground here in Oklahoma. I cover and heat them in the winter. They can go down to 3c or 38F easily and still stay nice and healthy.
Great job guys
So amazing, just think if each home had this!
Awesome!
I agree. This is a fine-tuned machine. Everything works with no surprises and very little maintenance. It takes a lot of heat to get through zone 3 winter.