This is a great idea, but two things that you would want to concider are its lifespan/lifecycle, and the gasses consumed and produced (may be dangerous?). To the first point, the pile will produce heat for a couple of months on average, but that's probably enough for some areas to cover the colder winter months. The more important thing to consider is that a compost pile consumes oxygen, which could be bad in a confined space, but to compound that, if the compost pile IS in an oxygen deficient space, like the one it will create without good ventilation, it will start to produce potentially dangerous amounts of Methane and Nitrous Oxide, both of which are potentially hazardous to people and pets. So the problem I see with this is that you want to let the greenhouse breath, but you need to balance that with retaining the heat. I'm not claiming it can't be done, or that it's even difficult. It may just be that typical greenhouses allow enough air to come and go to keep that from being a problem. The plants may even be enough to turn the CO2 that the compost pile also produces into enough oxygen to solve the problem. I'm just saying it should be concidered, and I would be interested to see if someone has measured these things. Great idea, great channel, great content. Thank you.
I use fresh horse manure in mine it works good and free. You can put seed starting trays on top a get a head start or put 6 inches of compost on top and have things going on all winter
Hey, super late to this thread but I'm curious if you could tell me how often you have to add to the compost to keep it heated or does the heat stay relatively steady for most of the season?
@@toad_house_homestead I will cool over time I turn mine if it get to cold. When you turn it lets o2 sack in and will heat up again. The larger the pile the longer it last.
Great idea. I have pallets for shelves in my greenhouse. I can do the same thing. My winters are not as bad as yours, I live in the panhandle of Florida.
That is a great idea I have to try that in my Greenhouse I have a heater in there right now what does get cold at night so I think that would really work thanks for the idea
I've used electric, propane, and kerosene heaters but I'm trying this because of costs. The real test will be what temp it gets at night when it's near or below freezing
Thnx. Im planning the same. What im planning is figgong down 4ft and also running tubing with fan to push air through every 1 hour during the night. Heaps of vids on it thermal geo hesting etc but i thought youd like to know as a give back for your vid 😁
You could use an aquarium air pump to move the air through it continuously. Low power & low air flow. A $20 Tetra Whisper 20 pump should move about 20 gallons of air per hour. That is about .045 cubic feet per minute, but you don't want too much or it will cool the pile down too much.
You could double skin the poly with warm air blowing through the skins via a 15watt extractor fan also fan air intake/out will sort the condensation forming.
If you put this outside and ran ducting through you pile into your greenhouse you would omit the toxic gasses that are going to occur with this system. You cannot do this without putting yourself in danger.
Wax motor cylinders are a thing. They are like hydraulic cylinders but uses wax as the actuator. Wax expand or contract depending on temperature. So it can open the vents when it got enough heat.
Dampness is another issue, but I heard some ancient method uses certain hair braided to a yarn where they contract to humidity. Might be used to pull a series of pulleys but that veers on complex machinery.
Wow! I was thinking, perhaps with the warmth and the humidity it would be good for wintering potted tropical plants and fruit trees like lemons and oranges. What is your opinion on this? I found your channel because of the cattle panel greenhouse and I already showed it to my husband for him to make one..... we'll see. ;-)
Now i have a question - what is the point of heating your greenhouse in the winter if you don't have anything grlwing in it? (Because you said that once the conpost is broken down you'll plant a garden in it)
Today is a very warm winter day in Hungary but the real winter is coming and I have a small, 6.5m ×2.4m raised-bed, I want to upgrade it to a greenhouse this winter and I want to make a similar passive heating "system" like your. I have three questions: 1.) how cubic meter (or cubic feet, if it is easier for you ;) ) was your pile? 2.) It is started to generate heat by itself or required to handle with any biological "starter" or compost or manure, etc... 2.) Is there any dangerous gases cumulated inside your greenhouse?! There is no any dangerous if the greenhouse rarely opened? Thanks for any answers.
I had this idea in reverse recently: greenhouses, I've heard, can get warm in winter provided it's sunny enough (although they'll still chill off by night) - could I use the greenhouse to heat the compost pile, which would then heat the greenhouse, which would then help the compost pile stay warm? Or am I in cloud cuckoo land, as I often am?
That's the idea. You're not in cuckoo land. The only issue like he said, is does it give off enough heat to make it through the night, and/or non sunny days.
Just wondering how much those cattle panels cost you for the hoop house. I hope to copy your greenhouse, compost pile and all, but the price of those panels where I live is $75-$100 each.
Just nowseeing your channel. How long did it take from start until you filmed that the heat was enough? I have a compost crib in my greenhouse, but as of yet it is not heating. I am using clay pots filled with sawdust as extra heaters. But it's still not enough for cold overnights.
Seems to me about how you layer the compost, so layers of actual already done compost in it so the microbiome get heating, egg shells and trimmed up small banana skins help, plus you could pee and water it down a lot then water it with that to get the nitrogen in. If you are feeling really brave sabe some dumps of your own manure, compost toilet is best, basically any poo heats it like crazy, I tried with my rabbit children years ago using their pine toilet chips and their rabbit droppings plus veg and fruit waste and nut wast etc, I had lots as I had five rabbits my children then so rabbit manure was abundant. I had no idea that compost especially with manure hearsd it up. I did not know how to cover smell or weaken the nitrogen aspect then etc I was new to compost completely, I saw a shed load of steam coming off it and I swear to god it must Iof been at 150C no word of a joke, I was shocked! It was amazing though, did not carry it on as I & my then other and our rabbit children were being targeted and had to survive. Still am.
Thank you! Wanting to do this in my greenhouse that does not have power. I have wood floor, would there be a way to enclose this as I dont want to rot the wood floor? Also, is there a way to avoid any risk of spontaneous combustion?
some kind of tarp or if you want to be really save a concrete basin. you can avoid spontaneous combustion by not making it several meters tall. oh an keep it wet enough
This is a great idea, but two things that you would want to concider are its lifespan/lifecycle, and the gasses consumed and produced (may be dangerous?).
To the first point, the pile will produce heat for a couple of months on average, but that's probably enough for some areas to cover the colder winter months.
The more important thing to consider is that a compost pile consumes oxygen, which could be bad in a confined space, but to compound that, if the compost pile IS in an oxygen deficient space, like the one it will create without good ventilation, it will start to produce potentially dangerous amounts of Methane and Nitrous Oxide, both of which are potentially hazardous to people and pets.
So the problem I see with this is that you want to let the greenhouse breath, but you need to balance that with retaining the heat. I'm not claiming it can't be done, or that it's even difficult. It may just be that typical greenhouses allow enough air to come and go to keep that from being a problem. The plants may even be enough to turn the CO2 that the compost pile also produces into enough oxygen to solve the problem. I'm just saying it should be concidered, and I would be interested to see if someone has measured these things.
Great idea, great channel, great content. Thank you.
Hi. How long did the compost produce heat?
good idea i remember having a giant pileof grass cuttings at work and we used to climb on top of it to warm up on cold mornings, it was stemaing hot
That’s an awesome system and so smart. I’m looking forward to trying this myself. Thanks!
I'm in SC! Lancaster. Small, small world
I use fresh horse manure in mine it works good and free. You can put seed starting trays on top a get a head start or put 6 inches of compost on top and have things going on all winter
Hey, super late to this thread but I'm curious if you could tell me how often you have to add to the compost to keep it heated or does the heat stay relatively steady for most of the season?
@@toad_house_homestead I will cool over time I turn mine if it get to cold. When you turn it lets o2 sack in and will heat up again. The larger the pile the longer it last.
The best free poo is your own. Humanure is one of the best books of all time. Get it!!
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing.
You probably want to get rid of some of that moisture. Otherwise, mold and fungus may become an issue.
At those temps, the moisture will remove itself.
This is so awesome! I’m getting SO MANY good ideas from your channel! Thank you
Great idea. I have pallets for shelves in my greenhouse. I can do the same thing.
My winters are not as bad as yours, I live in the panhandle of Florida.
Great I’m convinced!
That is a great idea I have to try that in my Greenhouse I have a heater in there right now what does get cold at night so I think that would really work thanks for the idea
I've used electric, propane, and kerosene heaters but I'm trying this because of costs. The real test will be what temp it gets at night when it's near or below freezing
Thnx. Im planning the same. What im planning is figgong down 4ft and also running tubing with fan to push air through every 1 hour during the night. Heaps of vids on it thermal geo hesting etc but i thought youd like to know as a give back for your vid 😁
You could use an aquarium air pump to move the air through it continuously. Low power & low air flow. A $20 Tetra Whisper 20 pump should move about 20 gallons of air per hour. That is about .045 cubic feet per minute, but you don't want too much or it will cool the pile down too much.
do you have a video on green house construction? i like the cattle panelss.. are they two connected or one single panel?
You are so cool!
You could double skin the poly with warm air blowing through the skins via a 15watt extractor fan also fan air intake/out will sort the condensation forming.
Good job!
That’s incredible
could you make more knappping vids really enjoy them
If you put this outside and ran ducting through you pile into your greenhouse you would omit the toxic gasses that are going to occur with this system. You cannot do this without putting yourself in danger.
Can you tell me about if dangerous methane gas comes in?
Wondering if you're considering adding any automatic vents in your greenhouse to prevent it from getting too hot or damp?Thanks!
Wax motor cylinders are a thing. They are like hydraulic cylinders but uses wax as the actuator. Wax expand or contract depending on temperature. So it can open the vents when it got enough heat.
Dampness is another issue, but I heard some ancient method uses certain hair braided to a yarn where they contract to humidity. Might be used to pull a series of pulleys but that veers on complex machinery.
Nice
Wow! I was thinking, perhaps with the warmth and the humidity it would be good for wintering potted tropical plants and fruit trees like lemons and oranges. What is your opinion on this? I found your channel because of the cattle panel greenhouse and I already showed it to my husband for him to make one..... we'll see. ;-)
Yes... except I need to see how long the heat is produced. 1 month? 2 months? I think it depends on a lot of factors. Lets see!
@@gregpryorhomestead just add more carbons and nitrogen’s and keep adding as it breaks down.
Now i have a question - what is the point of heating your greenhouse in the winter if you don't have anything grlwing in it?
(Because you said that once the conpost is broken down you'll plant a garden in it)
Hi! how long did it take for the compost to start producing heat? Does it emit a strong smell?
So what is the temperature differential it makes inside?
Today is a very warm winter day in Hungary but the real winter is coming and I have a small, 6.5m ×2.4m raised-bed, I want to upgrade it to a greenhouse this winter and I want to make a similar passive heating "system" like your. I have three questions:
1.) how cubic meter (or cubic feet, if it is easier for you ;) ) was your pile?
2.) It is started to generate heat by itself or required to handle with any biological "starter" or compost or manure, etc...
2.) Is there any dangerous gases cumulated inside your greenhouse?! There is no any dangerous if the greenhouse rarely opened?
Thanks for any answers.
Read the book Humanure this way you already have that starter
Does the compost put off toxic gases that would inhibit plants from growing healthy?
The CO2 is good for the plants, but the methane not so much.
That's what I was wondering..
Free CO2 for the plants to.
I had this idea in reverse recently: greenhouses, I've heard, can get warm in winter provided it's sunny enough (although they'll still chill off by night) - could I use the greenhouse to heat the compost pile, which would then heat the greenhouse, which would then help the compost pile stay warm? Or am I in cloud cuckoo land, as I often am?
That's the idea. You're not in cuckoo land. The only issue like he said, is does it give off enough heat to make it through the night, and/or non sunny days.
Just wondering how much those cattle panels cost you for the hoop house. I hope to copy your greenhouse, compost pile and all, but the price of those panels where I live is $75-$100 each.
we use old plastic irrigtation pipes for the hoops
Just nowseeing your channel. How long did it take from start until you filmed that the heat was enough? I have a compost crib in my greenhouse, but as of yet it is not heating. I am using clay pots filled with sawdust as extra heaters. But it's still not enough for cold overnights.
Seems to me about how you layer the compost, so layers of actual already done compost in it so the microbiome get heating, egg shells and trimmed up small banana skins help, plus you could pee and water it down a lot then water it with that to get the nitrogen in. If you are feeling really brave sabe some dumps of your own manure, compost toilet is best, basically any poo heats it like crazy, I tried with my rabbit children years ago using their pine toilet chips and their rabbit droppings plus veg and fruit waste and nut wast etc, I had lots as I had five rabbits my children then so rabbit manure was abundant. I had no idea that compost especially with manure hearsd it up. I did not know how to cover smell or weaken the nitrogen aspect then etc I was new to compost completely, I saw a shed load of steam coming off it and I swear to god it must Iof been at 150C no word of a joke, I was shocked! It was amazing though, did not carry it on as I & my then other and our rabbit children were being targeted and had to survive. Still am.
I have the same issues and using clay pots as well.
I'm in PA, wondering if this would work for my greenhouse.
It would be more convincing to do the measurement of the indoor temperature on a cloudy day ! 🌵🌴
What size is the greenhouse???
10 by 16. I made it for less than a few hundred bucks and it's great. Check out my hoop house video
Someone stated that maybe there would be dangerous gases....I also am wondering this as well
Thank you! Wanting to do this in my greenhouse that does not have power. I have wood floor, would there be a way to enclose this as I dont want to rot the wood floor? Also, is there a way to avoid any risk of spontaneous combustion?
some kind of tarp or if you want to be really save a concrete basin. you can avoid spontaneous combustion by not making it several meters tall. oh an keep it wet enough
I once used fairly green horse manure and oh boy, it was so hot it was insane. 💩
How'd it work long term?
How big is your greenhouse?
Nvm...10×16
🌱✨🧸✨🌱🙂👍