Re: the deep freeze

Hi,
I use lots of different homemande structures and my secret to heating is
"any old lamp that I'm not in love with". I hang on an extensopn cord and
765-100 watt bulb anf plant them about every 10 feet. I cover the
coldframes with old blanketsd or get flamboyant and use insulation.
Cover before the sun goes down and uncover after it is shining. 
I also have good termometers, so I know what is happening.
Peace, Paula

On Sat, 19 Dec 1998, Richard F. Dufresne wrote:

> At 11:08 AM 12/19/1998 -0800, you wrote:
> >Gary wrote:
> >
> >>In case you have not listened to the Weather Service
> >recently, we are
> >>supposed to have a near repeat of the 1990 Christmas deep
> >freeze
> >>beginning on Sunday night. 
> >
> >Yikes.  People living in truly cold climates will probably
> >laugh, but that freeze was pretty traumatic for those of us
> >who don't normally get freezing weather.
> >
> >Maybe some of our members who live in true winters can give
> >more advice...
> >
> >Mike
> >San Jose, CA (zone 9, min temp 20F -- we'll see)
> 
> Mike:
> 
> You will need to protect your outdoor water taps.  This can be done by
> setting the tap to drip slowly.  I do this when my overnight temperatures
> get below 10 degrees, and there is no adequate thawing in the morning.
> There are different building codes in your part of the country that may not
> specify the use of a tap with a valve as deeply set into the wall as we do here.
> 
> Freezing takes place for two reasons: loss of heat by conduction from air or
> water flow, and radiational cooling.  A sheet of solid black plastic will go
> a long way, especially if there are no air leaks, and the plastic is not
> resting on the plants.
> 
> I have two cold frames (16 x 8, rising from 2 to 3 feet, and 20 x 8, rising
> from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet).  During a March hard freeze 5 years ago, I lost
> power for the three days of the freeze.  I kept out freezing for these days
> in a single poly 17 x 38 foot greenhouse by covering with black plastic, and
> using one single-head Mr. Propane heater.  The cold frames had the
> transparent areas  (sash and front wall, glazed with 1/4 plexiglass) covered
> with panels of 1 inch blue wall foam, using a fastened tarp to hold in air
> and heat and the panels on.
> 
> The first night after the precipitation, there was a 35 mph wind and a low
> of 18 degrees.  The second night, no wind, and a low of 8 degrees.
> Inspection the next day showed no evidence of freezing in any of these
> structures.
> 
> By itself, the propane heater without the black plastic provided a 4 degree
> temperature improvement.  With the black plastic on, I got a 16 degree
> improvement.  A word on safety:  I had a carbon monoxide monitor on a post
> near the burner - it never developed a danger color change over the whole
> winter's use.  I also vented out the greenhouse before entering to turn off
> the gas.  Evidently, the house was loosely sealed enough to allow enough
> oxygen into the greenhouse.  I never noticed a sour odor when entering, and
> the heightened water and carbon dioxide seems to have helped the plants.
> 
> Richard F. Dufresne
> 313 Spur Road
> Greensboro, NC  27406
> 336-674-3105
> 
>
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