Solar Blanket
 

What exactly is a solar blanket for a greenhouse?

I think people are referring to a solar swimming pool cover. They make clear ones that are like heavy duty bubble wrap. You can wrap your greenhouse in them like a little winter blanket.:)

Google Image Result for http://www.inyopools.com/Images/bluewavens510_th.gif

Here is a link to what they look like , I have used mine for 3 years works well . Gin

A double wall greenhouse works well also........

Thanks! I looked at those the other day and wondered if they could be used. (swimming pool covers) The roof on my greehouse is sooo tall, it'd probably take a huge one.

Last year I put up heavy gauge plastic. I do have double walled polycarbonate but with the high cost of heating, I figure anything extra I can do would be worth it.

Besides, putting that plastic up is a real job!!! :_(

What do you do like where your roof vents and in/out ventilation thingies are????

What a good idea. Sure beats bringing them all in the house.

Bringing this back up - I'm investigating a clear 12 or 16mm pool cover for my 14x18 freestanding Turner, installed under the shade cloth I leave up year-round. I'm also investigating converting the fiberglass with bubblecap insulation to twin or triple-wall polycarbonate, but so far I'm not finding much information on whether the existing frame will support the added weight.
Has anyone tried this?

I just covererd my gh with a 14mil solar blanket. It gets pretty cold here in zone 6 so any additional warmth is appreciated. The vents are closed for the winter. My only problem now is that the blanket seems to keep it so air tight that the humidity is running up to 89% at night. Am concerned about detremental effects of too high humidity. Anybody else have this problem?

well, I fear that's asking for a botrytis outbreak. If you can keep the air moving rather briskly and keep up your early-morning spraying/treatment routine you might be fine. I find that keeping my growlights on at night also helps (have a comparable high-humidity problem at night even without installing the solar blanket yet). They're florescent daylight-spectrum tubes, not HID, so I don't think I'm really overdoing the light.

I seal not only my unpowered vents but the fan/exhausts as well once the night temps are regularly freezing or below. I do have a screen/storm door, so can at least open the house to fresh air whenever the temps are cooperative. But fungus is an ongoing problem that repeatedly taxes my procedures!

where did you get your 14mil blanket, and what size is it? I've seen smaller ones, but nothing of a size that will work on my Turner.

sales@leisureliving.com or solarcovers.com

I bought a 20 X 40 which was more than enough to completely cover my 8 X 14 with enough excess to give a big piece to my friend to cover just the top of hers. Betty

Never thought of that
 

Hello... I have a Compact 12.1 Juliana Greenhouse using twin wall polycarbonate. I've been using 8mm plastic (not greenhouse plastic) to cover greenhouse to try to reduce cost of heating. I never thought of using clear solar pool cover.

Has anyone tried both, if so which works best to maintain temps at night in the greenhouse.

i have a solar pool cover i bought last year...it keeps it a lot warmer in the greenhouse....i just cover the roof... i saved 20% on my propane bill last year! it is a good investment....i havent tried the regular plastic...i have a 12x24 twin wall polycarb greenhouse too...

Where did you buy the pool cover? Did you cover only the roof or the entire greenhouse?

i shopped online and bought the cheapest i could find....it is like heavy duty bubble wrap....i just cover the roof, i have heard that you get humidity problems when you wrap the entire gh with it....but the savings were tremendous....i keep my gh at 55 degrees during the winter and have quite a varied selection of plants....

I have been thinking about trying this also. But, here in Texas, the temps get to about 90 degrees in the greenhouse during the day sometimes. Would the solar pool cover heat it up too much during the day?

i dont think so....as long as your exhaust fan kicks in it should stay temperate...the pool cover is like a 10% shade value i believe....