Greenhouse Exhaust Fan
Last month, I took a little getaway for a week, only to return to a greenhouse that had apparently auditioned for “Extreme Makeover: Temperature Edition.” We left in the middle of a snow cloud, navigating through a blizzard that could have made a polar bear shiver, and came back to a toasty 60 degrees. Honestly, I felt like I was preparing for a temperature rodeo!
Planning how to leave my greenhouse was a tall order. When I’m home, it’s a breeze — just pop open a window when things start resembling a sauna. But while I was MIA, my only allies were two fans, valiantly spinning like they were training for the Olympics, trying to keep my poor plants from going into meltdown mode.
Luck was on my side, though; only two days hit about a roasting 110 degrees in there — long enough for my plants to ponder their life choices. Thankfully, they survived my vacation escapade, but I’m pretty sure I need to figure out a better cooling plan next time. Perhaps I should invest in an air-conditioning unit or teach my plants how to open the windows themselves!
I took a little trip down the rabbit hole of the Planta Greenhouse Facebook group, checking out the wild things people have done to tame the temperature rollercoaster. Turns out, exhaust fans and louvers are all the rage — like the cool kids at a greenhouse party! It’s exactly what I need to tackle the wild swings in Colorado’s weather — one minute it’s sunbathing, the next it’s shivering in a snowstorm!
I noticed that many folks had opted for 14″ fans in their greenhouses, so I thought, “Why not join the fan club?” I snagged two of them, so I could have one on each side, like a pair of loyal sidekicks. And here’s the genius part: I hooked them up to two separate circuits! That way, should one breaker decide it’s time for a nap, the other can keep the air flowing, as the greenhouse does its best impression of a sauna gone rogue!
For now, I’m just putting one of these bad boys in place. It’s handling the 60-degree winter days like a champ, so I’m saving that second one for spring when I might need a fan battle. Honestly, it’s a joy not to play daily window-opening and closing games.
My husband and I went full DIY mode and crafted a frame for it using some leftover particle board we found — because why not? We weren’t sure if it would survive the weather apocalypse, so I slapped on four coats of outdoor paint and primer. We made strategic cuts so we could attach it to the frame on two sides, and then fashioned a 14-inch square hole for the fan — you know, just the right size for a fan, not my toddler’s lunch!
Once we got that board hung on the frame, I cut out some polycarbonate and mounted the fan like a seasoned pro. Honestly, it was easier than deciding what to watch on Netflix! It’s pretty sturdy, too, so unless a tornado hits, it should be safe and sound. The last thing on my list is to caulk around it like it’s a big, fancy frame for the world’s tiniest masterpiece.
All that’s left is to pop that louver on the other side of the greenhouse, so we can let in the cool air from outside. It’ll be like a fresh breeze swooping in to kick out the hot air — think of it as giving the greenhouse a little air conditioning makeover!
