This project is to date Econoheats’s largest single project. This project was done in Joint venture with Vegtech who supplied the 6 x 9,6m wide structures which we covered with Clear Polycarbonate sheeting on the roofs and Opal 50 Polycarbonate corrugated sheeting on the sides.
All the greenhouses have double door walk in rooms, with a hand wash basin and where the Envirowatch digital controllers are housed. The double door systems are for insect and disease control purpose.
The project consisted of the type of greenhouses for different applications namely:
9,6m x 24m Specimen greenhouse
This House is divided into 3 compartments of 8m each. The one section has natural ventilation with no roof screens and no irrigation systems and is represents very dry climatic growing areas. Watering will be done selectively by hand.
The second compartment has pad and fan cooling system, with a roof screen system, overhead Fogging system to increase humidity for more tropical climate and it has electrical fan heaters for the winter. Watering will also be done by hand.
The third compartment also has a Pad and fan cooling system, roof screen system, electrical fan heaters and overhead spin irrigation system. The wet wall are all covered by anti-virus screens to keep insects abbey.
Two of the rooms will be controlled by an Envirowatch digital control board with temperature and humidity sensor to control the conditions according to pre-set parameters.
9,6m x 32m Propagation greenhouse.
This greenhouse is divided into four 8m compartments. Three of the compartments has pad and fan cooling systems , electrical fan heaters and overhead roof screen system. All the Wet walls has motorized roll-up curtains which will be close in the evenings and during the winter to keep the cold winds out. One of the 3 rooms is equipped with 4 x 1m x 7m face brick propagation beds with electrical soil heating cables and overhead misting system for irrigation. The balcony are over the wet walls and the last compartment has anti-virus net sides for natural ventilation but to keep insects out. This compartment has 2 x 1m x 7m propagation beds with heating cables and overhead mist irrigation. This compartment has a roof screen system and overhead fogging system to cool the air down when needed. This room is also equipped with 4 rows of overhead height adjustable double florescent tube grow lights. The grow lights, roof screen, fogging system and misting system as well as bed temperature will be controlled by an Envirowatch digital controller.
9,6m x 20m Nurery stock greenhouse:
This greenhouse has a pad and fan cooling system, overhead roof screen system, 6 rows of upside down spinner irrigation system and will be heated by 2 x 18kW fanjet heaters with perforated plastic ducting to distribute the heat evenly and the circulation of air will prevent the forming of micro climate pockets under plant leafs. The wet wall also has an ant-virus net screen over it for insect control and a motorized curtain in front of the wet wall to control inside temperature. This house will be a grow area for nursery stock plants.
Flower production greenhouse
This house will be used to train students in the growing of cut flowers. The greenhouse also has a pad and fan cooling system with an overhead screen system. For flower growing, a drip irrigation system will be used. To get to know alternative heat sources, a 55kW indirectly fired diesel heater will be installed. A 2000L external diesel tank will provide fuel to the heater through 20mm steel pipe. To safe guard the area from diesel contamination, the 2000L tank which is on a 2m stand, will be mounted on a 1,5m x 2m x 100mm thick slab, with a 1m height wall build around it to specific certification and diesel regulations.
2 x Research greenhouses
In a separate area we build a 9,6m x 20m and a 9,6m x 28m Research greenhouse. Both structures have double door walk in rooms, pad and fan cooling system with anti- virus balcony over it and a Motorised curtain in from of both the wet walls. The house are both equipped with double s/steel wash basin tables and s/steel work tables. Each house has a roof screen system for temperature control and energy saving during the winters. Each house will be heated by two18kW or 24kW electrical Fanjet heaters with air distribution perforated ducting. Each house is sufficient electrical plug point for test apparatus and other equipment.
Rain water harvesting:
In phase 4 of the project, 8 x 10000L water tanks will be placed on a 12m x 6m concrete plinth. They will be interconnected and connected to a 1,5Kw centrifugal water pump. The water from the greenhouse gutters of the Propagation and Nursery stock houses will be channelled through into these tanks for later use in some of the greenhouses.
This was a very challenging project filled with the best technology to provide hi-tech greenhouses for the training of horticulture students. We at Econoheat are very proud to have been part of such an important project.