# Need all your advice on changing my treehouse greenhouse



## Gilda (Jan 30, 2017)

Here are some photos of my greenhouse area 12ft off the ground because we took part of our deck adjoining our sunroom. 

It has worked very well for the last 10 or so years but hubby will be 71 this year and his climbing on the roof to add extra shade cloth in the summer is no longer an option. Once Spring hits it needs an extra layer...maybe more.

Inside it is possible to add shade cloth because there is wood supporting the glass..attaching shade cloth to these might work ??? A bit of work but not like climbing on the roof !
There would be space between the glass and cloth. Hubby has mentioned adding LED lights as an option ,also , but would hate to give up my natural light.








Under the bench he is wanting to replace the shop light setup with LEDs to cut down on heat and also, replacing those bulbs are a pain with him needing to be a contortionist because of the limited work space. What LED lights would you recommend ?


 

Any and all suggestions are welcomed..help us old people continue to grow orchids !


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## gego (Jan 30, 2017)

Gilda, adding extra shade inside should be fine. Easy to add and easy to remove. 
For the lights, a T5 LED bulb can replace your flou lights without any other changes to do. I got mine from Homedepo and they work fine. Go adk somebody there about an LED bulb than can replace your old flou with re wiring anything. You may need more bulbs though but they are efficient and cooler. I recommend Cree or Phillips brand. Get the highest lumens they specify. I think we use the frame/body so you should be able to find them there. Buy a few to expetiment. Hope this helps. 


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## troy (Jan 30, 2017)

Beautiful set up gilda!!


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## emydura (Jan 30, 2017)

gego said:


> Gilda, adding extra shade inside should be fine. Easy to add and easy to remove.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk



I have a layer of shade cloth permanently inside my glasshouse. Works well. But in summer I put another layer on the outside. This not only provides more shade but reduces the heat buildup inside the GH. We have very hot summers here ( the last few days have been over 100 degrees). Maybe this isn't an issue for you.

I do hate taking the shade cloth on and off. I have attached ropes to the cloth and just pull it on and off. It is fiddly but I get there in the end.


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## gego (Jan 31, 2017)

Difinitely the best solution is to add a layer on top. But that is her problem right now, not easy for husband. Maybe attaching the edges of the shade to string with pulleys and raise it up. Maybe supported by a standed wire. 

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## naoki (Jan 31, 2017)

Gilda, if you have lots of shop light already, I would recommend Sunritek T8 LED. It is very cheap and much higher efficiency than what you can get from home depot or Amazon.

You need to convert the shop light, but it is super easy. I wrote up a little bit about this in my blog:
http://orchidborealis.blogspot.com/2015/08/prime-time-for-t8-led-lighting.html

If you need only a few bulbs, it is not an economical choice (the shipping cost becomes too expensive). In addition to plant growing, I converted my entire house to Sunritek T8-LED. They are very easy to communicate, and I haven't seen any failure in 90 or so bulbs I got. Their performance is proven by independent tests. If you need a help selecting which model, I can probably help.


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## Gilda (Jan 31, 2017)

naoki said:


> Gilda, if you have lots of shop light already, I would recommend Sunritek T8 LED. It is very cheap and much higher efficiency than what you can get from home depot or Amazon.
> 
> You need to convert the shop light, but it is super easy. I wrote up a little bit about this in my blog:
> http://orchidborealis.blogspot.com/2015/08/prime-time-for-t8-led-lighting.html
> ...



Thank you for your help. I would only be replacing 16 florescent bulbs. What would you recommend ? Your blog has very good instructions !


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## Gilda (Jan 31, 2017)

Thank you to all !

David, there is a layer on outside now that will stay permanently till nature destroys it.

Lance (Gonewild) ,sent via PM ,a great inside solution for using shade cloth ! Thank you !

Troy, the setup has worked well, and what I like best is it adjoins our sunroom. 

Gego, I will check out Home Depots LED lights.


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## NYEric (Jan 31, 2017)

I use Home Depot LED's.


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## troy (Jan 31, 2017)

I like your mini vacation 'green house' mine is also a peacfull sanctuary, actually I would prefer my whole orchid growing experience to be a peacfull sanctuary, if I were you, I would put my kids or grandkids to work, helping with net covering and switching out fixtures, it builds character


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## Gilda (Jan 31, 2017)

troy said:


> , if I were you, I would put my kids or grandkids to work, helping with net covering and switching out fixtures, it builds character



Troy, Our youngest daughter waters for me when we go on vacation. Other lives in another city. Our Grandsons that live close, would do it if asked, but I wouldn't want them on the roof either. 
One is a fire fighter, works 24 hrs straight, and has 3 small kids. The other works full time , has his own lawn service, and is a volunteer fire fighter. Very fine young men !
I love having my orchids near me and not going "out" to a greenhouse. Troubles disappear when your working in your orchids. Of course, my daughter that waters for me thinks I'm crazy.


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## Gilda (Jan 31, 2017)

NYEric said:


> I use Home Depot LED's.



Eric, over your stove ?? oke:


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## troy (Jan 31, 2017)

I'm glad for your good family!! I hope when mine grow up they will be as successful as yours!! I'm trying my best to be positive and supportive of my kids, boy 8 and girl 11, My daughter wants to be a police officer or pilot, they also think I'm nuts growing orchids lol..


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## Wendy (Feb 1, 2017)

Gilda you have a wonderful, bright, peaceful orchid room. I'm envious and miss mine when I look at yours.


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## Ozpaph (Feb 3, 2017)

You could attach a roll-up blind to the outside which you roll down in summer and up in winter - its operation could be from a lower height. It should last many years.


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## NYEric (Feb 3, 2017)

Gilda said:


> Eric, over your stove ?? oke:



You probably call it a hood! oke:


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## Gilda (Feb 3, 2017)

NYEric said:


> You probably call it a hood! oke:



:rollhappy:


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## naoki (Feb 3, 2017)

Gilda said:


> Thank you for your help. I would only be replacing 16 florescent bulbs. What would you recommend ? Your blog has very good instructions !



Sorry, I didn't notice this. If you order 16, it will be 16 * $7.80 + $100 (shipping) = $224.8. So it is $14.05 per bulb. The shipping cost is same up to 30 bulbs, so it is most economical when you can order 30. But $14.05 isn't too bad. There are slightly cheaper T8LED replacement bulbs (around $10) from Lowe's etc. But they are significantly less efficient, and you can't bypass the ballast. I tried several of those, but I had problems with ballast compatibility. Indeed, one of the ballast made a small explosion, which was kind of cool. The ballast in older and cheaper shop light may not be compatible even if it is electronic ballast (instead of magnetic ballast).

Also TESlights makes very nice T8/LED (probably the best at this point), but they are not good at communication, and I gave up. If you find a retailer which carries it, you might want to check it. I think one of the efficient model is T84S10M190C50S.


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## cnycharles (Feb 3, 2017)

naoki said:


> Sorry, I didn't notice this. If you order 16, it will be 16 * $7.80 + $100 (shipping) = $224.8. So it is $14.05 per bulb. The shipping cost is same up to 30 bulbs, so it is most economical when you can order 30. But $14.05 isn't too bad. There are slightly cheaper T8LED replacement bulbs (around $10) from Lowe's etc. But they are significantly less efficient, and you can't bypass the ballast. I tried several of those, but I had problems with ballast compatibility. Indeed, one of the ballast made a small explosion, which was kind of cool. The ballast in older and cheaper shop light may not be compatible even if it is electronic ballast (instead of magnetic ballast).
> 
> 
> 
> Also TESlights makes very nice T8/LED (probably the best at this point), but they are not good at communication, and I gave up. If you find a retailer which carries it, you might want to check it. I think one of the efficient model is T84S10M190C50S.





Hmmm, i bought two of those replacement leds and a cheap shop light, haven't set up, hope nothing blows up 


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## Gilda (Feb 3, 2017)

cnycharles said:


> Hmmm, i bought two of those replacement leds and a cheap shop light, haven't set up, hope nothing blows up
> k


 
Me either ! Got to read the blog again....


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## Kalyke (Feb 20, 2017)

Maybe the shade cloth (inside) can be cut and sewen on the sides, and made sort of like a horizontal roman blind? And if outside, there are motors. It is very tricky to try to convey what I am thinking about.


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## naoki (Feb 20, 2017)

cnycharles said:


> Hmmm, i bought two of those replacement leds and a cheap shop light, haven't set up, hope nothing blows up
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Sorry for a late reply. I have forgotten about this thread. Did it work?

I tried with two shop lights (both were about 10 years old). With the first one, the ballast died quietly. With the second one, explosion might be exaggeration, but it made "puff" noise and smoke came out. So when you put the LED bulbs and turn on the shop light, watch it carefully. If it is really dim, or no light comes on, don't keep trying. You should turn it off within 10 seconds or so. I kept turning on and off multiple times to see if it would get going, and that's how I broke the ballasts. I prefer ballast removal T8 LEDs, but they may not be easy to get them from Lowe's etc.


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## Gilda (Feb 22, 2017)

naoki said:


> Sorry for a late reply. I have forgotten about this thread. Did it work?
> 
> I tried with two shop lights (both were about 10 years old). With the first one, the ballast died quietly. With the second one, explosion might be exaggeration, but it made "puff" noise and smoke came out. So when you put the LED bulbs and turn on the shop light, watch it carefully. If it is really dim, or no light comes on, don't keep trying. You should turn it off within 10 seconds or so. I kept turning on and off multiple times to see if it would get going, and that's how I broke the ballasts. I prefer ballast removal T8 LEDs, but they may not be easy to get them from Lowe's etc.



We haven't tried the lights yet, still hassling them. The shade cloth problem is solved ! Hubby fixed inside removable panels out of PVC ...They slide in between the wooden framing. Very lightweight to handle. I'll post pics when they are up !
Thanks again to all for your suggestions !!


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## cnycharles (Feb 23, 2017)

I hadn't tried them yet; business, junk in the way (some cleared last night) and hesitance after hearing about popping ballasts...


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