This is the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) manual for CCAT greenhouse and CCAT Beach Grass Clay Slip Wall. Please refer to it and keep it up to date with any O&M changes.
Operation
The beach grass wall has little in the way of operation. It passively absorbs solar radiation during the day and emits heat during the night, helping to modulate the temperature in the greenhouse. The rest of the greenhouse requires monitoring and active support. The following guidelines should be followed to operate it successfully:
- Monitor humidity and temperature. Desirable temperature and humidity vary depending on the desired plants to grow. However, the temperature should be kept high enough to be above the dew point. This prevents water from condensing on the plants thereby preventing fungal growth on the plants.
- Open vents to increase airflow.
- Roof vents should open automatically with increased temperature in the greenhouse
- During the day, when the roof vents are open, the ground vents should be open to allow air to flow through the greenhouse.
- Side vents can also be opened to increase air flow and to provide humidity control when it is not hot enough to operate the roof vents.
- Weekly wash the greenhouse glass inside and out to allow maximum sunlight into the greenhouse.
Maintenance
The greenhouse has two main components: the Sturdi-Built prefabricated greenhouse structure and the beach grass clay slip wall. The greenhouse structure has a variety of small issues that can be checked on a regular basis to ensure the proper operation of the greenhouse. The beach grass clay slip wall is an experimental wall that requires monitoring for its continued success. As a wall built of earthen components, the moisture content of the wall is important. In addition, the wall is filled with beach grass which grows on coastal beaches. There is a concern of salt from the beach grass leeching into the clay and plaster of the wall, drying and cracking it.
Schedule
- Daily
- Monitor humidity and temperature
- Weekly
- Check solar vent openers are operating when temperatures are warm.
- Monthly
- Check wooden frame for damage, fungus, or decay
- Check glass panes for cracking
- Check beach grass wall for plaster cracking or structural damage.
- Sand and apply a new coat of linseed oil to the frame every 6 mo.
- Yearly
- Replace any window nails that appear to be corroded by rust
- Examine the entire structure for decay, damage, broken or rusting parts, mold, broken plaster, color fading on beach grass wall and other problems that need to be fixed.
Instructions
This section includes details on some of the procedures required to maintain the CCAT greenhouse and beach grass clay slip wall.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Inside humidity it too low. | Spray the crushed rock floor with water to allow the water to be added to the air in the greenhouse. |
| Inside humidity is too high. | Open manual vents to allow airflow. If humidity does not decrease, open doors as well. |
| Monitoring device has no display | Change batteries in the display unit. |
| Baylis MK7 roof vent lever arm no longer opens when warm after adjusting the pin in both directions | It is possible that the piston that opens the vent has lost too much wax and cannot operate anymore. Replacements can be ordered by contacting:
|
Suggestions for future changes
- Replace support nails with a more permanent glazing support system.
- Set up data logging of inside, outside and wall humidity and temperature.