Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Looks super sturdy to me, and you should be able to keep it warm if it's insulated. I think light might be more of an issue than heat or humidity after seeing it. In good weather you can run pipes through the wall to beds outside. You might consider skylights or sola tubes if you have lots of money to burn. Otherwise the beds will be under the row of windows if you want the plants to grow well.

I can't remember the figures but at certain temperature's:humidity levels you run into problems..

To much moisture in the air, the more risk you have with mold..

Maybe if you can circulate the air thru the house you might get less chance of mildew..

I would think of some form of insulation to keep the water temp high..

-- Me and My crazy idea's..
Yes it is a great area..
- Place the tank on some form of insulation.. Sitting on the flooring you have could make it to prone to temperature changes thru the floor.. [Also wrap the tank in insulation]
- You want to try to not have to run the separate furnace[At least that would be me - keep the cost down..]

- Insulate the roof of the area.. if the only thing you have above is ply and normal roofing material..
-- The Windows face which way..?

it looks like you are lining the external wall[to main living space with foam and then something like a texture coat] can you include some form of water proofing to that coat.. that should help with the house wall..

Work out your Layout and include the power points if you Need to..

- Check out Solar furnaces[Can furnace] in Youtube .. got some good idea's for home made heating..

Moisture[Humidity] is going to be the biggest killer..

Juergen..

Thanks Dave, I have been trying to figure out the lighting gig as it seems to be a dark hole in there. I dont have a ton of money to burn so have to do things with the best return for the investment. Skylights are not an option as the roof is EPDM and a big part of my rainwater collection.

I am most likely going to go with t5's but I am still researching that as well.

SnowT-thank you for your input. I think you are right on insulating the tank. The floor is a poured pad. If the room is insulated and heated the floor will still be subject to pulling colder temps from the ground. the ceiling will be insulated after I finish pulling some more wire.
The windows face south, sun does penetrate the back (North) wall with low winter sun azmuth.

The former outside wall has EFS foam on it for coating with stucco. That will be drywall. I thought about a rocket heater but dont want it inside. A can wall heater may be a good option.

So I will need plan on moving air it looks like. I will work on that.

Look into Trombe walls too, would similar to a can heater but using masonry with glass in front. Tile on the floor would help soak up solar gain too. If your addition has a brick veneer or you have some bricks, then enclose it with glass or plastic then it will work as a heater with the sun coming in low. I used google maps to see exactly where S is relative to our house, the back faces about SSW.

What fish are you thinking of using? If they aren't tilapia then humidity is not going to be such an issue. Also, zsazsa noticed recently that running his beds constant flood instead of flood and drain helps with humidity in his greenhouse.

Light, light, and more light. Sunlight is best, but you can always use reflectors up against your house wall to reflect the light coming in through your enclosed patio windows. There are a few people that have installed the Mylar reflector foil blanket thingys (emergency blankets) on the back wall of their systems. Might be an option.

Paint the area white on the inside. Walls, ceiling, but with a dark floor to help with solar mass storage since it's concrete.

Install more windows on the south side. If that kitchen area isn't already plumbed in, I suggest moving it up against the house wall and leaving that window space for the plants.

Skylights aren't going to diminish the rainwater collection any as it is just surface area.

And +1 on the Sola Tube idea. Again it won't diminish the roof area and you can seal them up nicely using EPDM patches. You would be amazed at the amount of light those things let in. Since you aren't trying to "push" light down from a second story roof line to a first floor kitchen/bath/what-have-you, they should be fairly cost effective.

Wish I could drop by and have my way with your addition, but sadly I have my own projects to finish.

Good ideas from Mr. bill, reminded me of light shelves as well. A reflective shelf at the bottom of the window on the outside would bounce light into the addition and onto the ceiling.

Ha, learn somethign new everyday. Googled that idea and found this.

Under their "Project Gallery" they have a couple of time lapse videos showing sunlight moving across the ceiling bringing in more light.

Sorry for the rabbit trail, Timo. Carry on

We are still considering tilapia because we are not big on real strong fish taste. Perch or something may be ok but we dont like trout as it is to "fishy" tasting. Strange right? We like the mildness of tilapia, I will start with tilapia and see go from there

Good tip on constant flood, I wouldnt have thought that.

Sonotubes is a good idea. I have had a bunch of trouble with leaks since installing the EPDM so I am wary about more "holes". Tubes do bring in a bunch of light, I will take my light meter to my parents and take some readings at different times of day to see how much light comes in. I cant measure degrees calvin but I can measure volume.

The kitchen has been plumbed and wired that way for years. I am for sure taking out the grill and the stove top and small fridge. Then I think I will put a large utility sink in that area as I dont think I will have the money to have the sink re-plumbed and moved to the interior house wall. I have used much of my budget already when I consider the electrical, drywall, HVAC, the system itself, grow media, lights etc.

Great thoughts and ideas. Thank-you everyone.

The Foam and Stucco on the wall would still be a good option especially as you can incorporate water proofing in the stucco..

the Paint everything white..

Did you incorporate any form of heating in the slab floor..?

I know that one of the best systems is hydroponic heating done correctly..
- it includes in the design a foam insulation to help isolate the slab from the ground Loses..
and I have to say some of the best designed system are coming out of America..

Keep the work up..

Juergen

Hey Juergen,

Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately I dont have radiant floor heat in here. This was originally an outdoor patio then we decided to enclose it. If I get bitten to hard with the AP bug and actually can find a market for the produce I do have a 30x45 insulated garage with radiant floor heat. he he he

Ah yes. There it is. The AP bug has bitten, you haven't even built your first system and already got your eye on the expansion.

yep it has make a small test system inthe area you have and then make the bigger system in the other area...lol

Juergen

ha, yer right. My wife just rolls her eyes. She is excited that the room is finally going to be finished and used for something productive. We tilapia and fresh veggies so we are jazzed about green stuff in winter. Very cool!