Resource 1

Managing the Temperature and Other Conditions Inside the High Tunnel

 

Resource 1.

Real-time Report of Current Conditions In- and Outside Eight High Tunnels in Wooster, OH and the Ventilation Status of the High Tunnels

Compare the current conditions in and near your high tunnels with conditions in and near eight high tunnels at the OSU-Wooster Campus in Wooster, OH. Use the comparison to help explain and optimize conditions in your high tunnel(s). In the process, pay close attention to the ventilation status of your and our high tunnels.

All the high tunnels referenced below are gothic-framed and single-layer and at Horticulture Unit 1 of The OSU’s Research Farm facility in Wooster, OH. They also contain two, 4 ft x 8 ft sliding doors on each end. HTs 101, 103, 203, 204, and 301 measure 21 ft x 48 ft, are oriented north-south, and lack endwall vents. HTs 501, 502, and 503 are approximately 1,000 ft from the other HTs and measure 30 ft x 80 ft, are oriented east-west, and have endwall vents with standard temperature-actuated wax cylinders. Additional information on the high tunnels and our setting their ventilation statuses is below.

Environmental conditions in- and outside these HTs and their ventilation statuses are reported in real-time below. External and internal environmental conditions are updated every fifteen minutes and ventilation statuses are current – refreshed within seconds whenever the position of an endwall door or sidewall curtain is changed. Different ventilation statuses are used at the same time to test and show the effects of each status on conditions inside the HTs. Ventilation statuses are set with learning, current conditions, and the local weather forecast (see https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Wooster&state=OH&site=CLE&lat=40.8185&lon=-81.9329&FcstType=graphical) in mind.

High Tunnel Environment Conditions        High Tunnel Ventilation Status         General Information

 

 

---

High Tunnel Ventilation Status

The ventilation status of a high tunnel is comprised of the relative “open-ness” of its endwall doors, sidewall curtains, and vents (if any). Each high tunnel can be in any one of hundreds of ventilation statuses at each moment, as determined by the manager or an automated system (see as summarized in an earlier VegNet News article for more information). For example, consider that individual endwalls and sidewall curtains can be 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% open and it becomes clear that 625 statues (combinations) are possible (5x5x5x5). The ventilation status of a high tunnel influences the movement of air into, within, and out of it. The current ventilation status of each of the high tunnels referenced above is listed below.

---

General Information

 

 

 

High Tunnel	Manufacturer	Year Installed	Dimensions
101	Ledgewood Farms	2003	21′ x 48′
103	CVS Supply	Fall 2008	21′ x 48′
203	Ledgewood Farms	2003	21′ x 48′
204	CVS Supply	Fall 2008	21′ x 48′
301	Ledgewood Farms	2003	21′ x 48′
403	Ledgewood Farms	2003	21′ x 48′
501	CVS Supply	Fall 2008	30′ x 80′
502	CVS Supply	Fall 2008	30′ x 80′
503	CVS Supply	Fall 2008	30′ x 80′
Rimol	Rimol	2014	30′ x 50′