1,200 Square Foot Geodesic Dome Greenhouse with Polycarbonate Exterior. Great thermal performance

This good-karma 3-frequency dome was made with spruce wood that was initially painted and has subsequently been treated with water proof stain. The 4-layer 8 mm polycarbonate is mainly used; however, 4-layer 12 mm polycarbonate is on the top. This is the fourth season for this greenhouse and it is my favorite of all the ones we have in terms of thermal performance. The only down side is that non-treated wood was used for the structure. Steel or pressure treated wood should have been used. It's too much work to build something like this with regular wood just because of the potential for rot. This video also discusses the water collection system. 12 Volt electrical power was run to the cistern. This was done in case we ever wanted to recycle that collected water. The concept here is that you could build an aquaponic system with only one tank and no aeration to minimize power consumption. The waste would be directly pumped onto the grow beds and decay there. The grow beds would act as a filter so the water would be perfectly clean when going back into the cistern. I ended up not doing aquaponics just because of the intense cold here, in addition to the small solar power system we have and the fact the structure is made of wood so would have to keep its vents shut in the winter time which would accelerate rotting. Otherwise, I think the concept of this style of aquaponics would do fairly well if tried.

[@eirenwhelan3312]

Thanks for sharing, first time viewing your channel and your project, and your voice and presentation are fantastic. Thanks again!

[@JohnGuest45]

Panel type domes built with timber are difficult to protect from rot. The water naturally runs into the vertices which is where they tend to rot first. Water can also sit on any horizontal strut that is angled back toward the glazing with nowhere to go. The standing water can lead to black mold issues. If you dont own a dome its not something you`d be aware of :)

[@trishapomeroy9251]

Question: Because wood is the most cost-effective building material, would it work out ok if a person were to seal that wood, say with paint or the like, before constructing? I have a cattle panel now, which does have some wood in the construction, but not much. I want to build a dome greenhouse to add to my growing space in the future.

[@russlivesay9325]

I painted it, but the paint peeled off in a lot of places within two years. Pressure treated wood could work, but building a dome using the good karma method requires ripping the wood at 6.5 degrees. Using hubs might be different, though. I think a good quality stain would work. Applying the Cabot stain last fall seem to work well. It's thick and seemed to penetrate the cracks well. Good luck!