Category Archives: New & Innovative

How do I make sure it stays where it is supposed to?

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Pointers on anchoring, what kind of things will impact holding power of anchors,
anchoring after moving a structure

A phrase Norm has used thousands of times in his career is, “There is no such thing as too many anchors.” We consider it important to help customers understand the aerodynamics involved with a greenhouse shape.

The relatively small cost of the anchors is a short-lived savings after a building has blown away or shifted. By understanding and implementing what is required you can ensure a long term usage of your structure.

The job of your anchoring system is to counter the three aerodynamic forces working on your building.

  • Down force is usually seen as snow load
  • Up lift and lateral shift are forces typically associated with wind load
  • Wind going over a structure creates lift similar to wind going over an airplane wing

The first thing you will need to assess is what you are actually working with. If you have bedrock close to the surface, you have large rocks, or you have straight sand, it will impact your options for anchoring.

The actual holding power of your soil is an important consideration. Soil that has been recently excavated has considerably less holding power than soil that has not been moved in a long time.

The total surface area of an anchor post in contact with the soil is an important consideration. Large and short may have more contact area than long and slender.

When anchors can be used in alternating directions, it will multiply their individual holding power.

Wet soil usually does not have the same holding capacity as well drained soil. An important consideration here is rainwater which is shed by the building. As an example, with a 16’ wide structure, 8’ of rainwater goes each way. This means that the narrow area next to your building get 8 times the rain that the rest of the property gets. If you have poorly draining soil, this could be a potential problem.

If you are planning to use the movable structure option, proper anchoring has some additional challenges. Since your building is vulnerable to sudden increases in wind during this process, your anchoring protocol needs to be done quickly. Always do a test in the new area to confirm what you will be working with. With the quickness that is required, there is also a reminder that taking shortcuts will come back to haunt you.

We would like to reiterate, “If you are not 110% sure, please ask” There is no situation out there that is so unusual that we have not already been through it.

Your long term success is very important to us!

We hope you are finding value in this series of posts, helping you prepare for your new growing adventure! Reminder that the deadline is May 31st for Fall Delivery. We look forward to working with you for your projects!

What are the considerations for growing over winter?

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Heating, interior tunnels, air circulation, humidity control

When someone is intending to grow in a plastic covered greenhouse over winter, the first order of business is to put a double layer of plastic with air between.

This cushion of air acts as insulation and will reduce heat loss by about 30%. A secondary benefit from this cushion of air is that it reduces condensation in the greenhouse dramatically.

Even if you are not going to heat the greenhouse, it makes sense to put the extra layer of cover with air between since it will provide a significant extra margin for cold.

The small fan which puts the air between the layers is made to work against pressure. It can not “over fill” the cavity.

When installing the second layer of plastic, it is not pulled tight. This allows the second layer to puff up to about 10 cm which is the optimum space.

It is the dead air space that creates the insulation value. If the air is moving, you will not have optimum efficiency. This is the reason it is important to be vigilant about patching any holes in the plastic when they occur.

Especially if your intention is to grow without heating, you could benefit from installing and using small interior tunnels. These tunnels would only be covered during severe weather. Since the air volume is small, even the heat from a few light bulbs will make a difference.

Interior air circulation is even more important in the winter time than it is in summer. In the winter time when things are more likely to be closed up, the probability of stagnant air is high.

It is important to monitor the humidity level in your greenhouse as well. Getting rid of excess humidity will cost you some heat, but you are creating a healthier environment for your plants.

If you are using a forced ventilation system for either humidity or heat control in the winter, it is important to have the thermostat close to the incoming air so that things will shut down quickly if the incoming air is extremely cold.

Any heating system which is used in a greenhouse should have a stainless steel heat exchanger and burner. The standard aluminized units simply will not stand up long term in the moist environment of a greenhouse.

We hope you have found value in this series of posts, helping you prepare for your new growing adventure! We look forward to working with you for your projects!

Curbside Pickup Helper

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With the new provincial guidelines many businesses have been forced to go with curb side pick up. Terry Cormack and his staff at the Palmerston Home Hardware have certainly made the process more pleasant for their customers during the messy weather of the winter months.

We were lucky enough to get our new entrance shelter up yesterday. What a great help for curbside service! With the weather we’ve been getting today, our customers have really appreciated a little shelter! A big shout out to our local manufacturer Multi Shelter Solutions – right here in Palmerston!! Norm Eygenraam and his team at Multi Shelter Solutions put an extra effort into getting the bits and pieces made just before Christmas. And an extra thank you to Norm for his expert guidance with assembly yesterday! I would highly recommend Norm and his team if you are needing a solution to your shelter challenges. Check their shelters out at www.multisheltersolutions.com, or give them a call at 519-343-2335.

This 10’ x 12’ Multi Shelter Solutions building allows customers to wait for their order out of the snow and wind. With this “relative comfort”, it is easier for customers to be patient while the store employees do their best in these challenging times.

With the portability of this unit, when restrictions are lifted, Terry will be able to move the shelter to the back of his property where it can shelter his forklift and other miscellaneous equipment.

  • 10 x 12 x 10’2” — $1050 
  • 16 x 24 x 11’3” — $1875   
  • 20 x 24 x 12’1” — $2200

With the variety of sizes available there is a Curb Side Helper available to suit your requirements. Call or email today to get your custom quote!

Tips for How to Install a Cover and Wirelock & Growing Over Winter – Coffee Time with Norm ep.1

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In the first session of Coffee Time with Norm, Norm answers Nathan Morrison’s question from Maple Grove Nursery and shares tips for installing a cover as well as growing in a greenhouse over winter

1:40 where is the end plastic attached to the end hoop?
Is it the same wirelock channel that I use for the top cover?
If so, how do I go about attaching the bottom of end wall plastic section where the roll up sides are located? (as there won’t be any wire lock down the bottom)
3:00 Norm discusses tips for installing the cover more efficiently on a greenhouse
22:40 Norm discusses growing in a greenhouse over winter and key things to keep in mind and plan for
37:00 We thank you for joining us and invite you to stay tuned for a special announcement about Self Sustainability and Our Greenhouses, coming soon!

The YouTube video mentioned in the video can be found here:
YouTube video “installing multiple covers into one wireless channel”

The article mentioned about being in a windy area can be found here:
https://multisheltersolutions.com/2020/02/28/youre-in-a-windy-area-we-can-help/
Subscribe to our website multisheltersolutions.com to be notified when the full article about Growing Over Winter goes live!

We created Coffee Time with Norm as a way to connect to everyone, regardless of which coast you live on. We aren’t able to attend trade shows this year, so this is our way of still being able to touch base face to face with customers, new and old. It will be a weekly feature, every Wednesday at 9am EST, with recordings posted on social media afterward for anyone who can’t attend live. Please send your questions to multisheltersales@gmail.com and we will address them on the next zoom call.

Please note this is a time for connection, brainstorming solutions to your challenges, learning some information about structures and other questions. If you have a question about an order, or would like a quote, please contact the office separately and we would be happy to help you.

We are excited to have you join us for this new event and we look forward to your questions!

Covid-19 Update from MSS

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It has been a little bit since our last update so we wanted to take a moment to touch base with everyone.

First, we are grateful that we have been able to stay connected with everyone through our website and social media channels throughout this year, especially throughout the pandemic. Thank you for inviting us into your online space so we can stay in touch.

We are also so grateful to everyone who has followed measures set out by our government to help flatten the curve here in Canada, and our hearts go out to those still affected and living with the challenges. Our gratitude also goes out to the front line and essential workers that have stayed the course and helped keep the country, and world, running through these uncertain times.

As things reopen and new stages are approached, we want to remind everyone that we are keeping our office and shop facility closed to public visits for the foreseeable future. This means NO VISITS to Multi Shelters. We are still able to serve you via phone, email, and zoom meetings and tours. Unless you are picking up a prearranged order, if you show up in person, you will be asked to leave.

We also will continue to have the delivery protocols in place, of preparing the delivery area and signing our documentation so our driver is prepared, both when accessing check points, as well as when he arrives at your facility.

We appreciate everyone being mindful of both of these measures to keep everyone safe, and things running efficiently.

As far as we are aware, the annual trade shows we are involved with have all been cancelled, or if moved online, we will not be participating. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements in the days to come of ways we are working on to connect with you. We miss being able to chat at trade shows, and have some exciting new things in the works to connect with you and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you again to everyone as we continue to pull through the challenges of 2020. We are grateful to be part of your projects and look forward to working more with you! Stay safe and healthy, connect again soon.

Year End Reflections

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To all our valued customers, potential customers, and followers,
A Letter From Norm, owner/manager

As 2019 comes to a close and I reflect on all that we as Multi Shelter Solutions have been able to accomplish, we indeed have a tremendous amount to the thankful for.

It is especially gratifying for all of the opportunities to serve our customer’s structure needs, help people figure out their challenges and hear positive responses.

We continue to receive a lot of inquiries as a result of customers recommending us to their neighbours and colleagues. For that we are also tremendously grateful.

2019 has been a year of significant change at Multi Shelter Solutions from a staff perspective. Gwen went into semi retirement in March and Kelly took over in the office. Kelly has been quick to learn and up to the challenge of handling many of the customer requests to the point that it was necessary to hire an additional person for the office. Many of you have been greeted by Maggie when you call. She has also been packing the hardware portion of the orders and handling items that are shipped via courier. We are looking at adding another person to the shop force in the spring to ensure that orders continue to be shipped promptly as Maggie expands her duties as well.

As we reflect on 2019, we also reflect on what we can do better. We intend to upgrade our assembly instructions based on the questions and feedback that we have received. We are going to have a more formal plan in place to thank those who do refer others to Multi Shelter Solutions and we are going to donate a portion of each structure order to a chosen charity each month. We will be posting these on our website with something about them. This is in part to our commitment of giving back .

Teaching customers and prospective customers has always been a priority at MSS, as well as a value of myself. We are intending to increase the videos and other interactions to make information available in a timely fashion. We welcome feedback so that we can do even better.

Have a wonderful Christmas season and we wish you a very prosperous New Year.

On behalf of the staff at Multi Shelter Solutions, we look forward to working with you more in 2020!

Norm Eygenraam