2 Frequency Geodesic Silo Dome Assembly Manual: Zip Tie Domes

Zip Tie Domes
2 Frequency
Geodesic Silo Dome
Assembly Manual
Silo Dome Version

(c) 2015 Zip Tie Domes
1857 Brindley Hollow Rd
Buffalo Valley, TN 38548
(931) 858-6892
Zip Tie Domes - 2V Silo Dome Manual
Instructions for Assembling the 2V Geodesic Silo Dome
Tools Needed: Step Ladder, Wire Cutters
SAFETY RULES: Do Not Climb On the Dome. It is not designed for climbing.
Step 1. Find a level area wide enough to assemble the dome.
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Zip Tie Domes 1857 Brindley Hollow Road, Buffalo Valley, TN 38548 USA
www.ziptiedomes.com - Telephone: (931) 858-6892
Step 2. Unpack the dome materials and place them in a convenient spot
outside the area where the dome will be constructed. Use wire cutters or manually
unwind the wire for releasing the struts from the restraining wires.
The package will include:
65 Blue Struts – marked with blue tape.

30 Red Struts – marked with red tape.
6 Red 5-way Hubs, marked with red tape. 30 Blue 6-way Hubs, marked with
blue tape.
36 Center Hubs 2” 200 Extra Heavy Duty Zip Ties
Nylon Ties Stainless Steel Ties
NOTE: The 8” Extra Heavy Duty Nylon Zip Ties are rated at 125 lbs, and are black to
resist ultraviolet light degradation. These 8” Heavy Duty Ties are suitable for standard
sized structures.
For larger structures, the 250 lb Stainless Steel Zip Ties are included with your package
for dome construction.
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Step 3. Build the Foundation Ring.
Select 10 Blue Struts, 10 Blue Hubs, 10 Center Rings, and 10 Zip Ties.
Put the end of the Blue Strut into the opening on the Blue Hub.
Insert a Zip Tie into the end of the Blue Strut.
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Place a Center Ring on the end of the Blue Strut.
Loop the Zip Tie through the Center Ring.
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Tighten the Zip Tie to Secure the Center Ring to the Strut.
Repeat to attach all 10 Blue Hubs to 10 Blue Struts, and lay the Struts in a stack.
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Step 4. Assemble the Foundation Ring:
Lay the 10 Blue Struts with Blue Hubs in a circle, with one Hub between every two
Struts.
Step 5. Connect each Strut to the next Hub.
Before connecting, make sure each Hub is pointing upwards, with one of the large
openings laid flat on the ground, and with the smaller openings for the struts in a
horizontal position.
The second Strut should be inserted into the Hub opening that is on the opposite side
(180 degrees) of the first Strut, and secured to the Center Ring with a Zip Tie.
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After the Zip Tie has secured the strut to the Center Ring, move the strut to where it
locks in a 36 degree angle to form the circle of the foundation ring.
Repeat for all 10 struts to complete the Foundation Ring.
Step 6. Assemble the First Tier Supports

Select 20 Blue Struts and 10 Blue Hubs.
Attach the Blue Struts and Blue Hubs to make 10 Blue triangles attached to the
Foundation Ring.
Top View Attach 20 Struts and 10 Hubs to make 10 Blue Triangles
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Step 7. Raise the 1st Tier.
Select 10 Blue Struts. Raise the triangles up from the ground and insert the 10 Blue
struts between the 10 Blue Hubs, and attach to the Hubs with Zip Ties.
Top View 10' Diameter Dome
Continue until the Silo Dome First Tier is complete.
Perspective View 16' Diameter Dome
This completes the top of the First Tier.
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Step 8. Assemble the 2nd Tier
Select 10 Blue Struts and 5 Blue Hubs to make 5 Blue Triangles.
Select 10 Red Struts and 5 Red Hubs to make 5 Red Triangles.
Attach the Red and Blue Triangles in an alternating pattern to the top of the First Tier.
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Select 10 Red Struts.
Attach the Red Struts between the Red and Blue Hubs to complete the top of the 2nd Tier.
The Second Tier is Complete.
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Step 9 – Assemble the 3rd Tier.
Select 5 Blue Hubs, 5 Red Struts, and 5 Center Rings.

Attach the 5 Blue Hubs to the 5 Red Struts. Lay the Red Struts with Blue Hubs in a
stack.
Next, attach the other end of the 5 Red Struts into the 5 Red Hubs on the top of the
Second Tier.
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Step 9. Assemble the 3rd Tier – Part 2.
Select 10 Blue Struts. Attach the 10 Blue Struts to the Blue Hubs on the Second Tier.
Top View
Perspective View
Using a stepladder for each hub, secure the Blue Struts to the Blue 6-way hubs at the top
of the Third Tier.
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Step 10. Complete the Third Tier
Select 5 Blue Struts.
Next, attach a Blue Strut between each Blue hub to connect the Blue hubs together at the
top of the Third Tier.
The Third Tier is complete.
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Step 11. Complete The Dome!
Attach a Red Strut to the remaining Red Hub.
Insert the other end of the Red Strut into a hub on the Third Tier.
Insert the other 4 Red Struts into the hubs on the Third Tier, and into the Red Hub in the
center. This will lock the dome together, and can be a tight fit. You may have to snap in
the last two struts in at the same time, and apply force.
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How to Cut Your Own Struts
Use the Dome Calculator at www.ZipTieDomes.com to determine your strut lengths.
The Blue struts on the calculator are always the longest struts, and this is the place to
enter your data. For maximum strength, the longest struts should not be greater than 5
feet in length.
The hubs are designed for 1” PVC pipe with 1.315” OD. If you want to use 3/4” or 1”
EMT conduit, upon request we will drill the hubs with the correct apertures for these
ODs as a special order.
The Dome Calculator Material Utilization Chart will indicate the number of pipes that
you will need to purchase.
Common sizes for 10' pipe material are:

16' 2V Silo Dome: 65 Blue Struts – 5' length
30 Red Struts - 4' 5” length
Total pieces of 10' Pipe needed: 48
10' 2V Silo Dome: 65 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length

30 Red Struts - 2' 11 3/8” length
25' 3V 3/8 Dome: 50 Blue Struts – 5' length

40 Yellow Struts – 4' 10 3/4” length

55 Yellow Struts – 4' 10 3/4” length
16' 3V 3/8 Dome: 50 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length
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40 Yellow Struts – 3' 3-1/8” length
30 Red Struts - 2' 9-7/8” length
16' 3V 5/8 Dome: 80 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length

55 Yellow Struts – 3' 3-1/8” length
Common sizes for 20' pipe material are:

13' 2V Silo Dome: 65 Blue Struts – 4' length

40 Yellow Struts – 3' 11” length

55 Yellow Struts – 3' 11” length
How to Cut and Drill the Struts:

Mark the pipe with a marker, using a tape measure or a jig for the length.
Cut the pipe to length using a pipe cutter or chop saw.
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Drill a 5/16” or 3/8” hole across each of the ends of the pipe, about 3/8” to 1/2” from the
pipe ends. Use a drill press if possible.
Drill slowly so you won't crack the pipe.
The holes on each end of the pipe have to be drilled parallel to each other. If they are 90
degrees off, you won't be able to attach the end of the strut to the center ring. Try to drill
through the lettering on the outside of the pipe, that will help you line up the holes on
each end of the strut so they are parallel to each other.
Mark the pipe with Blue, Red, or Yellow colored tape to help you distinguish them
during setup.
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How to Attach A Greenhouse Covering
Greenhouse Plastic can be purchased from your Farmer's Co-Op, a Greenhouse supply
store, or from Farmtek at www.farmtek.com
Recommended Greenhouse Covering Sizes:
Dome Size: Covering Size:
10' Silo Dome (8' 3” tall) 26' x 26'
13' Silo Dome (9' 11” tall) 32 x 32'
16' Silo Dome (12' 5” tall) 40' x 40'
25' 3/8 Dome (10' tall) 40' x 40'
25' 5/8 Dome (14' tall) 48' x 48'
Preparing the Dome for the Covering:

Before attaching a greenhouse covering, the zip ties must be trimmed so that they do not
extend past the edges of the hub and into the covering. Use a pair of wire cutters or
snips to cut the ends off the zip ties inside the hubs.
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Painting or Taping the Dome to
Separate the PVC from the Greenhouse Plastic
PVC pipe will slowly produce chlorine gas, which may destroy the UV light stabilizers
in polyethylene greenhouse film. This chlorine gas from PVC pipe will cause certain
types of 4 year greenhouse plastic to have holes and tears after the first year.
For this reason, your greenhouse plastic warranty may be voided if your greenhouse
plastic comes in direct contact with PVC. Contact the greenhouse plastic manufacturer
for details.
Greenhouse plastic can also be damaged by oil based paints, wood preservatives,
chlorine based disinfectants, and certain pesticides, especially those containing sulfur or
copper. This problem is not specific to our geodesic domes, but is evident in any type of
PVC greenhouse structure.
Solution: Acrylic Latex Paint
To extend the life of your greenhouse plastic, before you attach your greenhouse plastic,
use a white acrylic latex paint and paint any PVC struts and hubs that will come in direct
contact with your plastic.
Alternate Solution: Clear Packing Tape
Another technique is to cover the hubs and struts with a non-PVC tape, such as clear
packing tape. Applying tape over the hubs helps to smooth any rough edges that might
rub against the plastic sheet.
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Raising the Cover over the Dome:
For the larger domes, you may want to tie a rope on the center of the leading edge of the
covering to hoist the center of the cover over the dome.
Method 1: Using the Dual Covering Hubs:
The Dual Covering Hubs have an extra ridge at the edge of the hub that allows you to
attach the greenhouse plastic to the hub by cinching the zip ties over the plastic above
the ridge, which secures the plastic to the hub.
The design of the Dual Covering Hubs allow you to attach two layers of greenhouse
covering to the dome, one on the inside, and one on the outside. This creates a “dead air
space” insulation pocket, and increases the greenhouse's ability to hold heat during the
nighttime hours.
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To attach the greenhouse covering to a Dual Covering Hub:
Connect 3 Heavy Duty 8” Zip Ties together in a “daisy chain” circle, with each of the
Zip Tie Ratchet Knobs on the outside of the circle.
Attach the plastic to the dome by wrapping the plastic over the hub, and secure the
plastic by cinching the 3 Zip Ties down over the plastic on the hub between the edge of
the struts and the ridge on the outside of the hub.
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It is easier to attach two layers to the dome if you start with the covering on the inside of
the dome. To do this, you will need to find the exact center of your covering material, so
that it can be attached to the center, or top, of the inside of the dome.
Take the covering and fold it twice, once in each direction.
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Find where the double fold is, and make a large, visible mark with an ink marker to
mark the center of the covering.
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Put a step ladder inside the dome. Take the covering and put the marked center over the
top of the step ladder.
Get under the covering and place the marked center of the covering over the hub at the
top of the dome. Have 3 zip ties in a daisy chain ready to cinch down the covering over
the hub. You may need one or more people to help you do this.
Lift the covering up over the hub, and secure it to the center top hub with zip ties.
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Pull the covering to the next hub, and take up any slack in the covering between the
hubs. Secure the covering to all of the hubs in the interior of the dome.
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Pull the outside covering over the outside of the dome. Use Zip Ties to secure the
outside covering to the hubs on the sides and on the bottom of the dome.
Method 2: Using the Standard Economy Hubs
The Standard Economy Hubs do not have a ridge on the edge of the hubs for attaching
two layers of greenhouse covering. With the Standard Economy Hubs, only one layer of
greenhouse covering can be attached to the outside of the dome using Test Cap Covers
and Greenhouse Clips.
For an overview, please see our video at www.ZipTieDomes.com “How to Attach A
Cover with Test Caps and Pleats.”
The Greenhouse Clips are for attaching the greenhouse covering to the 1.315” OD PVC
pipe, and can be purchased from FarmTek or a Greenhouse Supply store.
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After the greenhouse covering has been placed on the outside of the dome, secure the
covering to bottom struts of the dome using the 1.315” greenhouse clips.
Using the Test Caps and Carriage Bolts.

The 4” Test Caps can be purchased from Lowes or Home Depot in the plumbing section
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of the store.
For the 3v 24' dome, you will need: For the 2v 16' dome, you will need:
30 Test Caps 20 Test Caps

15 carriage bolts that are 5” long, 10 carriage bolts 5” long
and 15 nuts and washers for the bolts. 10 nuts and washers for the bolts.
A hole needs to be drilled in the center of each Test Cap slightly larger than the diameter
of the carriage bolt, so that the carriage bolt can be inserted. Assemble the Test Caps
with the carriage bolts inserted.
The Test Caps and carriage bolts will be used on the hubs at the top of the first tier of the
dome. Fold any excess greenhouse covering over the hubs on the top of the first tier to
make a pleat. Insert the carriage bolt through the pleat, and through the center ring of
the hub.
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Push the Test Cap into the hub opening, securing the greenhouse covering to the hub.
On the inside of the dome, thread a Test Cap over the carriage bolt, and secure with a
washer and nut.
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How to Build a Greenhouse Door
We have included 2 extra struts and extra heavy duty zip ties to help you build a door for
your greenhouse. You can use this same technique to build vents for your greenhouse.
After you cover the dome with greenhouse plastic, cut the plastic along two sides of one
of the triangles.
Tape the loose plastic along the two cut sides to the struts, leaving the flaps to be used
for the door.
Tie a Heavy Duty Zip tie through the end of one of the Blue Struts, leaving a large loop
in the Zip Tie.
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Daisy chain 3 zip ties together as shown in “How to Attach a Greenhouse Cover”, and
loop them through the zip tie on the end of the strut.
If you have Dual Covering Hubs, place the daisy chain zip ties over the ridge on the hub
on the outside of the dome and cinch it down to secure the end of the strut to the hub.
If you have Standard Hubs, put the daisy chain zip ties under the plastic and through the
outer or inner ring of the hub to secure the end of the strut to the hub.
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Take the second strut, and attach it in the same way to the hub at the bottom of the
opening.
To make the door, connect the loose ends of the two struts together using two zip ties.
To connect the struts, loop a zip tie through the end of each of the struts, making sure the
two zip ties are also looped together. Tighten the zip ties to connect the ends.
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Pull the loose plastic flaps up to the door, and attach the plastic to the door with clear
tape or greenhouse clips.
Patch any holes with clear tape. You can attach a clear plastic flap on the outside over
the top of the opening to hold the door closed and to help insulate the dome.
Page 33 of 33

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Zip Tie Domes

Silo Dome Version

Tools Needed: Step Ladder, Wire Cutters

Step 1. Find a level area wide enough to assemble the dome.

The package will include:

65 Blue Struts – marked with blue tape.

36 Center Hubs 2” 200 Extra Heavy Duty Zip Ties

Nylon Ties Stainless Steel Ties

Insert a Zip Tie into the end of the Blue Strut.

Loop the Zip Tie through the Center Ring.

Step 5. Connect each Strut to the next Hub.

Repeat for all 10 struts to complete the Foundation Ring.

Step 6. Assemble the First Tier Supports

Top View Attach 20 Struts and 10 Hubs to make 10 Blue Triangles

Top View 10' Diameter Dome

Continue until the Silo Dome First Tier is complete.

Perspective View 16' Diameter Dome

This completes the top of the First Tier.

Select 10 Blue Struts and 5 Blue Hubs to make 5 Blue Triangles.

Select 10 Red Struts and 5 Red Hubs to make 5 Red Triangles.

Top View 10' Diameter Dome

Perspective View 16' Diameter Dome

Top View 10' Diameter Dome

Perspective View 16' Diameter Dome

The Second Tier is Complete.

Select 5 Blue Hubs, 5 Red Struts, and 5 Center Rings.

Select 5 Blue Struts.

Top View 10' Diameter Dome

Perspective View 16' Diameter Dome

The Third Tier is complete.

Attach a Red Strut to the remaining Red Hub.

Common sizes for 10' pipe material are:

10' 2V Silo Dome: 65 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length

25' 3V 3/8 Dome: 50 Blue Struts – 5' length

25' 3V 5/8 Dome: 80 Blue Struts – 5' length

16' 3V 3/8 Dome: 50 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length

16' 3V 5/8 Dome: 80 Blue Struts – 3' 4” length

Common sizes for 20' pipe material are:

19' 3V 3/8 Dome: 50 Blue Struts – 4' length

19' 3V 5/8 Dome: 80 Blue Struts – 4' length

How to Cut and Drill the Struts:

Cut the pipe to length using a pipe cutter or chop saw.

Drill slowly so you won't crack the pipe.

Recommended Greenhouse Covering Sizes:

Dome Size: Covering Size:

10' Silo Dome (8' 3” tall) 26' x 26'

13' Silo Dome (9' 11” tall) 32 x 32'

16' Silo Dome (12' 5” tall) 40' x 40'

25' 3/8 Dome (10' tall) 40' x 40'

25' 5/8 Dome (14' tall) 48' x 48'

Preparing the Dome for the Covering:

Method 1: Using the Dual Covering Hubs:

Take the covering and fold it twice, once in each direction.

Method 2: Using the Standard Economy Hubs

Using the Test Caps and Carriage Bolts.

30 Test Caps 20 Test Caps

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