Topic: greenhouse heating

[steveg1966]

A very simple and cheap way to heat your greenhouse I tried it and it kept my greenhouse surprisingly warm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVDB8kr8MmA

[terrier]

Tealite candles that last for 24 hours for 1p ? Typically these small candles last for around 6 hours maximum at a cost of 3p per candle. I'd love to know where he gets his candles from.

[okra]

Ikea sell a 100 pack for £1.75 and they burn for 4 hours for 1.75p each
The 9 hour ones cost £4.25 for 24 or 18p each
So unless you are willing to get up during the middle of the night to change the  cheap candles I cant see how this can work cheaply. The 9 hour ones would cost 70p per night.

[gavinjconway]

Steve said he's tried it and it works so just go with the flow and try it before you knock it..

[ancellsfarmer]

This could lead to a whole new winter pastime.......see

http://www.4candles.co.uk/wax/paraffin_wax.html

[petengade]

Why not use the old cooking oil you throw way to make the floating candles?

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHoj0Oe6O_g

[goodlife]

I had some fun other year by experimenting heating GH with candles. You cannot  'heat' GH (well you can but it would be REALLY expensive)..but certainly 'keeping worst away' is very do-able..particularly if one would make partition or section the heatable are into minimum.
I did this with plastic sheeting...yes, umm..it was ok, but you do get 'cold spots' where plants can suffer.
What worked best was.. bottomless coldframe on staging (not a solid surface one) and candles underneath on lower shelf..plants actually managed to grow too!
Tea light on their own don't burn very long but to keep them going almost 2 days in the run!..I placed dinner candle in the middle of clay pot (hole blocked) to act as a 'wick' and place tea light inners (wicks and tins removed) to fill the rest of the plant pot.
The 'pot candle' was place inside larger terracotta pot and another one over top...it worked like storage heater and because the candle created the warm air inside the pots...it all burned  evenly and melted right to edge of the pot. Similar system than in the video..but slightly larger 'system'.
At the time I was experimenting I managed to buy couple of really big bags full of broken candles from Ikea and cheaply too! ..this was fine as they were only going to be a 'fuel' for the pots. BTW...It is the 'candle time' of the year so worth keeping eye on if you are living near Ikea..they usually sell broken candles in 'rejects area'
Any left over candle from previous burnings were added into new 'candle'. It all worked best when starting the 'pot candle' from scratch rather than adding new stuff on top of old stuff. It did work much cheaper to 'build' candle from tea lights rather than buying bigger candles.
All in all..I would not bother with the hassle through whole winter...but very useful bit of 'tinkering' in spring to keep those tender plants going when the weather is on the nippy side.  Now I rather go through the trouble of bringing all tender overwintering plants indoors....yes, I've got lot of pots dotted around house at the moment ...and few more to sort out this week. I just need to organize some more room and find time for it.....

[digmore]

Use hay bale wrapped in polythene sheet, soaked with water and sugar to help fermentation. Wrap air tight as best you can.

It will heat up after a day or two, easy to sit on but caution if using as hot bed. I usually wait an extra few day before placing plants or pots on top. Two or three will easily warm a 6x8 greenhouse, renew with fresh bales when temp drops.

Digmore

Ps. Hay bale about £2.25

[goodlife]

Hay bales..! ...of course! I never thought of that! 

[ancellsfarmer]

Digmore,

 Question ? How big a bale for £2.25 ? How long do they last? How much sugar? , do you dissolve or sprinkle on? Does it get hot enough to kill grass /weed seeds. Any experience in using "spoilt" hay from stable floor.
 I  have a vision of old fertilizer sacks with a filling , rolled up like a swiss roll and tied securely. Now we pack these together in a coffin- like crate , insulated with scrap polyystyreneon base and sides. How warm would these get? hotbed? sauna?, barbeque?
Its something to conjure with in the dark ages of winter, and may beat candle dipping as a pastime. Please expand and discuss!
regards
Mart

[digmore]

Mart, hay bale size approx. 3ftx18x18 the old fashioned size, easy to pick up. RE. sugar.....dissolve in the water, about a third of a bag. Temp will never kill off grass or weeds but will last a month, replace and put spent hay mulch around plot as reqd.

Boxed spoil, I would think be wiffy in a greenhouse but subject to size and volume, it would be a good hot bed.

Xmas is coming, indulge yourself, buy a 2 dvd set of The Victorian Kitchen Garden £15.00 from Amazon, this fills in all the gaps about growing management and helps your mind to expand about growing.

I recommend this to all new comers to our site. Even some of the oldies have been and bought it.

Digmore