New Heater Arrived

[sandersj89]

My new greenhouse heater arrived yesterday and I set it up straight away.

This model has two settings so that it can be used in the winter to warm or used in the summer to circulate air when it gets too hot.

In the winter I bypass the heaters own thermostat and use a more accurate digital thermostat to control it.

Last night the temp outside dropped to just over minus one but the house was a pretty constant 13 degrees so I pretty happy with it!

Now I need to get on with some more sowing!

Jerry

[sandersj89]

[tim]

Well - still waiting for a photograph!!

Accurate thermo a must.

[sandersj89]

Tim

Not very exciting for a picture as yet as the house is mainly empty. I should get around to doing some work in there at the weekend that might warrant a look.

For reference though the heater I am using is one of these:

http://www.biogreen.co.uk/elec_tropic.htm

With this thermostat:


http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Heating_Index/Therm_1/

Not a horticultural one but it is working very well. The max/min range of temps over the last 36 hours has only be a couple of degrees so no wild fluctuations.

And I am thinking about adding 1 or maybe 2 of these lights over the main bench increase light levels to get nice stocky plants:

http://www.biogreen.co.uk/Lighting.htm

Still need to do a bit more research but the technical help desk at Bio Green have been very helpful.

Jerry

[agapanthus]

would this be very expensive to run?

[sandersj89]

The lights at 15w should not be too bad but the heater does costs a few pence a day.

The heater at 1kw would cost about £15 a month I think, give or take if I have done my sums right. I only use it in Feb, March and a bit of april so not too bad!

Jerry

[agapanthus]

Thanks for the info....might have to butter the old man up then! ;D

[tim]

Got it, Jerry!

I like this quote -  "This compact heater is powerful enough to hear rooms up to 8ft x 10ft".  At what distance??

I'm sure you know, but - lighting - can a 15W light actually do what a 75W one does?

At what height above the plants & what coverage?

It is unusual to get something for nothing??

[sandersj89]

I'm sure you know, but - lighting - can a 15W light actually do what a 75W one does?

At what height above the plants & what coverage?

It is unusual to get something for nothing??

Tim

As a virgin to lighting really I sent a mail to the Tech help on the site and this is their response:

To do an area 4ft x 18" will need two lights for effective lighting.
These can go very close to the growing tips as give off next to no heat.
Plant lighting a very tricky subject to give exact recommendations as
different plants react to different light and for every 1ft away from
the source he light loses  1/2 its intensity  i.e. at lamp say intensity
is 100 if 3ft away intensity down to 12.5.   Would suggest start of at
18" above plants and as grow lift.  At 18" will need to swap the plants
around occasionally, or reverse the trays, so the ones at the edge come
under the full intensity.
If need any more advice please do not hesitate to call.

I still need to do some more research but as these lamps are not hugely expensive I may give them a try.

As suplimentary lighting I am hoping they will help some.

Jerry

[tim]

The blind leading the blind? No matter - here's my bit for what it's worth.

I know that this light is so much more expensive & higher wattage that you will rule it out immediately. However -

My main use last year was lettuce & peppers, & you may remember this photo. The light was covering about 70X50cm at 2" above 96 plants. I gave them 4 hrs extra morning & evening, when the light could do better than daylight. Can't recall for how long. It cost a few pence per plant & I reckon it was well worth it.

See the difference in the 2 groups.

Oh, and remember that "a gentle breeze makes plants sturdy" - your fan heater!

[moonbells]

I am definitely interested in the thermostat - but typically I'm a couple of miles outside their delivery area! Shall have to pop to Slough myself and grab one.

Thanks for this info...

moonbells

[tim]

PS - a great looking thermostat, Jerry. No indication of its accuracy but imagine it's "state of the art"?

[sandersj89]

Thanks Tim for the Info.

One of the reasons for the light was your "proof" last year.

The Whitefire systems looks good and the price seems good too. I will add it to the list to further research. There are so many options out there it is a bit mind boggling to be honest!

And yes, I am a plant stroker so always brush over them 3 or 5 times a day to bulk them up!

The thermostat is doing it's job very well so far. The temp range is about 4 degrees through the day but the minimum temp has not budged at all. As soon as we get 10 mins of sun the temp rises a few degrees though but that is not such an issue.

Thanks again

Jerry

[tim]

But please don't put too much credence on my wanderings, Jerry. I'm at the bottom of the ladder!!

[sandersj89]

But please don't put too much credence on my wanderings, Jerry. I'm at the bottom of the ladder!!

Far from the bottom Tim IMHO.

  :)

Jerry

[moonbells]

well I've splurged out on that thermostat - many thanks for pointing me at this. Have been wanting to get a more reliable one for yonks. I've got a convection heater with controls that are useless - have to guess at the temperatures. It's supposed to be switchable between 800W, 1200W and 2000W but the dial just whizzes round and you're lucky to get it to even come on, let alone at a decent heat. Thermostat is a dial with no markings on and a guesstimate at the best of times.  Have always run it with a digital thermometer (one of the Oregon ones; have two satellites, one outside and one in the cold frame!)

So I'm very grateful that you've solved one of the problems!

moonbells

(now with an electronics catalogue to read!)