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Greenhouse Gardening Article
About Greenhouse Heaters
from: Lawn and Garden MagicTemperatures change several times throughout a day, and during the night, it can really drop to a low level that may not be healthy for plants. There, to keep the temperature at a suitable level for successful plant growth, greenhouse heaters are required.
When choosing the right greenhouse heater, you must take into consideration not only the requirement to have the proper temperature during cold, winter nights, but also the costs that will be incurred after installing and running the heater.
Kinds of Greenhouse Heaters
* Electric heaters. This type of heater is the most suitable for smaller greenhouse structures. Electric heaters can efficiently maintain specified temperature levels, and produce no fumes. Therefore there is no further need for ventilation when these heaters are being used.
* Gas heaters. Since these heaters are fuelled either by natural gas or bottled, they can be less efficient than electric heaters. Their waste products, due to combustion, are discharged into the greenhouse, so ventilation is required when they are in use. Also, these heaters need to be placed in a safe location and require constant monitoring and replacement.
* Paraffin heaters. This kind of heaters is the most basic of the three. Paraffin heaters need constant refilling and wick-trimming. They also need fuel to run, which causes fumes to be discharged into the greenhouse. Therefor proper ventilation is a must. However, paraffin heaters can reduce the risk of frost damage and act as emergency standby.
Heater Mounting
* Hanging. These heaters are mounted directly to the ceiling or hung from it. It is advantageous to use because of less floor space consumed. They should just be hung high enough as to not be an obstruction.
* Wall. This type of heaters is mounted directly to the wall and vent towards the outside of the greenhouse. No floor space is required but the area in front of them should be clear.
* Floor. This type is not mounted as they have their own stand and can be placed anywhere on the floor of the greenhouse. That is the disadvantage of this type because it occupies a lot of space.
Heater Combustion * Open. This type of heater uses air inside the greenhouse for its combustion. As long as the air does not have contaminants in it, this will work quite well. Flammable liquids should not be placed near an open combustion heater, though, because its burner is not sealed.
* Separated. A gas heater uses a combustion mechanism wherein it uses the air outside the greenhouse for combustion. Its burner is also sealed to trap all the air in from outside of the greenhouse. The exhaust pipe is run to the outside of the structure.
* Sealed. This kind is quite similar to the separated combustion type. The burner is completely sealed inside and there's no access to air inside the building. Sealed combustion heaters use direct vent both for exhaust and intake.
Heater Vents
* Unvented. Being unvented heaters, combustion-produced gases are directly released to the heated area. Unvented heaters are only for temporary use because of the sensitivity of some plants.
* Gravity. The exhausted air from this type of heater should rise through the pipe and released outside, thus, the vents should be vertical. The air expelled must be replaced by outside air.
* Power. These power vented heaters have a blower that pushes air through the pipe and outside the structure. The vents may be arranged vertically or horizontally, and the vent pipes are smaller making it more efficient.
* Direct. This kind of venting is special to sealed combustion types. It has only one vent pipe with both the inlet and exhaust; one pipe is inside the other. The amount of air that leaves the pipe is the same amount that it pulls as intake. There is no additional air outside needed to replace the expelled air.
One thing you should consider with a greenhouse heater is its output range or the measure of the heat output. Ask your nearby greenhouse store to check out your needed output range based on the area of your greenhouse and other factors. You can also serch the internet for web sites that can do the computation for you.
As you can see, there are several kinds of greenhouse heaters to choose from. For you to decide on which one to purchase, it's best to first do an assessment of your current greenhouse structure and its needs. You can also ask advice from experts in building and maintaining greenhouses to get the best results.
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