Regardless of night or day, winter or summer, plants need consistent temperatures to grow to their fullest capacity.
Even though the glass walls of the greenhouse greatly insulate the plants from severe changes in weather, a week of cold winter days will still leave you plants weak and wilting without the help of heaters.
The heaters you choose must be able to provide powerful, even heating throughout the greenhouse, while ideally not costing very much to install and run.
This article will provide some information on what to consider when choosing the heaters for your greenhouse.
Greenhouse Heater Types: - Electric - electric heaters have the most efficient energy-to-heat conversion rate, and are thus the cheapest to run and maintain.
They frequently come with thermostats that allow them to automatically regulate the temperature so they do not need to be monitored as closely.
They also do not produce fumes so there is no need to ventilate the greenhouse.
Unless they are accompanied by a fan however, the circulation of heat from an electric heater is quite poor, so this must be taken into consideration.
- Gas - gas heaters produce fumes when the gas is combusted, which may be harmful to the plants in your greenhouse.
They are also not as efficient as electric heaters, but have a much higher heat-production capacity, and can more rapidly heat up the whole greenhouse.
Gas heaters tend to distribute the heat produced more evenly than electric heaters.
As they do use fire, these heaters need to be placed strategically and safely inside the greenhouse, and need to be monitored and checked regularly.
- Kerosene - kerosene or paraffin heaters require the most maintenance and are not comparatively cheaper.
The fuel for the heaters must be purchased separately, and produce fumes when burnt.
The fuel also needs to be manually replaced, which can result in a lot of work, especially if your greenhouse is quite large.
The main advantage to this type of heating is that it is unaffected by power or gas cuts to your area, or they can be kept as a backup in case one of the other heating systems fail.
Heater Positioning - Hanging or attaching your heaters to the ceiling allows for more floor space, which means more space for plants.
This type of positioning also allows you to evenly distribute the heaters along the ceiling to provide consistent temperature throughout the greenhouse.
Keep in mind that they should not be hung so low as to be an obstacle to plants or people in the walkways.
Heaters that produce fumes can vent directly to the outside if they are attached to the ceiling.
- Wall-mounting your heaters also does not take up floor space, although the area directly in front of the heaters should not have any plants or they will be over-exposed to the heat.
Like the ceiling mounted heaters, wall-mounted heaters can vent directly to the outside.
- Unmounted heaters sit on the floor and take up space that could otherwise be used for plants, The heaters are also closer to the plants, which will allow for quicker heating during an emergency, but may lead to overexposure in the long run.
One of the main advantages of unmounted heaters is that they do not require any additional costs for mounting.
Heater Venting - these apply mainly to gas heaters, as electric heaters do not require venting.
- Unvented heaters release fumes straight into the area they are heating.
This is normally undesirable, and this type of heater is generally only used temporarily.
- Gravity-vented heaters rely on the heated gasses travelling up and out of the greenhouse.
This requires a vertical pipe (like a chimney) to allow gasses to easily pass through to the top and out of the greenhouse.
- Power-vented heaters use fans to force the air out of the greenhouse via vent pipes.
While they do consume electricity, this is the most efficient and sure way to make sure harmful fumes do not collect in the greenhouse.
When choosing your heater, the output capacity of the heater is also an important criterion to consider.
The output capacity that you require will depend on a number of factors, including the area and height of your greenhouse, and the local weather conditions of your location.
Consulting an experienced gardener or greenhouse dealer is recommended when trying to choose the right heater for you.
Using the internet to find out the optimal output level is also an option.
Whether you already have a greenhouse or not, the right choice of heaters for your greenhouse will ultimately depend on each individual greenhouse and the types of plants they contain.
To decide on the best heater for your greenhouse, assess your greenhouse or greenhouse plans carefully, and consult experts in the greenhouse business for optimum results.
Even though the glass walls of the greenhouse greatly insulate the plants from severe changes in weather, a week of cold winter days will still leave you plants weak and wilting without the help of heaters.
The heaters you choose must be able to provide powerful, even heating throughout the greenhouse, while ideally not costing very much to install and run.
This article will provide some information on what to consider when choosing the heaters for your greenhouse.
Greenhouse Heater Types: - Electric - electric heaters have the most efficient energy-to-heat conversion rate, and are thus the cheapest to run and maintain.
They frequently come with thermostats that allow them to automatically regulate the temperature so they do not need to be monitored as closely.
They also do not produce fumes so there is no need to ventilate the greenhouse.
Unless they are accompanied by a fan however, the circulation of heat from an electric heater is quite poor, so this must be taken into consideration.
- Gas - gas heaters produce fumes when the gas is combusted, which may be harmful to the plants in your greenhouse.
They are also not as efficient as electric heaters, but have a much higher heat-production capacity, and can more rapidly heat up the whole greenhouse.
Gas heaters tend to distribute the heat produced more evenly than electric heaters.
As they do use fire, these heaters need to be placed strategically and safely inside the greenhouse, and need to be monitored and checked regularly.
- Kerosene - kerosene or paraffin heaters require the most maintenance and are not comparatively cheaper.
The fuel for the heaters must be purchased separately, and produce fumes when burnt.
The fuel also needs to be manually replaced, which can result in a lot of work, especially if your greenhouse is quite large.
The main advantage to this type of heating is that it is unaffected by power or gas cuts to your area, or they can be kept as a backup in case one of the other heating systems fail.
Heater Positioning - Hanging or attaching your heaters to the ceiling allows for more floor space, which means more space for plants.
This type of positioning also allows you to evenly distribute the heaters along the ceiling to provide consistent temperature throughout the greenhouse.
Keep in mind that they should not be hung so low as to be an obstacle to plants or people in the walkways.
Heaters that produce fumes can vent directly to the outside if they are attached to the ceiling.
- Wall-mounting your heaters also does not take up floor space, although the area directly in front of the heaters should not have any plants or they will be over-exposed to the heat.
Like the ceiling mounted heaters, wall-mounted heaters can vent directly to the outside.
- Unmounted heaters sit on the floor and take up space that could otherwise be used for plants, The heaters are also closer to the plants, which will allow for quicker heating during an emergency, but may lead to overexposure in the long run.
One of the main advantages of unmounted heaters is that they do not require any additional costs for mounting.
Heater Venting - these apply mainly to gas heaters, as electric heaters do not require venting.
- Unvented heaters release fumes straight into the area they are heating.
This is normally undesirable, and this type of heater is generally only used temporarily.
- Gravity-vented heaters rely on the heated gasses travelling up and out of the greenhouse.
This requires a vertical pipe (like a chimney) to allow gasses to easily pass through to the top and out of the greenhouse.
- Power-vented heaters use fans to force the air out of the greenhouse via vent pipes.
While they do consume electricity, this is the most efficient and sure way to make sure harmful fumes do not collect in the greenhouse.
When choosing your heater, the output capacity of the heater is also an important criterion to consider.
The output capacity that you require will depend on a number of factors, including the area and height of your greenhouse, and the local weather conditions of your location.
Consulting an experienced gardener or greenhouse dealer is recommended when trying to choose the right heater for you.
Using the internet to find out the optimal output level is also an option.
Whether you already have a greenhouse or not, the right choice of heaters for your greenhouse will ultimately depend on each individual greenhouse and the types of plants they contain.
To decide on the best heater for your greenhouse, assess your greenhouse or greenhouse plans carefully, and consult experts in the greenhouse business for optimum results.
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