I am constantly asked if a heater is needed in a greenhouse. For the most part, the answer is yes. Greenhouses will not support much of the heat they accumulate during the day on their own.
There are several solar methods that can help keep some heat. At night, you can put a heavy curtain on the inside wall of the greenhouse. Or you can fill black containers with water. They accumulate heat during the day and retain some of them during the night.
In addition, some of the commercial greenhouses are currently working on using lower heat for their crops and reducing the actual heat they use in the greenhouse. They use breeding mats or a system with tubing pipes with hot water under their benches. For a homeowner, breeding mats will make the most sense. However, commercial producers complement this with a greenhouse heater.
There are heaters in electrical, natural gas or propane. I used all three. I prefer natural gas or propane heaters, but not everyone has it.
Electric heaters are available in 110 or 220 volts. As a rule, 110 heaters will be located on the bench, and 220 ceiling fans. When using an electric heater, special care must be taken. They should be in a place where they will not be sprayed with water, watering your plants.
Southern Burner greenhouse heater available in natural gas or propane. It is also available in a ventilated or non-ventilated model. These are excellent heaters that do not require electricity at all. They really do not require maintenance and are designed for durable use.
The most important factor is to make sure that you get a heater that is of sufficient size (has proper BTU) for your greenhouse. Too little heater, and you will not achieve anything. An equation to calculate this follows.
Heating systems are designed for British thermal units (BTU) per hour (h). Btu heating system Q can be estimated using three factors;
1. A is the total open (outer) area of the greenhouse sides, ends and roof — one unit; on a curved cornice, the sides and the roof are one unit; measure the length of the curved support beam and multiply by the length of the house, on the free constant multiplly curve by two. The area of the contours of the curves is 2 (ends) X 2/3 X width. Add the sum of the first calculation with the sum of the first calculation.
2. U - heat loss coefficient, which quantitatively determines the rate at which thermal energy flows from the greenhouse. For example, one glass lid has a value of 1.2 Btu / hx (ft x ft) x degrees F (Btu per hour per square foot of heat loss in Fahrenheit). The values allow some air penetration, but are based on the assumption that the greenhouse is sufficiently airtight.
3. (Ti - To) - the maximum difference between the lowest outdoor temperature (To) in your area and the temperature that must be maintained in the greenhouse. For example, the maximum difference will occur in the early morning with the appearance of an external temperature of 0 to -5 degrees Fahrenheit while maintaining an internal temperature of 60 degrees.
The following equation summarizes this description Q = A x U x (Ti - To)
Thus, a properly selected greenhouse heater is one of the most important accessories or consumables that you will need for your greenhouse.
