Heater Recommendations Needed
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

Heater Recommendations Needed
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
  #1  
Old 09-28-2024, 11:29 AM
TaylorEhrhart's Avatar
TaylorEhrhart TaylorEhrhart is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 20
Heater Recommendations Needed
Default Heater Recommendations Needed

WE built/bought/modified me a 6x8 greenhouse. I moved all of my tropical plants in to free up some space in my house and I’ve loved it all summer with the door open, sun shade and the fans installed it’s been great. But it is starting to cool off here in New York and I need a heater for sure, something that is automatic and will keep it above 50° at least. Anyone have any luck on finding one on Amazon?

I was thinking of placing foam insulation in the bottom wood panels, and I have siliconed the top plexi panels already.
Attached Thumbnails
Heater Recommendations Needed-heater-jpg  
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 09-28-2024, 12:15 PM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is online now
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,787
Heater Recommendations Needed Female
Default

Most important, you need a heater that is rated for greenhouses (that are damp) Electricity and water don't play nicely... I got one of these last year for my small (4' x 8' lean-to) greenhouse and it has worked quite well. But I'm in California so it's never working against sub-freezing temperatures.

Amazon.com

Ast to whether it will maintain 50 deg F, here is a little calculator. Greenhouse Heater Size Calculator from ACF Greenhouses

If the calculator says you need more capacity than that little heater (which is the maximum you can get with 110 v) you will either need to wire for 220v to run a bigger electric heater, or go to gas. For my 8' x 12' greenhouse, I found that I needed a small gas heater, and ended up with this one Williams 14,000 BTU Direct Vent Gas Wall Heaters on Sale - ACF Greenhouses 1403822 & 1403821 , direct-vent. Even in California...
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)

Last edited by Roberta; 09-28-2024 at 12:30 PM..
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes TaylorEhrhart liked this post
  #3  
Old 09-29-2024, 12:29 AM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is online now
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,603
Heater Recommendations Needed Male
Default

I suggest you change your country in your profile to US, and state you live in New York. We look at that info when giving advice.

Every greenhouse heater will eventually fail. A 6' x 8' greenhouse would probably freeze within an hour or two on a cold night. You also need an alarm, and a backup heater you can turn on within minutes.

Many greenhouse growers put extra plastic bubble wrap inside the glazing for winter. Consider joining a local orchid society or garden club to see what others do for winter.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood

Last edited by estación seca; 09-29-2024 at 02:05 AM..
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
Likes Roberta, TaylorEhrhart liked this post
  #4  
Old 09-29-2024, 01:30 AM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is online now
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,787
Heater Recommendations Needed Female
Default

Another factor to consider... If the weather is very bad, sometimes you lose electric power. So if you use an electric heater, you want to have a backup heater that runs on gas, like this...Sorry! Something went wrong! of suitable size, and a full 20 lb propane tank (and suitable hose to hook it up) That direct-vent gas heater that I mentioned above does not require electricity to operate - you can get an optional fan for it but really doesn't need it.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)

Last edited by Roberta; 09-29-2024 at 01:33 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 09-29-2024, 04:29 AM
TaylorEhrhart's Avatar
TaylorEhrhart TaylorEhrhart is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 20
Heater Recommendations Needed
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roberta View Post
you can get an optional fan for it.
Thank you, can you suggest a type of these fans?

---------- Post added at 02:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by estación seca View Post
I suggest you change your country in your profile to US, and state you live in New York.
Done.

However, I actually own multiple farms and houses in different states and ZONEs. Could this cause any issues with my membership here?
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 09-29-2024, 11:04 AM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is online now
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,603
Heater Recommendations Needed Male
Default

No, not at all. When you're asking questions, tell us where you're growing the plant, and how.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes TaylorEhrhart liked this post
  #7  
Old 09-29-2024, 11:32 AM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is online now
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,787
Heater Recommendations Needed Female
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TaylorEhrhart View Post
Thank you, can you suggest a type of these fans?[COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added at 02:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:26 AM ----------
When you order the heater, the optional fan that goes with it comes from the manufacturer. I don't use one, I have fans going 24/7 in the GH that do a sufficient job of distributing the warm air. (In a power failure, the fact that warm air rises will give enough circulation to keep the place from freezing, not perfect but would be protective, the heater is not dependent on the fan to operate) My GH is pretty flimsy and full of air leaks, OK for southern California, would not be even remotely adequate for anyplace that gets actual freezing cold.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes TaylorEhrhart liked this post
  #8  
Old 09-29-2024, 02:31 PM
Roberta's Avatar
Roberta Roberta is online now
Super Moderator
 

Join Date: Jun 2008
Zone: 10a
Location: Coastal southern California, USA
Posts: 13,787
Heater Recommendations Needed Female
Default

Remember, too, when choosing heater capacity... you have to size it for the extremes, not the average. So most of the time, it won't be working all that hard. But you need to protect the plants when the cold sets records - which happens. If the goal is 50 deg F, the occasional night where the GH goes down to 40, you probably won't have a problem. But if it goes to 29, you're likely to lose some things, maybe a lot. This is not a good place to economize.
__________________
Orchids teach patience!

Roberta's Orchids (visit my back yard)

See what orchid species are blooming in Southern California(New page for DECEMBER 2024)

Last edited by Roberta; 09-29-2024 at 02:34 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 09-29-2024, 03:08 PM
TaylorEhrhart's Avatar
TaylorEhrhart TaylorEhrhart is offline
Jr. Member
 

Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 20
Heater Recommendations Needed
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roberta View Post
.. This is not a good place to economize.
I totally agree..
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
50°, automatic, finding, heater, panels


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Heater advice/recommendation tenman Greenhouse Gardening 2 12-29-2021 03:59 PM
Greenhouse Heater Problem rant BrassavolaStars Beginner Discussion 5 09-30-2021 04:44 PM
How I lost my greenhoue due to a faulty heater. Dumb chemist Greenhouse Gardening 15 07-31-2018 09:38 AM
Blue Cattleya.....recommendations needed plumania Cattleya Alliance 14 06-19-2014 01:53 PM
Heater info needed as winter approaches 1kathleen Greenhouse Gardening 4 09-17-2008 06:49 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:25 AM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.