I didn't want to spend a fortune on heating costs again this winter, so today we made a wood burning heater out of a 55 gallon drum. We fired it up and had the house at 96* in no time. My house is approx. 12 x 12 x 10. I haven't even put the upper wall panels on yet. Heres a really bad picture of it.
I don't see an outside vent attacked to your drum heater. It should be vented to the outside and the door, through which you load the wood, should have an air tight seal. Please make sure there is no possibility of air leaks from the inside of the drum into the greenhouse. Both carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide are invisible and deadly. To be safe, you should probably install a carbon monoxide detector. I don't know if a carbon dioxide detector is available, but if one is available, I would install one as well.
I have a vented propane heater in my 20' x 35' greenhouse. Last year, I had a 250 gallon propane tank installed next to the greenhouse. I used slightly less than one tank full. It might cost more to heat than what you came up with, but it is much safer.
Thats what I mean about the really bad picture. It has a 6" chimmeny on it that goes through the roof with a spark arrester on top. The carbon monoxide alarm is a really good idea. I was thinking about that when we built it, since there is a doggy door in the greenhouse and my dogs sleep in there in the winter. Thats also why I set it up on a 36" stand so the dogs wouldn't accidently brush against it.
What a great idea. I am in 9b and I am going to hang some party lights inside of my hoop house. Hope they work. Got to get it covered this weekend.
I would be concerned that it would be hard to control the heat. Too much heat is worst than cold sometimes. That said you have done a good job of the build.
I am lucky to have a separate out building that I use for plants in winter. Dog door too, but have the closed system oil filled radiatant heaters, keeps the 30 x15 toasty.
This message was edited Nov 27, 2011 10:22 AM
We're just playing with it right now, before the cold comes. I have only 6 big plants in the green house right now, I've got about 75 more to go. When I'm getting the heater loaded up and started (flaming) is when it is so hot. I have to have the greenhouse door open when I'm doing that. The secret is to put a big log in there to smolder all night long.
I placed my plants in the greenhouse in mid October when our first frost hit. Last night's freeze was our third one and to think that a few nights ago, it was 72ºF for a low. Being out in the country has its drawbacks — no urban island heating to keep temperatures up.
This year, I've added a fan to increase air circulation and to get some of the warmer air down from the ceiling to the plants. Discovered last night that the thermostat is faulty. The heater kept cycling on and off which allowed the temperature in the greenhouse to drop down to 43ºF.
It dropped to 30 degrees at my house last night. I went out a couple days ago and dug up a brug that was putting on it's first bloom!! I hope it makes it ok in the shop. I have sunlight flouresents in the fixtures on the plant end. I had one of my lemon trees set blooms there last year in the winter! I harvested 7 lemons on the little tree that year. I really only got them for the Giant Swallowtail butterflies to lay eggs on, but I will take the lemons too.
Swallowtails like lemon trees?!!! Gotta get me one of those :)
I just today got the frame up for my 8x5 hoop house . It should be fine in this zone to keep anything from freezing . I have a lime that's setting fruit and ee's and a coupla other plants including two tomatoes that are blooming . We'll see .
I like to leave my plants outside till the first freeze. That way they go dormant and sleep during the winter. I like to keep the greenhouse at 40* minimum. All my tender topicals I put in the house. But I still like for them to go dormant if possible till I can get them back outside in the spring.
We had our first freeze two nights ago . I had everything covered with a step ladder and an old bedspread .The ladder made a good frame for the bedspread.
Most of what I have in my greenhouse are Brugs and plumeria which freeze sensitive. I get them in just before the first freeze. I'm almost in zone 9a. Here, because of all the "warm" days we get, my plants don't go dormant. One year, to conserve propane, my DH set the thermostat at 40ºF. That was the year I lost a large number of plants.
Since then I've tried to keep the thermostat set at ~ 55ºF. Since there is a lag period between the low reached and the heater producing enough heat to get to all the plants, I figure It doesn't get much below 45º - 48º in the greenhouse. I would like to keep the temperature a bit higher, but I exceeded the capacity of the heater when I added a new section to the greenhouse. A new heater will have to wait until next fall.
I am going to have an added problem this winter. I won't be able to monitor the greenhouse's temperature from our new house which should be ready by the end of the month. It's distance from the greenhouse is about 1/2 mile — too far for any sensor. Moving the greenhouse will have to wait until we settle in the new house. Meanwhile, I will be making some late night trips to the greenhouse, on nights a freeze is predicted, to make sure everything is all right.
Cats.....here is the info, and shows pictures of a few tiny "red dog" caterpillars of the GST. http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/639/
Cats , I had good luck with a small electric heater with a thermostat several years ago in a small G H . Maybe it would be good for that "extra heat " It was under 30.00 at H D
My 8x10 home made corrugated fiberglass panel GH is kept toasty with a $15.95 Milk House heater. If temps get to the teens I add a second MH heater. Option if you have electricity to your GH.
My little G R was on my deck and built around a 4x8 sheet of plywood on top of a 4x8sheet if 1" foam insulation . My kitchen window opened to it with a large thermomiter hung at chest height . I also kept a fan in the window to blow warm air from the house into it .I wish I'd had a digital camera so I could show what beautiful , healthy plants I had .When I get home to GA. I'm going to try to take a picture of a picture to share.It was wrapped in plastic.
Not sure what a MH heater is but for $16 sounds like a good way to go!
Wish I could find one of these local..16 dollars seems like a steal. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Milk+House+heater&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7993410500023983510&sa=X&ei=MzzgToylNcvqggfBgd3jBQ&ved=0CIABEPMCMAQ
Was staying with a friend with cancer last night and my plants got nipped. I don't have my hoop house covered yet so I am running the sprinkler on them all night to keep them from freezing. Hope to get it covered this weekend or I am kicking a couple guys to the curb. I don't ask for much and they pay cheap rent. :)
Oh, I have had one or two of those before. Nice heat for the size they were.
