dd wrote:

I grow my orchids indoors in NE USA. I've been looking at back-up heat
sources for my orchid room for this winter, just in case the power grid
goes down again.

After doing some on-line research, I have concluded that Kerosene burns
dirty and gives off ethylene gas, which is supposedly not good for
orchids and causes bud blast, at the very least. By contrast, Propane
gas burns clean, but the tank must be kept outside because if the tank
leaks, it's very dangerous--Propane gas settles in the lowest point in
a house (like the furnace room in the basement) and is highly
explosive.


Keep a fan on? I actually have a couple 'catalytic' heaters. They
use a Coleman gas cylinder (like a camp stove), or I suppose you could
use a propane tank and the right fittings. They 'burn' gas using a
catalytic reation, at a lower temperature than combustion and much more
effficiently. Supposedly the only products are CO2 and H2O.

Found them at Home Despot, of all places. I bought them three or
four years ago, and have used them a couple times. They don't put out a
lot of heat, but one will keep a few hundred square feet warm enough to
keep your plants alive.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit
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