Greenhouse heating -- heated table top?
 

I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
om...
I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

Dave

Use horse poop to provide the heat. It's free, and the carbon dioxide
produced will help the plants. Our combined goat and chicken house will
be heated with goat and chicken poop.


Ray Drouillard

"Ray Drouillard" wrote in message ...
"Dave" wrote in message
om...
I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

Dave

Use horse poop to provide the heat. It's free, and the carbon dioxide
produced will help the plants. Our combined goat and chicken house will
be heated with goat and chicken poop.

Ray Drouillard

I've seen that mentioned but how much manure depth would actually be
required for decent results? Thanks.

Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
om...
"Ray Drouillard" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote in message
om...
I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the
price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I
also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a
heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance
wire
in a thin bed of sand?

Dave

Use horse poop to provide the heat. It's free, and the carbon
dioxide
produced will help the plants. Our combined goat and chicken house
will
be heated with goat and chicken poop.

Ray Drouillard

I've seen that mentioned but how much manure depth would actually be
required for decent results? Thanks.

Dave

I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know offhand. You can probably find
plans for hothouses, though. Try looking on google.


Ray

On 2 Oct 2004 05:18:01 -0700, (Dave) wrote:

I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

Dave

For a fairly small area (3'xg') devoted to germinating seeds, I used
an aquarium heater in a tank of water with an aquarium pump to
circulate the water via plastic pipe embedded in sand. Worked OK as
long as I remembered to keep the reservoir topped up. That could be
cured with a float valve, but I didn't bother. Likewise, metal pipe
would transfer more heat.

On 2 Oct 2004 05:18:01 -0700, (Dave) wrote:

I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

There was a thread on...rec.gardens, I think...a while back on
using a waterbed heater to warm a seed tray. There were several
people who had tried it, I believe, but also a couple of warnings
about fire hazards.

You could probably google under the rec.gardens hierarchy for
"waterbed heaters" and pull up the information.


Penelope



--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"

Penelope Periwinkle wrote in message . ..
On 2 Oct 2004 05:18:01 -0700, (Dave) wrote:

I'm pondering what I might do to more efficiently heat my small
greenhouse to a minimal extent (40F). With the increase in the price
of natural gas I wonder if electric would be about the same? I also
want to consider assembling a table with a clear plastic cover to
contain the heat to a smaller area. Perhaps I could create a heated
table top? That would be useful next Spring. I suppose resistance wire
in a thin bed of sand?

There was a thread on...rec.gardens, I think...a while back on
using a waterbed heater to warm a seed tray. There were several
people who had tried it, I believe, but also a couple of warnings
about fire hazards.

You could probably google under the rec.gardens hierarchy for
"waterbed heaters" and pull up the information.


I think a waterbed heater might be a little scary. That resistance
wire they use to prevent pipes from freezing might be safer. The idea
of a circulating water scheme is attractive and you could use it with
various sources of heat -- even solar -- but on the negative side it
itself could become another freeze risk unless you used antifreeze in
the water.

Dave

the alive adjustment requires electricity to operate, which can be costly, complicated and not absolutely eco-friendly in general. However, you cannot abatement the actuality that it can be acclimated during the harder winter months if the sun is boilerplate to be seen.

There was a cilia on...rec.gardens, I think...a while aback on using a waterbed boiler to balmy a berry tray. There were several people who had approved it, I believe, but as well a brace of warnings about blaze hazards.