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#1
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soil warming cable
Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat which is supposed to be buried
in the earth/sand. However I have noticed that you can now buy a warming mat which is a mat with the element fixed to it in some way and it is laid on a block of polystyrene then it is suggested that the mat is covered in aluminium foil. This would be a better idea for me as I could just lay my propagators on top of it. So what is this mat made from or could I just use capillary matting and stitch the cable to it using nylon thread? Thanks for any advice, Ron |
#2
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soil warming cable
"Rocket Ron" wrote in message . .. Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat which is supposed to be buried in the earth/sand. However I have noticed that you can now buy a warming mat which is a mat with the element fixed to it in some way and it is laid on a block of polystyrene then it is suggested that the mat is covered in aluminium foil. This would be a better idea for me as I could just lay my propagators on top of it. So what is this mat made from or could I just use capillary matting and stitch the cable to it using nylon thread? Thanks for any advice, Ron The heated mat things are a cable stitched to an open mesh of what appears to be polypropylene. I guess you could attach your heating cable to anything non flammable and heat resistant . The main point to remember is that the cable surface should be open to the heat transfer media which can be aluminium foil/sheet. The plus point about using sand is that you can use a fairy thick layer and sink pots/trays deep into it. |
#3
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soil warming cable
"Rocket Ron" wrote in message . .. Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat which is supposed to be buried in the earth/sand. However I have noticed that you can now buy a warming mat which is a mat with the element fixed to it in some way and it is laid on a block of polystyrene then it is suggested that the mat is covered in aluminium foil. This would be a better idea for me as I could just lay my propagators on top of it. So what is this mat made from or could I just use capillary matting and stitch the cable to it using nylon thread? Thanks for any advice, Ron I use the foil covered mats for my propagator as they are a lot lighter and therefore the benching can be lighter weight. Sand and cables are cheaper. but can become contaminated with phytophora fungi. Using the soil cables without the sand risks overheating them and there will be insuffient heat spread. (you have to keep the sand damp as well) It is very important that you cover the foil with a waterproof layer of polythene as you will find most drinking water is acidic and quickly rots the foil if it comes in contact with it. The temperature control on the foil is much better and the electric used is about 75% of that used for soil cables to acheive the same results. As you can gather its not a straight choice there are pro's and con's to both systems, but if like me its on all the time running costs play a bigger part than start up costs. -- Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of National collections of Clematis viticella and Lapageria rosea cultivars |
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