We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
total on time was less than 2 hours.

Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
over 10°C.

Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

TIA.
--
Regards,

Troy the Black Lab.

On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:

We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
total on time was less than 2 hours.

Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
over 10°C.

Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

TIA.

Dunno really,
I've only used them where they're on all the time because the house is too
big for them. All I can say is that on the ones I've seen the thermostats are usually very
crude affairs and unlikely to be accurate to any better than a few degrees,
so even with a good one you're going to need to monitor temperatures
carefully for a while, preferably with several themometers placed in
strategic places. Then mark the control at the position/s that give you the
temperature range you need. The alternative is to wire in a decent
thermostat but they cost more than your heater cost.

Rod

In message , Troy
writes
We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
total on time was less than 2 hours.

Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
over 10°C.

Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

TIA.
I bought one a few years ago and it was useless - the thermostat was
directly in front of the heater element. On 2kw setting it would cut out
almost immediately. Seems they haven't improved them.
--
hugh
Reply to address is valid at the time of posting

The message
from Troy contains these words:


Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater?

I have one which has worked well for about 12 yrs, cost £60 IIRC, made
by a company called Parwin, specifically for GH's etc. Not beautiful but
built to last; they used to sell by mail order. I've lost the address
(Manchester, possibly?) but you might find it by a websearch.

Janet.

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:


Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

Reading the other replies I guess I'm just lucky, but mine is working
perfectly in 'froststat' mode! At £19.99 it's cheaper to buy one each
year than run a parafin heater!


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Hello

In article ,
Troy wrote:
We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
total on time was less than 2 hours.

Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
over 10°C.

Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

You need tocontrol it with a good long rod thermostat mounted near the roof
of the greenhouse.

John

--
EurIng J Rye CEng FIEE Electrical Engineering Consultant
18 Wentworth Close Hadleigh IPSWICH IP7 5SA England
Tel No 01473 827126 http://web.ukonline.co.uk/jrye/index.html
--- On Line using an Acorn StrongArm RiscPC ---

"Derek Turner" somewhat@odds wrote in message
...
On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:

Reading the other replies I guess I'm just lucky, but mine is working
perfectly in 'froststat' mode! At £19.99 it's cheaper to buy one each
year than run a parafin heater!

Really? I was just about to buy a little £10 paraffin heater (my greenhouse
is only 4x6). Would it be a waste of money, do you think?

Thanks,

On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 08:13:09 +0000, Derek Turner somewhat@odds
wrote:

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:


Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

Reading the other replies I guess I'm just lucky, but mine is working
perfectly in 'froststat' mode! At £19.99 it's cheaper to buy one each
year than run a parafin heater!

Excluding the cost of electricity?
--
Martin

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:178339

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 22:20:49 +0000, hugh ] wrote:

~In message , Troy
writes
~We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
~see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
~only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
~(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
~morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
~the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
~total on time was less than 2 hours.
~
~Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
~the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
~already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
~over 10°C.
~
~Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
~go back to paraffin :-(
~
~TIA.
~I bought one a few years ago and it was useless - the thermostat was
~directly in front of the heater element. On 2kw setting it would cut out
~almost immediately. Seems they haven't improved them.

I bought a thermostatic convection heater for the conservatory
greenhouse from B&Q (an EWT or something) and it's not terribly good
either. Its wattage switch sails round in circles and never stays on
where I've set it. Still, the thermostat seems to be reasonable, and
after buying a max/min thermometer and fiddling with the dial for a
while, I was able to calibrate the temperature settings.

Despite its poor build quality it's still working fine for heating,
and because I do sit in there, I wanted it quiet so no fan.

Have only frozen the bougainvilleas once, cos some silly person
forgot to plug the heater back in after setting up the Christmas tree
lights one year :-) (They survived)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

In message , Janice
writes
"Derek Turner" somewhat@odds wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:

Reading the other replies I guess I'm just lucky, but mine is working
perfectly in 'froststat' mode! At £19.99 it's cheaper to buy one each
year than run a parafin heater!

Really? I was just about to buy a little £10 paraffin heater (my greenhouse
is only 4x6). Would it be a waste of money, do you think?


No, paraffin heaters are fine. But if you elec.. in the GH then an elec.
heater is much convenient and cleaner.

Derek just seemed to making a comment regarding the cost of the heater
compared to the cost of the paraffin (though you still have to run the
elc. heater.).
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

In message , Troy
writes
We had our first sub-zero temperatures last night and I was interested to
see the performance of my new Parasene "Frost Shield" 2Kw fan heater. I
only need frost protection for the greenhouse and so set it for just that -
(should protect at temperatures of 5°C and lower). Very disappointed this
morning to find that the greenhouse temperature had dropped to -1°C during
the night. The heater had switched itself on and off a few times but the
total on time was less than 2 hours.

Where were you measuring the greenhouse air temperature though. If it
was against an outside wall then that might be accurate. Yesterday was
extremely cold down to -7C here so under powered heaters will struggle.

Until you have a feel for how well or badly it works you need a min-max
thermometer and a healthy safety margin of min 5C target to ensure it
all stays frost free even on the coldest nights.

Took it back to B&Q today and got a new one. This one seems to be working
the opposite way. It's a much warmer evening and it's (same settings)
already been on for over 4 hours with the greenhouse temperature currently
over 10°C.

Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

Mine (much older version) worked perfectly for several years until the
greenhouse fell on it. The fan was still running after that but the
heating element didn't work.

A separate thermostat somewhere near the plants you most want protected
is the only half way reliable method. The one inside the heater is to
easy to satisfy (and some modern ones have it a daft location).

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

Thanks for the helpful replies everyone.

I checked this morning and the heater had been on nearly all night although
it was set for frost protection only. It was still on in the middle of the
day with the outside temperature 7°C and the greenhouse temperature 12°C.

I phoned the manufactures (Parasene) this morning. They agreed that this
heater must be faulty but said the one I returned was not faulty. They said
the frost protection setting only works for greenhouses up to 6ft X 6ft. I
said - hang on - you advertise the heater to provide frost protection for
greenhouses "up to 120 sq ft". Yes - it will, they said, but for sizes
larger than 6 X 6 you have to set the thermostat manually to a higher
setting.

I then asked where this was in the instructions - only to be told it wasn't
in the instructions but was true. I said a thermostat works by heat and not
area and it *should* have switched itself on at 5°C regardless of the size
of the greenhouse. They said I was wrong - "That setting only works for
greenhouses up to 6 X 6 although it doesn't say so in the instructions".

Great :-(

It's going back. I've lost faith in this company's products.
--
Regards,

Troy the Black Lab.

Martin Brown wrote:

Where were you measuring the greenhouse air temperature though. If it
was against an outside wall then that might be accurate. Yesterday was
extremely cold down to -7C here so under powered heaters will struggle.

The themometer (in/out - max/min) is well away from the outside walls and
the greenhouse is well insulated with bubble plastic. I think the reading
was reasonably accurate.

A separate thermostat somewhere near the plants you most want protected
is the only half way reliable method. The one inside the heater is to
easy to satisfy (and some modern ones have it a daft location).

Seems the best solution - will have a look around. Thanks for your help.
--
Regards,

Troy the Black Lab.

In message , martin
writes
On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 08:13:09 +0000, Derek Turner somewhat@odds
wrote:

On Mon, 8 Dec 2003 21:02:35 +0000, Troy wrote:


Any ideas? Suggestions for a more reliable heater? I really don't want to
go back to paraffin :-(

Reading the other replies I guess I'm just lucky, but mine is working
perfectly in 'froststat' mode! At £19.99 it's cheaper to buy one each
year than run a parafin heater!

Excluding the cost of electricity?

No. Even with the cost of the electricity electric powered greenhouse
heating is a design win. Insulating the windows and good thermostatic
control are the key to cost savings.

Paraffin or gas burning requires ventilation so cold air gets in and the
fuel isn't particularly cheap in the UK.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

"Troy" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the helpful replies everyone.

I checked this morning and the heater had been on nearly all night
although
it was set for frost protection only. It was still on in the middle of the
day with the outside temperature 7°C and the greenhouse temperature 12°C.

I phoned the manufactures (Parasene) this morning. They agreed that this
heater must be faulty but said the one I returned was not faulty. They
said
the frost protection setting only works for greenhouses up to 6ft X 6ft. I
said - hang on - you advertise the heater to provide frost protection for
greenhouses "up to 120 sq ft". Yes - it will, they said, but for sizes
larger than 6 X 6 you have to set the thermostat manually to a higher
setting.

I then asked where this was in the instructions - only to be told it
wasn't
in the instructions but was true. I said a thermostat works by heat and
not
area and it *should* have switched itself on at 5°C regardless of the size
of the greenhouse. They said I was wrong - "That setting only works for
greenhouses up to 6 X 6 although it doesn't say so in the instructions".

Great :-(

It's going back. I've lost faith in this company's products.

And tell them that a physicist tells them that they don't know their brasses
from their elbows as far as temperature control is concerned.

Franz