Greenhouse Heaters
To keep your greenhouse at a minimum temperature of 7C (45F), the ideal temperature for overwintering most frost sensitive plants, you need to provide heating over the coldest part of the year (autumn and winter). If you don’t heat it at all and rely on the heat of the sun to warm the glass, your greenhouse will simply protect plants from the weather but will not necessarily protect anything that is not hardy.
If your glasshouse has no power supply you will need to rely on paraffin, oil or gas heaters, these need regular attention to ensure they have not run out of fuel and are burning evenly. Electrical heaters are cleaner and fume free to use and can be fitted to a timer and a thermostat to ensure that the minimum amount of energy is used. For details of the latest electric Energy Efficient Heater click here. It’s a clever design that takes the warmer air from the top of the greenhouse, heats it up some more until it is at the right temperature and then recycles it back out into the lower realms of the greenhouse. To get the best out of it you need to position the heater fairly high in the greenhouse and then move the flexible outlet pipes so that the airflow is used to the best advantage. It’s on a thermostat so you can use it as a frost control to whir into action when the temperature falls below the level that you set. What’s more you can even use it in the summer to improve the airflow within your greenhouse by switching off the heating element and using the fan to move the air around instead. It’s the ideal choice for a 10x12 greenhouse.
For a 10x8 greenhouse opt for the stainless steel Bio Green Phoenix heater. It is powerful and quiet and can be used to heat your greenhouse to suit the needs of your plants. Complete with a thermostat and three power output options you can use this heater to keep your 10x8 Growhouse at just the right temperature effortlessly.
For small greenhouses consider the small electric heater (click here), it’s designed for 6x6 or 8x6 greenhouses, and is thermostatically controllable so that you can set it to come on when the greenhouse air temperature drops to a set temperature. Like most electric heaters it can also be used as a fan without the heating function to circulate the greenhouse air around inside.
When using electric greenhouse heaters it is essential to have an insulated electrical supply installed by a properly qualified electrician. The heater should not be plugged in to an extension lead, but directly into a dedicated socket suitable for greenhouse use. Keep your greenhouse heater away from water and also any flammable materials and make sure that greenhouse plants are well away from the heater outlet.
