heating your greenhouse

[profire31]

What's the thought on using a woodstove to help keep fuel oil prices down. Just a thought I'm considering and not sure this is something I want to do. Thanks and happy farming

 

[Anonymous-0]

I was in the neighbors greenhouse one 0 deg. F winter day. The dogs were in there panting. I asked how hard it was to heat, he said during the day the sun did it but as soon as it went down the furnace kicked in, not sure I would want to have to be out there stoking a wood burner at night!

 

[profire31]

I hear you on that and I can tell you I'm not getting up during the night. I was just wondering if I burnt it in evenings and hit it one time before bed how much oil it may save. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

Coal! You need to look at a coal fired heater. I'd think a Hitzer 82 FA ought to work nicely.

 

[Ecnerwal]

Local greenhouse operation used woodchip fed by auger to a steam boiler - so long as the automation worked, no oil at all, and they were sourcing their woodchips from places that considered them waste, so pretty much the cost to haul them only. Well, whatever electricity was needed for the augers, shakers, blowers etc., and maintenance of the system.

Despite that, cheap (and last summer, infected, at least the tomatoes) plants trucked in from down south seem more popular, so several greenhouse operations that used to be here (the other one was all natural gas heat) are not here any more - southern states mean less heating, easier access to cheaper labor, put it on a truck and ship it when spring comes in the target area.

 

[Chester5731]

Around here the amish do it all the time.

 

[usetob]

southern states mean less heating, easier access to cheaper labor, put it on a truck and ship it when spring comes in the target area. (Ecnerwal said)

please explain that one, cheap labor in the south??
we don't have slaves anymore

 

[Clefus]

I built a small one for my dad years ago ... laid a block foundation...wood frame....south side angled and covered with polycarb greenhouse plastic sheets...board n batten on the rest.....the floor had a foot of crushed concrete with 4" corr pipe thru it to act as a heat sink.....then dry bricks laid on that after some crushed stone to level....a thermostat regulates a blower to pull heat from the floor when the sun goes down....works really well....he has a gas heater for back up , water , and electric....slatted table to raise plants on....

 

[Jim SC]

We raise about 6-700 lbs per week of greenhouse tomatoes. There are companies that build wood heaters specifically for greenhouses and with fireboxes that take wood up to 5 feet in length. If you have adequate source of wood, these heaters are big enough to run 6000 square feet of greenhouse in SC or 4500 SF in Ohio, loading them once each day. Temp controls shut down air to box when heat demand is low, etc.
I would have one if I had discovered them before we put in propane....and if I wasn't so old as to be considering quiting this year.