Heating a Greenhouse with a wood burner
Heating a green house with a wood burner - The Pros and cons
First the essentials...
Wood must have less than 20% moisture content for efficiency, heat output and to minimise soot and smoke
Burn rate or temperature in fire box must be hot enough for good combustion, a slow smouldering fire is not good
Flue maintenance is absolutely essential this means regular checks on soot build up and sweeping
First the essentials...
Wood must have less than 20% moisture content for efficiency, heat output and to minimise soot and smoke
Burn rate or temperature in fire box must be hot enough for good combustion, a slow smouldering fire is not good
Flue maintenance is absolutely essential this means regular checks on soot build up and sweeping
Pros
|
Cons
|
Is it worth the trouble? Possibly, if you have the time to nurse the fire, keep it clean and can get the wood. It also depends on the temperature requirements of the plants. In my greenhouse there is a mixed bag of cycads, palms and southern hemisphere rarities. Most of these plants will tolerate going down to freezing but will always appreciate a bit of extra heat. The cycads - I have had for many years and are incredibly slow growing if they don't have much heat. In previous winters they have been kept at - min 0 deg C. max perhaps 15 deg C on a good sunny day much too cold really, but they do survive they just don't grow. Now they are getting 20-25 deg C for approx. 4 to 5 hours a day (I only fire up for about 3 hours a day). Providing them with a boost of heat during the winter will I hope promote better growth in the summer.
We shall see what difference if any it makes and I will update. February 24th 2015.
End of February 2018 and its freezing. Minus 6 at night minus 1 during the day. The stove is lit at 5am and the temperature goes from one degree C to about 18 after an hour. The plants are exposed to near freezing temperatures at night but I'm hoping a warm boost for 4 hours in the morning will get them through this cold spell. The most vulnerable plants are the more tropical Cycas and Dioon spinulosum. The electrical background heat is just enough to keep the temperature above freezing. Of course if money was no object I would have a fan heater going all the time but the cost is just too much to justify and if the plants survive then it demonstrates that many cycads will survive cold nights with no ill effect.
We shall see what difference if any it makes and I will update. February 24th 2015.
End of February 2018 and its freezing. Minus 6 at night minus 1 during the day. The stove is lit at 5am and the temperature goes from one degree C to about 18 after an hour. The plants are exposed to near freezing temperatures at night but I'm hoping a warm boost for 4 hours in the morning will get them through this cold spell. The most vulnerable plants are the more tropical Cycas and Dioon spinulosum. The electrical background heat is just enough to keep the temperature above freezing. Of course if money was no object I would have a fan heater going all the time but the cost is just too much to justify and if the plants survive then it demonstrates that many cycads will survive cold nights with no ill effect.