Infrared Polycarbonate Greenhouse Heaters: How To Heat A Winter Greenhouse, How To Heat A Greenhouse In Spring And The Best Way To Heat It In Winter

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Today, many summer residents have greenhouses in which they grow various fruits and vegetables all year round, which allows them not only to have access to fresh produce all the time, but also to earn money on it. But in the winter season, whatever the greenhouse is, it needs heating. And today in our article we will talk about heating such buildings made of polycarbonate.

Design features

It should be said that no matter what the greenhouse is, they all have approximately the same operating principle. But still, such buildings have a number of features that must be present during construction. A polycarbonate greenhouse is a stationary building, and therefore needs two things:

• good and durable frame;
• a really solid and well-made foundation.

If we are talking about a year-round greenhouse, then it cannot exist without a capital foundation. A foundation made of wood will not work here, because it must be changed periodically. It is best to make the foundation for such a building from bricks, blocks or concrete.

The strip foundation is usually created along the entire perimeter of the structure, it is done quite simply, and its cost is low.

It is also necessary to take into account the features of the frame . The fact is that the operation of the described structure in winter presupposes the presence of snow. Its accumulation on the greenhouse roof leads to an increase in the loads on the frame base, which can cause the gradual destruction of the greenhouse or the failure of its part. For this reason, the frame must be made of metal or wood.

Methods and types

If the greenhouse is properly insulated, you can choose one of the types of heating. When choosing equipment, you need to know what kind of heat loss your greenhouse has. Calculation of heat loss can be easily requested from specialists. If we talk about the most common methods of heating, then there are such options:

• water based;
• air;
• infrared;

• oven;
• electric;
• sunny.

The most common is water heating . When installing radiators and registers, there will be little sense from such a system, because warm air will collect at the top, and below, where all the plants are located, it will be cold. And it will be necessary to solve the problem of heating the soil. To solve it, you can create combined heating, which is considered traditional - when part of the coolant goes to the radiators, and the second goes to the pipes from which the warm floor is made.

If desired, the coolant, after leaving the radiators, can be introduced into the pipes, which will be located under the pallets or directly on the beds. In this way, heating will be carried out.

Another fairly common type of heating will be air heating . True, it has a minus - the air dries very strongly, which creates the need for constant air humidification. In addition, heating in such a system will also be uneven - the air will be the warmest at the top, and the coldest at the bottom. Here it is also necessary to provide for a ventilation system.

An interesting solution for greenhouses can be devices based on the principle of infrared radiation . They will not heat the air, as the options mentioned above, but the soil and plants themselves, from which the air will already be heated. It is based on the principle of exposure to ordinary sunlight. Under these conditions, the plants will develop significantly better, and the leaves will not dry out, which can be observed when using the options mentioned above.

In addition, the earth can be heated in this way. To do this, you can find special carbon heating films on the market that generate heat in the so-called infrared range, the film options work in the same way as lamps of this type.

In addition, the greenhouse can be heated by sunlight . This is usually the case, since greenhouse walls are made of materials that transmit light. Heating occurs during the day, and cooling at night. But it should be said that in early spring, in autumn and in winter, the sunny day is not so great, and the sun is not high above the horizon. To increase the efficiency of such heating, you can make the building slope to the south, which will help the sun's rays to better illuminate and heat the greenhouse space.

You can also install the so-called heat accumulators in the greenhouse . - barrels of water, which must be painted black. Thus, during the day the water in the tanks will be heated, and at night the heat will be removed.

Electric heating can also be installed in polycarbonate greenhouses. This option can be easily implemented in several ways:

• using a heating cable that is buried in the ground;
• the use of convectors or electric heaters;
• using lamps;
• thanks to the electric boiler.

Each of the proposed methods has its own installation features, but it is believed that this type of heating is one of the most effective.

Another fairly common heating option is stove heating . It makes it possible to carry out the heating of air masses to the required temperature in any weather conditions. The main thing in this case is that the heat output of the furnace is commensurate with the volume of the greenhouse. As a rule, the stove is installed in this case in the coldest area - at the northern wall.

You can use various stoves - stone, potbelly stoves, buleryans. The choice depends on the preferences of the greenhouse owner. Air distribution in this case can be carried out in different ways:

• in a natural way;
• with fans;
• thanks to the air ducts.

Typically, wood of various types is used as fuel. There are more than enough options.

Types of IR heating

IR heaters are considered one of the most effective heating methods for a greenhouse. Such a system has already established itself as a high-quality and very efficient heating option that does not require serious costs for installation and installation. When choosing this type of heater, two factors must be taken into account:

• the level of air humidity (is a particularly relevant factor);
• design features of the greenhouse itself.

Existing infrared heaters can be roughly divided into several categories:

• gas emitters that generate not only heat, but also carbon dioxide;
• long-wave heaters with an open heating element or aluminum plate, which provide only warmth to the room;
• shortwave electric infrared models that also provide heat to the building.

The peculiarity of such heaters is that infrared radiation is directed not to heating the air, but directly to heating plants, soil, and also plants.

If we talk about the principle of operation of such a heater, then it is quite simple. Its design is infrared ceramic emitters, which are housed in a frame made of mirror-polished steel. They simply reproduce rays that simulate the light and heat of the sun. Such rays allow objects, walls, plants, to absorb heat, from which the air is then heated.

Another important characteristic of such devices is that their rays cover the maximum area if you move them further and further from the floor. Naturally, the temperature of such a surface will decrease.

In addition to the mentioned effect, which is similar to solar, this type of heaters have other advantages:

• Profitability in the use of energy. If installed correctly, up to forty percent of electrical energy can be saved.
• Practicality . In the presence of a couple of such heaters, it is possible to organize a number of zones in the greenhouse, where it will be possible to set the required temperature in any area.

• Clear distribution of warm air masses … The uneven distribution of heat, which can be observed with a large number of conventional heaters, is eliminated, when warm air masses go up, and less warm ones remain in the lower part. For plants and land, this is a minus. In this case, it is the objects that are heated and already from them - the air.
• When using such a heater, completely no drafts … If this type of heater is located close to window openings, it is possible to compensate for heat losses without generating any air movement.

In addition, there are also infrared heaters in the form of a film, which can even heat the ground. Therefore, this category can be called the most effective.

Possibilities of a heated greenhouse

Let's assume that the greenhouse will be heated, but it will not have any additional lighting. In such a situation, it is light, not heat, that will become the most important criterion in the selection of crops, as well as the timing of their germination. For example, in winter, when the length of the day is short, there are frosts, and there are many cloudy days, it will be very difficult to grow something even with the help of heating.

For vegetables to grow actively, they need at least twelve or even fourteen hours of lighting. Such conditions begin to take shape sometime after March 15, and therefore, around this time, it is necessary to start sowing.

And already from April, heating the greenhouse, you can prepare for the first harvest. Typically, we are talking about onions, parsley, dill, radishes, collard greens and salads. When all this is grown, you can plant seedlings of tomatoes, and then cucumbers.

It should be said that a greenhouse that is heated but does not have lighting can start work about a month earlier than a normal greenhouse. Conditions will be relatively acceptable for plants when the soil temperature is about 6-8 degrees above zero, and all frosts will stop. If you have the opportunity to constantly achieve such a soil temperature, then year-round vegetables and fruits are provided for you. It is for this reason that it is important not only to heat the air, but also to warm up the earth. You can get exactly this result in three ways:

Insulate the soil with biofuel and make so-called warm beds. A layer of organic material is placed under a 30-35 cm layer of soil, which decomposes during the release of heat and warms the place where the plant roots are located. To create such a layer, food waste, dry leaves, or fresh manure may be suitable

• Heat greenhouses with underground pipes. True, in this case, it is necessary to provide for timely watering, since this method greatly dries the earth.
• Warm up the soil with IR heaters. Although the method is natural, the costs here will be serious, since electricity is consumed.

How to do it yourself?

You can do it yourself heating the greenhouse. An excellent example is infrared heating, which is the simplest and most effective. When calculating equipment for heating a polycarbonate greenhouse, its area should be taken into account. To create favorable conditions for the germination of various crops, a power of 200 watts is required per square meter of area.

Therefore, the available area is multiplied by the required heating capacity. As a result of this, you will find out the total power, which should be guided by when purchasing infrared heaters.

Before installing such heaters, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• The installation of such a heater must be carried out at a height of at least one meter.
• The further the heater is from the floor, the larger the area to be covered and the lower the temperature.
• It is always best to keep the distance between the heater and the plants constant. As the plants grow, the position of the heaters can be adjusted.

• Heaters of this type are best mounted around the perimeter of the greenhouse, closer to the walls, since they are the coldest places of such a building.
• A distance of about one and a half meters should be maintained between the heaters.
• To effectively heat such a building, you should have several heaters. It all depends on the actual dimensions of the building, the temperature you need, distance, height and location of the heaters.

If you do not want to use heaters of this type to heat your winter greenhouse, then you can find other options. The simplest option would be, for example, installing a potbelly stove. In this case, only the greenhouse area and the desired temperature need to be considered.

It is imperative to calculate how economically beneficial it will be.

Tips & Tricks

The first point that must be noted is the advance accounting of the available funds for the purchase of the desired system. The fact is that if in the process of creating it it turns out that you do not have enough money, then redoing the greenhouse will cost you significantly more.

You also need to immediately clearly and clearly understand what is the area of your greenhouse ., and what kind of stable temperature you want to achieve in it. In addition, you should take into account the fact that exactly you are going to grow, and what conditions are necessary for these plants. This is all very important so that you can get the most out of your greenhouse heating effect.

In addition, before choosing a heating system, you should consider how economically beneficial and profitable it will be to use it. This will also maximize the effect and get a really good harvest.

It is possible to create heating for a winter greenhouse made of polycarbonate with your own hands. The main thing is to have a good theoretical base and to carry out all the necessary calculations in advance in order to calculate the economic feasibility of one or many heating methods. You should also take into account all the features of working with a particular heating system in order to maximize its efficiency and effectiveness.

Done correctly, you can enjoy fresh, quality fruits and vegetables grown by you all year round.