Heating greenhouses: 4 effective ways to provide yourself

Heating systems are designed not only in residential buildings, industrial premises and structures for commercial purposes, intended for finding people in them. Without heating, plants planted into the ground under the protection of plastic, glass or plastic structures cannot exist. Unlike classical climate systems, heating greenhouses has its own characteristics.

For information on which installation scheme is optimal and which heating boilers are better to use in this case, read below.

Features of heating networks

Starting consideration of the question of what kind of heating for the greenhouse is better, it is necessary to dwell in more detail on the features of the climatic equipment that should be used to heat the plants.

Heating for greenhouses can be arranged in various ways.

The choice of a particular option depends on the following factors:

• size facilities for growing crops;
• used house heating system - if, for example, a heat-transfer fluid is used in a dwelling, then water heating for greenhouses would be the best choice, otherwise preference for other species would be better);
• The estimated amount of money you are willing to spend on heating - in most cases, the most economical is a heating system with a gas boiler, however, it is also possible to heat the greenhouse with wood (if you have the opportunity to get them cheaper or collect them for free in the nearest forest).

Regardless of the option you choose, the heating for the greenhouse should be arranged so that the air warms evenly in all corners of the agrotechnical structure.

There are several common ways to achieve this:

1. Heating furnaces for greenhouses, working without batteries and coolant. This is not the most effective scheme, since it does not allow to heat the entire required area due to the absence of air circulation. But in this way it is possible to organize stove heating for a greenhouse, which has a much smaller area.
2. Greenhouse with heating fan. Heats the air more efficiently and evenly, however, it overdries it strongly, which is very harmful for grown plants. In addition, the warm air at the top, coming into contact with the glass, will quickly cool, so the operating cost of this type of heating will be quite high.
3. Water heating in the greenhouse. The most acceptable and economical way. It is only necessary to correctly calculate the power of the used batteries and the heating boiler. The plant heating system can be part of the home climate system. In this case, preferably underground location of pipelines in order to avoid unproductive losses of thermal energy.

Note! Industrial greenhouses with heating are designed completely differently. This is due to the large area of ​​facilities, as well as economic and other factors that do not affect the choice of the climate system for individual use. Moreover, the heating of greenhouses with their own hands, you are unlikely to be able to realize because of the high cost and complexity.

So, we formulate the main characteristics that must be met by heating in greenhouses:

• constant high air humidity is necessary, otherwise the plants will dry out and may die;
• in order to avoid unproductive heat losses, it is necessary to organize the gradual heating of air and its slow circulation from the floor to the upper part of the structure;
• the greenhouse heating system used should prevent the reproduction of pathogens that cause damage to agricultural crops;
• if you are designing your own greenhouse heating, you must choose a technology that is easily accessible for implementation (for example, heating a greenhouse with a heat pump is one of the best solutions, however, building such a system without using special equipment is impossible);

• it is important to think about the economic component, and we are talking about both the initial capital expenditures and the cost of subsequent exploitation;
• The last factor is control: it is desirable that home-made heating in a greenhouse does not require constant and vigilant attention from the gardener during work (electronic temperature controllers connected to temperature sensors can take care of this).

Methods for heating agrotechnical structures

When deciding how to heat a greenhouse, you need to remember that most of the thermal energy enters this structure in a natural way - from the sun's rays passing through polyethylene, polycarbonate or glass.

Thus, for example, greenhouse heating (small in size) is organized. There can only be installed a small heater, which is included in particularly cold or cloudy days.

However, large indoor facilities for growing plants necessarily require additional heating. Let us consider in more detail how it can be equipped with heating in the greenhouse with your own hands.

Method 1. Using electric energy

This type of energy source is quite common, effective, but not always economical. To avoid excessive spending, you need to choose the right heat source.

The following varieties exist:

1. Radiators. A fairly effective way to maintain the required air temperature for plants. Great for small-sized greenhouses, when only short-term heating is needed (otherwise this option will not be economical).

If it is planned to grow crops not only in early spring, but also in winter, it is advisable to purchase fan heaters with radiators. They allow you to quickly raise the temperature and prevent the formation of condensation on the walls of the structure.

Choose modern models of electric radiators and fan heaters, using which you can precisely regulate the amount of heat produced. In addition, their heat exchangers of a special form heat up the air more evenly and, thanks to convection, organize its circulation throughout the entire space of the greenhouse.

Note! During the installation of electrical equipment, the safety instructions must be strictly followed, since there is a high risk of electric shock due to the increased humidity in the greenhouse.

1. Cable heating. This method is similar to the well-known “warm floor” system, which is mounted in dwellings. For its arrangement special electrocables are used.

Their installation is carried out as follows:

• removed part of the fertile soil layer;
• heat-insulating material is laid on the bottom of the obtained trench, which will prevent unproductive heat consumption and protect the electrical cable from mechanical damage;
• after that, a layer of fine-grained sand is poured;
• cable is laid on the sand;
• top backfilling of previously excavated soil.

The advantages of this solution are obvious:

• economical consumption of energy;
• the ability to accurately regulate the temperature due to temperature controllers;
• uniform distribution of thermal energy over the entire area of ​​the greenhouse;
• small time and cash costs for installation of equipment.

1. Infrared emitters. This is one of the new ways of heating, which is often used in greenhouses covered with polycarbonate sheets.

Arrangement of such a system is as simple as possible: it is enough to buy and install a certain number of heaters in the right places.

• The advantages of this method of heating the air in the greenhouse are many:
• improving the germination of seeds sown in the soil;
• the ability to organize zones of intensive and weaker heating within the same room (for example, separately for seedlings and already planted plants);
• long life of the purchased wires;
• economical use of electricity.

1. Heating with liquid heat carrier. Water heating greenhouses with their own hands to collect quite difficult, but its effectiveness is worth the effort. The liquid can be heated both with the help of a special boiler (for example, induction) and in the boiler. It is only important to arrange the radiators correctly and organize circulation, for which the water pump mounted on the return pipe is perfect.

Method 2. Using gas

This type of energy is the most economical. But it requires connecting to the main gas network, and this procedure has many obstacles that not everyone can go through. First of all, we are talking about obtaining all the necessary permits for the installation of gas equipment.

Bureaucratic red tape can be avoided by using liquefied gas. However, with its help it is impossible to heat the greenhouse throughout the year, since this requires too frequent replacement of cylinders (or installation of a personal gas tank).

Remember that the use of gas equipment involves the arrangement of supply and exhaust ventilation, providing access to fresh air in agrotechnical construction and removal of combustion products that can be dangerous.

Method 3. Using solid fuel

Furnaces for heating greenhouses that use wood, fuel pallets, pellets or coal are very common for heating both individual greenhouses and large structures typical of farms. Such systems are especially popular in suburban areas where people do not lack firewood.

Solid fuel boilers do not require permits prior to installation and are easier to install. They differ slightly lower efficiency than previously discussed devices, as well as the complexity of management. Agree, it is difficult to regulate the temperature in the greenhouse, which is heated by wood.

Also, such furnaces require constant attention from the person. On dark, cold winter nights, you will have to periodically throw wood into the furnace, otherwise the death of the much-anticipated harvest cannot be avoided.

Tip! For solid fuel boilers and stoves, it is desirable to use high-quality firewood or coal. Otherwise, the efficiency of the heating equipment will decrease further.

The advantage of the described method is the possibility of self-installation of heating equipment. With some skills in plumbing or construction, you can design a furnace for heating and independently.

Method 4. Using organic

From the school course of biology, we all know that the waste products of animals (as well as humans), as well as the remnants of wood and other plants produce heat when rotting. Moreover, this process, the cause of which is the vital activity of bacteria and other microorganisms that feed on decaying organic matter, continues for a rather long period of time.

Therefore, it is advisable to heat a small greenhouse in this way. One bookmark of organic matter lasts for 3-4 months of heating, which is enough to help the plants survive the frost.

Bookmark the "fossil fuel" as follows:

1. Manure, peat or organic matter, which was formed in your compost heap, must be carefully dried, formed into briquettes and folded for storage. 7 days before laying in a greenhouse or greenhouse of humus you need to re-moisten and loosen.

The appearance of steam will indicate the beginning of the process of vital activity of microorganisms. This will serve as a signal to the tab "fuel" in the greenhouse.

1. The thickness of the stacked layer depends on the area of ​​the greenhouse and the number of days that remained until the onset of stable heat. As a rule, 30-60 cm is enough. If you add chopped straw to manure, the duration of heating can be prolonged, but the temperature of the heated soil itself will decrease.
2. On top of the manure poured soil, which is necessary for the growth of plants.

Tip! This method can be combined with the above. So, you can save a significant amount of electricity, gas or firewood.

Conclusion

After reading the article, you yourself were able to make sure that the heating of greenhouses is not such a complicated process as it seemed at first. It is much more difficult to equip other engineering systems of indoor agricultural structures: ventilation, watering, and so on.

You can learn more about this from the video offered to your attention.