Heating a greenhouse: types of heating, step-by-step recommendations for arranging it yourself (20 Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Do it yourself

Alexander Korovaev 04/30/2020

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In central Russia, it is simply impossible to get a good harvest of heat-loving crops without greenhouses. If they are also heated, then from the beginning of March you can plant seedlings of any plants in it, and also get early greens for the table. Moreover, installing most greenhouse heating systems with your own hands is quite simple and does not require special skills.

Infrared heaters

The latest developments in greenhouse heating include ceiling-mounted infrared heaters. They consume a minimal amount of electricity, plus the effect of their action far exceeds any other types of heating devices, including water radiators and even heated floors.

Infrared heaters

The heat from them does not rise upward, but spreads evenly throughout the room. Moreover, it is the soil that warms up most intensively, and not the air, which is very important for plants.

It should be noted that to heat greenhouses it is necessary to use only long-wave devices (preferably ceramic) with heating of the working fluid to 270-300°C. Unlike medium-wave emitters, which heat up to 1700-1900°C, they are not capable of burning plants.

Significant advantages of infrared heating also include:

• environmental friendliness and harmlessness: such heaters do not emit carbon dioxide and other combustion products into the air that are harmful to plant health
• infrared devices do not dry the air at all, since they do not heat it, but any objects and surfaces; no humidification of the room is required during their installation
• no heat loss - the efficiency of such heaters is 95%
• efficiency: since they heat the soil rather than the air, the required volume of thermal resources is reduced by 35%; Plus, such devices consume a minimum of electricity
• installation of systems is simple
• the risk of fire when using infrared devices is minimized

Choosing the optimal boiler

It is necessary to select a boiler model taking into account the size of the installed greenhouse, as well as the crops being grown. If there is gas, then it is better to use gas models. For year-round models, solid fuel boilers are a good option. For small greenhouses with periodic use, installing a solid fuel boiler is not suitable. It is much more profitable to install a low-power electric one. It does not require space or the construction of a chimney, and electricity costs are minimal.

When using radiators, a number of calculations are required. To achieve a good result and maintain a constant microclimate, you should contact a specialist. In this case, the following are taken into account :

• dimensions of the building;
• thermal power ;
• number of radiators.

The sections must be distributed throughout the greenhouse in several rows. It is better to opt for low radiators for good soil heating.

Water heating using radiators Source th.decorexpro.com

Underfloor heating system

Installation of heated floors

An ideal option for heating the soil in a greenhouse is also a heated floor system. After all, for successful plant growth, it is the roots that need to be warmed up.

Since heating a greenhouse with electric heating elements will cost a lot of money, it is better to install a stove or boiler in it. The heating system can be combined by installing radiators around the perimeter.

1. It is better to use polyethylene pipes to heat the greenhouse. They are buried to a depth of about 40-50 cm in the drainage - a layer of crushed stone and sand
2. It is not advisable to use metal-plastic for laying in the ground. After all, its fittings (connecting elements) require regular tightening. If you still decide to use such hard plastic, use compensation loops when laying the pipeline
3. The first to be laid is a polyethylene film , which serves as waterproofing.
4. Next, a layer of thermal insulation made of polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene
5. You can also reduce the thermal conductivity of the soil using compacted sand , which is poured over the heat-insulating layer to a height of 10-15 cm
6. The distance between the pipelines should be 0.36 m. To ensure uniform heating, 2 collectors are placed along the edges of the greenhouse. Pipes are connected to them alternately
7. To protect the pipeline from damage when digging the soil with a shovel or pitchfork, slate or metal mesh is laid on top of it
8. The next 35-40 cm layer is fertile soil

Internal thermal insulation

To make heating more efficient and cheaper, you need to pay attention to thermal insulation.

The base can be sheathed with a suitable material - penoplex or polystyrene foam. Then polycarbonate is mounted on top, which is covered with foil-isolon or simply foil.

Decorating walls in a greenhouse with foil

The frame part can be thermally insulated using double glazing. It would be optimal to use polycarbonate. The inside can be additionally covered with bubble wrap.

Heating with gas

Infrared burner

The disadvantages of such heating include the need for mandatory coordination with special services. Moreover, you will not be able to provide gas heating for the greenhouse - the design and installation of such systems is carried out only by specialists. Due to the high risk of ignition during operation, the operation of gas boilers will need to be constantly monitored. Due to the excess carbon monoxide generated during fuel combustion, ventilation .

But still, such devices have much more advantages. The cost of gas is not that high. You will only have to spend money on purchasing a boiler and equipment for it. Such designs ensure uniformity and rapid heating of the greenhouse, plus they are as easy as possible to maintain. But in order for it to heat up evenly, it is better to install heaters or connect several burners at once.

We list the main types of gas equipment used for heating greenhouses:

• convectors: industry produces special devices of this type specifically for heating greenhouses; built-in heat exchanger distributes heat evenly throughout the room; ventilation in it is provided using a coaxial (pipe in pipe) chimney
• heater with two open burners (the second of them serves as a spare) and a vertical chimney; the ventilation system is installed separately
• burners with infrared radiation: they are located in separate zones for local heating of certain types of crops or accelerating seed germination; equipped with a smoke exhauster that throws combustion products into the chimney; their operation does not require the installation of forced ventilation systems - natural is sufficient

In most cases, gas heating in greenhouses is combined with water heating . The principle of its arrangement is similar to that described above.

Heat gas gun

Heat gas gunsused for spot heating can be easily connected to both a gas main and a cylinder.
Such structures are light in weight and quite mobile; they can easily be moved to any other place. The fuel in them burns completely, so the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning during their operation is minimal. Modern gas-fired heat guns are equipped with a temperature and even humidity control system.

Which pipes to use

Here again there are two approaches:

• Use metal (for example, corrugated stainless steel) with high heat transfer. In this case, the installation step is made larger - the heat is transferred well. But here you need to be careful not to burn the roots of the plants.
• Use plastic or metal-plastic pipes. Their heat dissipation is much lower than that of metal, but for some cases this is not bad. For example, pyrolysis boilers do not work well at low return temperatures. In the case of metal-plastic or polypropylene, the temperature difference will be more or less comfortable for such a unit. If you lay metal, then almost cold water will reach the boiler, which will immediately lower the temperature and may disrupt its operating mode. If this situation repeats constantly, expensive equipment (pyrolysis machine) will simply fail.

At low supply temperatures (40°C and below), ordinary black polyethylene pipes can be used. But the reviews here are different. For some they work, others are dissatisfied because they constantly leak from under the fittings. In general, the situation here is this: which pipes in the region are sold cheaper from suitable materials, those are the ones they take. The length of the circuits for heating the soil in the greenhouse is quite large, so this approach is justified. All existing pipes for a warm water floor are also acceptable for heating the soil in a greenhouse (except copper ones, and only because of the price). The only question is cost and feasibility. Therefore, everyone chooses what they consider necessary.

You can use any pipes - the temperatures will obviously be low. Most often they buy those that are cheaper in a particular region.

The system can be organized in different ways. It all depends on volumes and needs. But it’s more rational to do it through a standard comb for a water floor with minimal bells and whistles. Just with shut-off valves and an air vent. Or make a similar design yourself.

Solar batteries

The principle of operation of a solar battery

Collecting and accumulating the heat given off by the sun's rays will help to get an early harvest in the spring. Heating a greenhouse using solar batteries can also be used as an additional option. For the winter period, the heat received only from them will not be enough.

To accumulate solar energy, the greenhouse must be installed in the most open place and located from east to west. It has been proven that arched polycarbonate structures are capable of “collecting” the maximum number of rays. Plus, the air in the cells of this material will serve as a natural heat insulator.

Solar batteries are divided into:

• water : the heat storage in this case is water containers (barrels or pools); Moreover, several small containers have a higher efficiency than one large one, because water always warms up better closer to the surface; they are distributed evenly throughout the room
• stone : this material is capable of retaining heat for a long time, so it makes sense to line the walls of the greenhouse with stone or cover it with a sufficiently large layer around the perimeter of the structure
• air : are among the most efficient battery devices (see photo); for efficient heating, heat exchangers are positioned perpendicular to the direction of the sun's rays; heated air enters the greenhouse through pipes; cold air is taken in through the second duct

When installing an air heating system in a polycarbonate greenhouse, it is advisable to use fans to ensure rapid air exchange. The inlet pipe of the air duct is located as close to the ground as possible. The pipe through which heated air enters the greenhouse is placed in the upper part of the room.

What does heat storage provide?

The operation of a greenhouse is based on the entry of solar energy into the shelter and its accumulation there due to the properties of the covering materials . However, even in winter, the amount of this energy far exceeds the needs of plants. The excess is simply reflected into space and does not bring any benefit from it.

If we use solar heat accumulation in a greenhouse , then the resulting reserves can then be successfully used for heating. The advantages are obvious : the temperature in the greenhouse is maintained at the desired level without consuming expensive energy resources for artificial heating.

Biological heating

Biofuel (self-heating substrate) has been used to heat plants since ancient times. Any summer resident knows that cucumbers get sick less and grow better not in open ground, but in warm manure.

Biofuel can also benefit a greenhouse. It can be used not only manure, but also plant residues, household organic waste (paper, rags, plant food residues), sawdust, leaves, straw. Later, when it completely rots and turns into humus, it is used as fertilizer. The best biofuel is obtained by mixing cow manure (1 part) with peat (3 parts). The mixture of conifer bark, sawdust and droppings heats up more slowly, so its heat lasts for a long time.

Biological heating

To heat a greenhouse using this method, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil, lay a 15-centimeter layer of biofuel, and pour warm water over it. After a few days, when the organic mass begins to generate heat, it is again covered with removed soil and the beds are arranged.

When using straw, bales are placed in shallow ditches so that it rises slightly above the ground. To start the rotting process, the substrate is spilled with water, infusion of manure or chicken droppings. The seedlings can be planted after 2-3 days, when the temperature begins to rise.

Landing

Preliminary preparation of the plant is necessary: ​​the shoots of the seedling are shortened to 3-5 buds, cutting off weakened growths, the roots are trimmed and left in water with the addition of a biostimulant (for example, “Zircon”) for 24 hours. The soil at the planting site is prepared in advance by digging it up with humus and the necessary fertilizer complex.

When planting a young crop, ensure its correct location: the root collar is buried 10 cm into the soil. Upon completion of planting, the soil is well compacted, and the tree trunk circle is watered abundantly.

How to heat a greenhouse with candles and bottles

This method can be useful in the event of return frosts. It allows you to increase the room temperature by several degrees in a short period of time.

When the temperature drops slightly below 0 °C, 4 candles are enough to heat a 6x3 m room . To prevent heat from immediately escaping upward, they must be covered with metal buckets, leaving a small gap between it and the ground for oxygen to enter. Buckets heated with a flame will begin to quickly heat the air.

You can replace metal buckets with ceramic pots, inserted one into the other and strung on a metal bolt. It will serve as a heat conductor.

Heating with a candle

You can also use regular water bottles to heat the greenhouse. Experienced gardeners stock up on large plastic containers and use them throughout the season. During the day, the bottles heat up in the sun, and at night, when the temperature in the greenhouse drops, they begin to release the accumulated heat into the air. Plus, in hot weather, containers with cold water save plants from excessive overheating and burns.

The best designs for greenhouse heating systems can be easily found online. For example, the author of the following video shares his own experience of heating such premises:

DIY installation

Owners of dachas, private farms, vegetable gardens, and small farmlands use interesting heating systems.

We will talk about an unusual way of growing early vegetables using alternative methods of heating the soil, that is, with the help of the sun:

• In early spring, cover the prepared beds with film;
• the sun through the shelter will heat the soil to the desired temperature;
• then, without removing the covering material, holes are pierced, the seed is placed in the soil and covered with earth on top;
• in a warm environment the seeds will germinate early. As soon as the first shoots appear, the arcs that were previously laid out on the bed rise;
• the plants continue to grow in the sun-heated greenhouse;
• when a period of spring weather without frost arrives, the material is removed and stored until next spring.

With this method, a good early harvest is obtained.

Turnkey heating system installation

Some construction campaigns offer farmers to build turnkey small industrial greenhouses according to standard designs, priced with heating at the customer’s choice.

Advantages and disadvantages of the service

Among farms, such services are in great demand due to the undeniable advantages over homemade products:

• reliability;
• full or partial automation of the process;
• the ability to program the necessary agrotechnical parameters for different vegetables;
• modern low-cost heating systems that allow you to grow many useful plants all year round;

The only drawback is the cost: from 100,000 rubles. up to 500,000 rubles.

Price

Consists of the following components:

• design;
• frame manufacturing;
• system configuration;
• delivery to the installation site;
• installation of structure and heating;
• commissioning operations;
• commissioning.