Greenhouses are used to grow and harvest crops of thermophilic crops year-round. Such designs can be of various sizes: from small cottage to bulk industrial. In each case, different equipment can be used to heat greenhouses. So, if for the equipment of industrial buildings special organizations are engaged that are engaged in the delivery and installation of heating systems, then small private greenhouses can be equipped with your own hands. What ways to do this, we will tell further.
Heating using solar batteries
The easiest and cheapest way to heat a greenhouse is to use the energy of the sun. To use it, you need to install a greenhouse in a place that receives enough sunlight during the day. The material of construction is also important. For the use of solar heating greenhouses, polycarbonate materials are used. It helps to create an excellent greenhouse effect, because it has a cellular structure. Each cell of it stores air that operates on the principle of an insulator.
Another good material from which to make a greenhouse is better, if you plan to heat it with sunshine - this is glass. 95% of the sunlight passes through it. To collect the maximum amount of heat, build an arched greenhouse. At the same time, it should stand along the east-west line, especially if you plan to install a winter version of the structure.
In an additional order, around it is installed the so-called solar battery. To do this, dig a trench 40 cm deep and 30 cm wide. After that, a heater (usually expanded polystyrene) is laid on the bottom, it is covered with coarse sand, and the top is covered with plastic wrap and earth.
Did you know? As a thermal insulating material, it is best to use extruded polystyrene foam. He is not afraid of moisture, does not deform, has a high level of strength and perfectly retains heat.This design, at night, allows you to save the heat that has accumulated in the greenhouse during the day. The disadvantage of this method is that it can only be used during a period of high solar activity, and in winter it will not give the desired effect.
Biological heating
Another long-standing way to heat a greenhouse is the use of biological materials. The principle of heating is simple: during the decomposition of biological materials release a large amount of energy, which is used for heating. Most often, for these purposes they use horse manure, which can warm up to a temperature of 70 ° C for a week and keep it at least four months. To reduce the temperature indicators, it is enough to add a little straw to the manure, but if cow or pig manure is used, then no straw is added to it. By the way, the straw itself can also be used as a material for bioheating.
What else can heat the greenhouse with this method of heating? Sawdust, bark and even household garbage. It is clear that they will give much less heat than manure. Although, if you use household garbage, which is 40% made up of paper and rags, then it may well achieve indicators of "horse" fuel. True, this will have to wait long enough.
Did you know? Experienced gardeners use the so-called artificial manure. They lay layers of straw, sliced to about 5 cm (10 kg), lime-ammonium nitrate (2 kg), superphosphate (0.3 kg). The layer of compost earth, in this case, should be up to 20 cm, biofuels - up to 25 cm.Also, you can take care of the vegetable humus in advance, which is also perfect for the role of biofuels. To do this, freshly cut grass is folded into a box or barrel and filled with nitrogen fertilizer, for example, 5% urea solution. The mixture should be closed with a lid, pressed with a load and in two weeks the biofuel is ready for use.
Important! Biological heating has a positive effect on the greenhouse microclimate. It fills the air with microelements, carbon dioxide, while maintaining the desired humidity, which can not be said about the technical methods of heating.Biofuel is used as follows. The entire mass is laid to a depth of approximately 20 cm, while the total thickness of the laying should be approximately 25 cm. Then nature itself conducts all the necessary processes. All that is required of you is to water the soil only occasionally so that decomposition processes take place actively. One such bookmark lasts for at least 10 days, maximum for four months. It all depends on the type of biological materials used.
Installing a greenhouse stove
A good answer to the question "How to heat a greenhouse?" - installation of a metal or brick stove and chimney pipe system along the entire perimeter of the greenhouse with access to the outside. Heat comes both from the stove itself and from the smoke that comes out through the chimney. Fuel material can be used any. The main thing is that it burns well.
Gas heating
Another popular way to heat greenhouses is to use heat from a burning gas. True, the heating of a greenhouse with gas is considered to be a rather energy-consuming method. Its essence lies in the fact that infrared gas burners or heaters are installed around the perimeter of the greenhouse. Through flexible hoses to them gas is fed, which during combustion gives off a huge amount of heat. The advantage of this method is that the heat in the room is distributed evenly.
However, in this case, you need to take care of a good ventilation system. During combustion, a huge amount of oxygen is used, and if it turns out to be insufficient, the gas will not burn, but accumulate in the greenhouse. To avoid this, gas heating greenhouses supply an automatic protective device that regulates all the processes.
Electric heating
Due to the availability of electricity, this method has become one of the most popular among summer residents and farmers. Especially those engaged in greenhouses and in the winter. Its main advantage is availability all year round and the ability to easily regulate the temperature regime. Among the disadvantages are the high cost of installation and the purchase of the equipment itself. To use electric heating greenhouses, you must install a special heating device. What it will be depends on the heating system, which you prefer. Consider the most popular ones.
Convectors and infrared heaters
One of the safest and most effective methods of electric type heating. The essence of this method copies the method of solar heating of the greenhouse. Ceiling mounted infrared heaters for polycarbonate greenhouses heat plants and soil. Last, accumulating heat and returns it to the greenhouse. The advantage of this method is that such heaters are easily mounted, reinstalled for various needs, and also consume relatively little electricity. However, they do not occupy the working area, as they are mounted on the ceiling.
Among other advantages, the absence of air movement is noted, since some plants are very sensitive to this. If you install heaters in a staggered manner, you can warm the greenhouse evenly. At the same time it is very simple to regulate temperature.
Cable heating
Another way of heating, which does not occupy any work areas, is cable heating. Thermal cable, installed on the principle of warm floors in homes, heats the soil, which gives off heat to the air. The main advantage of this method of heating is the exposure of the desired soil temperature at different vegetative stages of plants, which has a positive effect on yield. The system is easy to install, temperature conditions are also easily regulated, and very little electricity is needed.
Most often, such a heating system is used in the construction of industrial greenhouses. It is calculated during the design of the structure and laid during its construction.
Installation of heat guns
One of the easiest ways to heat a greenhouse without installing complex structures is to install a heat gun inside. It can be used immediately after purchase, hanging from the ceiling of the greenhouse. So hot air will not harm plants. Another advantage is the presence of a fan. During operation of the unit, it distributes warm air throughout the greenhouse and does not allow it to accumulate under the ceiling.
There are many types of such guns: electric, diesel, gas. Which one to choose depends on the specifics of the greenhouse and the cultivated plants. For example, there are guns that can operate in conditions of high humidity, with a large amount of dust in the air and other harsh conditions.
Use of electric heater or boiler for water heating
It is possible to heat greenhouses with the help of boilers that are powered by electricity or solar, wind energy. They have high efficiency - up to 98%. It is also possible to make water heating of the polycarbonate greenhouse from the furnace one by installing a water heating boiler on the stove. The pipe system to the water intake tank thermos should depart from it. From it to the greenhouse, hot water will flow through the pipes. At the end of the system, the pipes branch out, going down the walls and returning to the boiler.
In this way, the constant circulation of hot water is maintained, which transfers heat to the air through the pipes. Depending on how the entire system will be laid and where the boiler will be installed, you can more warm the air or capture the soil of the greenhouse.
Did you know? For such heating, you can use a central heating system. It is used if the greenhouse itself is located no further than 10 m from your home. Otherwise, this method will be inefficient due to large heat losses during the transport of water from the central system to the greenhouse. Remember that for such a decision you must have the appropriate permission.
Heat pump heating
The basis of this principle is the use of any heating boilers described above, to which the heat pump is connected. For example, when used together with a water boiler, the water in the pipes along the perimeter of the greenhouse can be heated to 40 ° C. It can also be connected to other heating appliances. As a rule, it turns on and off automatically, and therefore saves energy.
In addition, this unit eliminates harmful emissions into the atmosphere, because the pump does not use open gas mixtures and other sources of fire. The unit itself takes up little space and looks neat. Another advantage of the pump is that it can be used not only for heating in winter, but also for cooling in summer.
The principle of operation of the device is quite simple. The unit is connected to the highway or collector, where it will be heat. A collector is a long pipe through which fluid flows smoothly. This is usually ethylene glycol, which absorbs and releases heat well. The heat pump drives it around the perimeter of the pipes in the greenhouse, heating to 40 ° C, provided that the water boiler is running. If air is used as a heat source, it can be heated to 55 ° C.
Air heating
The most primitive, and therefore inefficient way to heat a greenhouse is air. It involves the installation of a pipe, one end of which goes into the greenhouse, and under the other, outside, a fire is made. The diameter of the pipe should be about 30 cm, and the length - at least 3 m. Often the pipe is made longer, perforated and carried deep into the room in order to more efficiently distribute heat. The air that rises from the fire, through the pipe enters the greenhouse, heating it.
Important! Bonfire in this case must be maintained constantly. Therefore, this method is used mainly as an emergency, if the main breaks.The system is not very popular because it does not allow the soil to warm up well. Usually pipes are installed under the ceiling so that the heat does not burn the leaves of the plants. At the same time, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of humidity, since with such heating it drops sharply and is bad for plants.
Another way to heat a greenhouse with air is to install a fan that drives warm air. In this case, there is no need to install an extensive pipe system. The air heats up quickly, and the mobility of the fan and its lightness allow it to be used at various points in the greenhouse. In addition, the fan can be used not only for heating, but also for ordinary ventilation of the room, which is also necessary for normal plant growth.
But this method has its drawbacks. A stream of warm air can burn the plants. The fan itself heats an extremely small area. In addition, it consumes a lot of electricity.
As you can see, today the industry offers a lot of options for heating greenhouses. Some of them are suitable only for warm latitudes, others can be used in the winter. The part is quite simple to mount, and some require bookmarks at the design stage of the greenhouse. It remains only to determine how powerful heating is needed, what you are ready to sink and how much money and time you are willing to spend on it.
