I have a four site rdwc system in a 5x5 tent and need to heat it. I’m leaning towards an oil filled radiant and will be keeping it on the floor next to the sites (no interest in heating up my buckets by direct heat on the side of two of them). My thought is that I will build a simple platform with two pc fans mounted in the base blowing upwards and foam insulation board surrounding three sides (one side open to the vent in the tent and obviously the top to let the heat into the room). So my question is does anyone know of any solid oil filled heaters that have an external thermostat that I can place in a more centralized position within the tent?
Tent heaters
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Should also point out that I do not have a chiller nor do I plan on purchasing one (at least as of yet)
harrychilds
Well-Known Member
Good luck with an oil filled radiator, I ran one and it cost me about 10 dollars per day.
What was your remedy? I have very limited experience with growing but it seems to me that these would be a more efficient way to go due to the oil being heated and then cutting electricity with the oil still being warm and producing heat… I’m leaning towards an oil radiant with an external plug in thermostat in a central location within the tent. My basement temps are on average about 65 degrees. Looking for mid 70’s I’m thinking
I grow in a small (4'w x 2'd x 5'h) cabinet I made rather than a tent. I use this doghouse heater from Amazon. I keep it set on medium/low and use an Inkbird to turn it on/off as needed. I haven't had any problems with it.
harrychilds
Well-Known Member
the remedy was using a 400 Watt HPS bulb to get free heat from the bulb. But the electric has just gone up by 50% so I'm back to square one.
I'm also growing in the basement, well, outside the basement, room is outside the foundation of the house. I bought a radiant oil filled heater to heat my room. It was $39 on sale at Menards, it has its own thermostat, and 3 settings. I keep it on the ECO setting (lowest wattage) and it keeps my room right at 80 degrees, and hasn't really spiked my power bill. The kids moving from California have caused way more power usage than the heater, LOL
I've used them all, ceramic, infrared, coil, and by far the best has been the oil filled for keeping temps dialed in.
Or you could do as @harrychilds and get an HPS setup, and use that, it kinda kills 2 birds with stone, light and heat.
I actually have a conversion ballast for hps and halide i bought years ago and never ended up using because I was an idiot and thought I could grow in my apartment. Last year I asked my buddy if he wanted it and he said yes… his electric bill went up like crazy and decided he’ll eventually grab up some leds. I had considered that but with what he was saying I decided against it.
also- with how I’m setting this up (being in close quarters to two of the buckets ) I don’t think the thermostat on the unit will be effective at keeping consistent temps; hence the secondary thermostat that I will (more than likely) be setting in the middle of the tent
When the lights are off though it will be dropping rather fast and stay that way until they come back on
In a similar boat with the same effect
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
good point.
I think I have a solid idea with the chimney effect (heat rather than smoke obviously) but time will tell. Now it’s just to a point of getting an analog radiant(most digital devices do not come back on when power is reinstated) and the plug in thermostat. Plus a very minor project to build out
Suppose time will tell though
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
the oil heater i had many years ago wasn't digital. who knows what they make now, i haven't looked at one
From my brief search there’s plenty that aren’t though I still emailed the company of one that I thought may be suitable to make sure. If that’s not the case with any then I guess I’ll need an electrical diagram and I’ll hard wire in a thermostat
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
you could hook it up to a temp controller too. mine has a wired remote sensor and 2 outlets for cool or heat. and then you adjust the turn on temps, C or F, etc. i think it's an inkbird? i'd have to look.
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
Radiant heaters aren't really designed to cycle on and off repeatedly, so an additional temp controller wouldn't do anything extra special.
The stock thermostat should be fine. Suppose you could mod it and relocate the sensor if you wanted, but the fans your talking about would circulate air through it anyway right?.
Mine has like 3 settings, and I usually keep it on the lowest (600w?).
You can stuff it in the tent but there isn't a point in that either, especially if your venting directly into the room. It wouldn't matter where it is in the room, next to the tent or whatever. It will heat everything the same.
If venting completely out of the tent and room, the fan will just suck the heat right off the heater, and waste all the heat (unless you have a heat recovery ventilator)
I've had my eye on the cheaper on demand electric radiant flooring kits lately.. Small sections too, perfect for tents. Made to be covered in thin set and tiles. I would use my own temp controller, and make a 4.5' x 4.5' heated panel with elegant looking tiles (and added side wall splashes) to set in my tent floor. Best heating system I can think of really...
That, or use a coil of pex tubing and coolant instead to make the radiant floor heat panel, and a $100+ portable on demand propane water heater to heat it with. A closed loop system with its own pump, which is what signals it to turn on with pressure. Hook temp control to pump, easy peasy. At the same time, you seal the room off, and you get your c02 from the same units exhaust! Sounds like a win but I haven't attempted it yet, lol..
I would also toss an aquarium heater in the res, preferably a shatter proof one. I always have too in the cold months. Digital temp controllers work great with them to keep your res temp dialed in. You don't have to worry about the canopy\ambient air temps so much when you heat the res at night. Bonus if you want to bring out fall colors during the cold season.
The stock thermostat should be fine. Suppose you could mod it and relocate the sensor if you wanted, but the fans your talking about would circulate air through it anyway right?.
Mine has like 3 settings, and I usually keep it on the lowest (600w?).
You can stuff it in the tent but there isn't a point in that either, especially if your venting directly into the room. It wouldn't matter where it is in the room, next to the tent or whatever. It will heat everything the same.
If venting completely out of the tent and room, the fan will just suck the heat right off the heater, and waste all the heat (unless you have a heat recovery ventilator)
I've had my eye on the cheaper on demand electric radiant flooring kits lately.. Small sections too, perfect for tents. Made to be covered in thin set and tiles. I would use my own temp controller, and make a 4.5' x 4.5' heated panel with elegant looking tiles (and added side wall splashes) to set in my tent floor. Best heating system I can think of really...
That, or use a coil of pex tubing and coolant instead to make the radiant floor heat panel, and a $100+ portable on demand propane water heater to heat it with. A closed loop system with its own pump, which is what signals it to turn on with pressure. Hook temp control to pump, easy peasy. At the same time, you seal the room off, and you get your c02 from the same units exhaust! Sounds like a win but I haven't attempted it yet, lol..
I would also toss an aquarium heater in the res, preferably a shatter proof one. I always have too in the cold months. Digital temp controllers work great with them to keep your res temp dialed in. You don't have to worry about the canopy\ambient air temps so much when you heat the res at night. Bonus if you want to bring out fall colors during the cold season.
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
Oh ya and forgot to say, and it seems kind of tacky, but you can relocate the heater outside the tent, but only heat the tent. Simply make a box that fits around the heater, and tie in into the extra ports on the tent. Put a smaller inline duct fan that circulates the air through the new box.
Makes sense if you were wanting to heat only the tent at night with lights off, to save on cost. Insulation would def help even more..
Makes sense if you were wanting to heat only the tent at night with lights off, to save on cost. Insulation would def help even more..
coralreefer999
Well-Known Member
I use a oil filled radiator with built in thermostat. Works fine. Have to keep the humidifier fan away from sensor, and run lower temps, but works well.