Is there a better way to heat my grow shed?

New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
Can anyone think of a better way to heat my grow shed? The air has to come in at at least 15 degrees celsius, I live in Canada and we see temps as low as - 20 so I got to heat the air up quick. The only solution I've come up with is a dual hose 4 in 1 air conditioner with heat, one hose draws fresh air in and the other hose is an exhaust. Before I spend $600 on one I want to see if I can't find a better way. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
GibbsIt89

GibbsIt89

Well-Known Member
If you are growing in a shed that is outside. Its going to already be pretty cold to grow in. I would throw up a 1000watt or 2 600watts and just have an exhaust vent in the top of the roof. No need for any fans or heaters or anything.
 
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texasjack

texasjack

Well-Known Member
GibbsIt89 said:
If you are growing in a shed that is outside. Its going to already be pretty cold to grow in. I would throw up a 1000watt or 2 600watts and just have an exhaust vent in the top of the roof. No need for any fans or heaters or anything.
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Unless it's running 24/7 it won't be enough.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
I think your ac would be a good choice as it exchanges air and usually they have a humidistat on them. And you can use it to cool in the summer
obviously the more insulated your shed is the more efficient it will be space heater will work just watch for indicator lights on it throwin nanners
if this info sucks sorry lol
 
New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
Good responses, thanks. The shed is well insulated, the floor is R-24, the walls R-12 and the roof is R-40, that's plenty for an 8' by 8' space. The good part about the air conditioner as coldsmoke said is that it will cool and dehumidify as well, so maybe the lights alone will be enough to heat it and the ac will maintain a good temp. I thought of a construction space heater but they run at 3000-5000W and the ac only runs at 1500W.
 
texasjack

texasjack

Well-Known Member
New Age United said:
Good responses, thanks. The shed is well insulated, the floor is R-24, the walls R-12 and the roof is R-40, that's plenty for an 8' by 8' space. The good part about the air conditioner as coldsmoke said is that it will cool and dehumidify as well, so maybe the lights alone will be enough to heat it and the ac will maintain a good temp. I thought of a construction space heater but they run at 3000-5000W and the ac only runs at 1500W.
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What about one of those indoor kerosene heaters. We used those to heat our rooms growing up in TX. They don't require power.

like this
http://www.lowes.com/pd_93043-88644-RMC-95C6B_0__?productId=3471481&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-SeasonalLiving-_-PortableHeat-_-3471481&CAWELAID=1368089512&kpid=3471481&CAGPSPN=pla&k_clickID=07e0d4da-1a77-3c48-b3b2-00001db62657&kpid=3471481
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Propane heat for night time, insulation and lighting for daytime. Run your day cycle overnight during the coldest part of the night.

An AC unit will help in summer, it's a disaster now. Large thermal mass is your friend; consider a 55 gallon drum, a pump and a radiator; during the day, the system will draw heat out of the room and warm up the water drums. At night the process will reverse to keep things warm.
 
New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
No natural gas and I was thinking of a small space heater as a back up but I'm afraid it won't be able to heat the air quick enough, a construction space heater definately would but it might be serious overkill for an 8' by 8' space
 
New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
Propane heat for night time, insulation and lighting for daytime. Run your day cycle overnight during the coldest part of the night.

An AC unit will help in summer, it's a disaster now. Large thermal mass is your friend; consider a 55 gallon drum, a pump and a radiator; during the day, the system will draw heat out of the room and warm up the water drums. At night the process will reverse to keep things warm.
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Great idea, very energy efficient, that's an ingenious way to create a natural heat pump, thanks for that.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
The radiator, pump and water barrel thing will do more than you might give it credit for. Scuba training taught me that water is some 900 more thermally dense than air, so you can store a lot of heat (or cold) in 55 gallons.

Run the day cycle from ten pm to ten am, while it's coldest out. Daytime temps will be warmer, you'll get a bit of solar heating and the water drum/fan will keep temps much more stable. If leaks are few and small and insulation is good, the only thing you'd want a burner for is CO² supplementation.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
New Age United said:
Great idea, very energy efficient, that's an ingenious way to create a natural heat pump, thanks for that.
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It's not a heat pump because there is no compressor, but it's a great thermal storage/regulation tactic because it lets you use the heat later instead of spending more money to generate more of it.
 
whitebb2727

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Blue flames will run lp or propane. Can you get a tank set, can you get 100 lb tanks.
It will heat fast, and a small one is pretty efficient. I run one in the front room of a basement.
Maybe 20-30 bucks different on the bill.

I also had one at another house that we had a tank set. The tank will last most of the winter if run intermittent.

Like tty said you get the added benefit of CO2.
 
New Age United

New Age United

Well-Known Member
The lights alone will not be enough, there must be an air intake, the plants need fresh air, otherwise I could just use a baseboard heater.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
New Age United said:
The lights alone will not be enough, there must be an air intake, the plants need fresh air, otherwise I could just use a baseboard heater.
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No, the only thing plants need from the outside is CO². If you add that, the room can- and should- be sealed.
 
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