Greenhouse heating with infrared heaters

A greenhouse is indispensable for obtaining a good harvest of greens, berries or vegetables in a minimum amount of time. And if you intend to always have natural vitamins found in fruits and vegetables on your table, then you will need infrared heating for greenhouses.

As practice shows, one of the best heating systems for a greenhouse or greenhouse is infrared heating. It is perfect for growing various plants in greenhouses at any time of the year. The infrared heater makes it possible to effectively warm the air and soil to the desired temperature.

Of course, other heating options can also be used for these purposes. For example, convector, gas heating boiler, wood stove, water heating. But all these methods are associated with significant effort, time and money required for their installation and maintenance. IR heating is devoid of these shortcomings.

Peculiarities

Attention: The main feature of the infrared heating system is that it does not heat the air in the greenhouse itself, but the plants and the ground, which are located in the radiation field. This radiation is in many ways similar to solar energy. After all, the heated earth, sprouts and other objects emit peculiar photons that are reflected back by the walls of the greenhouse.

This is the main difference between this method of heating greenhouses from all the others. After all, other methods increase only the temperature of the air that rises. They do not warm the soil and sprouts. Of course, this can be corrected thanks to water pipes that should be buried in the ground. But then the cost of such a greenhouse heating system will increase significantly. In addition, it will be much more difficult to control the temperature of the soil.

By installing an IR greenhouse heating system, you will achieve rapid germination, development and fruiting of plants, since the radiation direction will be from top to bottom. According to numerous studies, it has been proven that with such heating, seed germination increases by almost 30-40%. This is possible precisely due to the good warming of the soil. At the same time, the air in the greenhouse does not heat up much, which is a positive factor.

Some infrared heating devices can also be laid under the soil layer. But for this you need to use a special IR film.

Advantages

In their effect, IR systems resemble solar energy. With their help, the desired temperature is created directly in the plant growth zone. In this they differ significantly from convectors for the better. After all, those heat exactly the air that rises, while the sprouts remain cool.

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The main task of the infrared heating system is just to heat the plants, the ground, the racks, the walls of the greenhouse and containers with seedlings.

Attention: The loss of efficiency with this type of heating does not exceed 10%.

Water heating of the greenhouse also gives a good effect. But there are difficulties with the installation of the pipeline. After all, it must fit into the ground, and this takes a lot of time and effort. In addition, this heating method is quite expensive. Infrared heating surpasses it at once in two important indicators — mobility and energy saving. It also gives you the opportunity to save a lot.

Among the advantages of infrared heating of greenhouses are the following:

• destruction of various viruses and bacteria that negatively affect sprouts;
• uniform heating of all plants and soil;
• positive effect on the development and growth of plants;
• creating a humid microclimate in the greenhouse, since air drying does not occur;
• long service life and reliability;
• significant increase in productivity.

All the advantages listed above make infrared heating of greenhouses quite popular and the demand for them is always high. Although a lot depends on the climate. After all, if winters in the region are usually too cold, then heating will have to be done in a different way, since IR radiation may not be able to maintain the desired temperature in such conditions.

Greenhouse equipment with infrared heating system

Attention: There are three types of infrared greenhouse heating system: suspended, mixed or recessed. Its choice depends on the needs of the greenhouse owner. If the greenhouse is planned to be used only in the warm season, and it is necessary for growing only heat-loving plants, only hanging IR heaters will suffice.

Complete infrared heating systems are suitable for floriculture and vegetable growing throughout the year. If you are using a greenhouse for early growing of greens and seedlings, then a buried system should be used to warm the soil, which must be laid in the ground.

Suspended heating

The simplest type of infrared heating for a greenhouse is the use of suspended systems. They should be suspended from the ceiling or walls of the greenhouse and connected to an energy source and sent to the beds. Due to their compactness and low weight, they can be installed in the greenhouse for as long as required. It all depends on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe structure and their power. Heaters or lamps can be used as hanging systems.

Heaters and lamps are equally resistant to temperature changes, mechanical stress, high humidity, and various chemicals. It is recommended to mount the infrared heater at a height of at least 1 meter from the plants. More precisely, the height can be determined based on the size of the greenhouse and the temperature required for good plant growth. It should also be taken into account that the higher the infrared heating system is located, the larger the area it can capture. But at the same time, plants will receive less heat.

Also read: How to make a winter greenhouse yourself?

IR heater

The heaters are IR ceramic emitters enclosed in a protective casing. To achieve a high-quality distribution of rays, it is equipped with a reflector. Due to the presence of a mounting block with a cable, connecting the heater is simple and convenient. Installation of this device will not cause any difficulties. It is only necessary to follow the recommendations indicated in the instructions.

Greenhouse heating with suspended infrared heaters, should be carried out at a distance of 1.5 — 3.0 meters from each other. But the distance largely depends on their power, dimensions, temperature in the greenhouse and their height above the beds. If there are frosts on the street, infrared heaters should be directed to the walls of the greenhouse.

IR lamps

Infrared lamps are small ceramic emitters made of durable materials. They resemble ordinary light bulbs in appearance and, just like they are screwed into a socket.

Attention: Since their power is much lower than that of heaters, they are installed in the greenhouse at a distance of no more than 1.5 meters from each other. Usually they are used for heating greenhouses with a small area.

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When installing infrared heating, it must be taken into account that the distance from the heaters to the plants must be constant. To achieve this, it is best to install them on suspensions that can be adjusted in height.

Heating from below

If you want to qualitatively heat the soil with an IR system, you should use heating from below. It is a special film that must be laid on the ground. There are two schemes for its installation: horizontal and vertical.

If the installation is horizontal, the film should be laid under the beds to a depth of approximately 0.5 meters from the surface. When installed vertically, it should be laid vertically around the perimeter of the greenhouse and between the beds.

Despite the fact that the installation of lower heating is much more complicated than vertical heating, it is more economical. This is due to the fact that the energy heats only the soil and the air below. As a result, significant energy savings can be achieved. But at the same time, this method of heating has some disadvantages. In particular, care must be taken not to damage this system when replacing the soil in the greenhouse, which is carried out daily as a preventive measure to prevent plant diseases.

By installing infrared heating for greenhouses and greenhouses, you can count on a good harvest at any time of the year. This method of heating is much more efficient than all other methods. In addition, it allows you to save a lot. Thanks to infrared heating, conditions are created in the greenhouse that are almost completely close to natural. After all, the radiation of these systems largely corresponds to the sun.

Using this method of heating, you can significantly reduce the cost of grown products and increase productivity. After all, a greenhouse equipped with infrared heating can be used throughout the year.