Does anyone have advice/experience with wood stoves for winter heating?
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Allie
We have a wood burning stove inside our 30x40 hoop house. It gets the job done and has kept it between 60-85 degrees all winter here in Kansas. You do have to babysit it often and keep it filled especially overnight. If I could do it over again I would NOT put it inside. It gets dirt and ash everywhere. Wood chips and bark fall off and make a mess. We get our wood for free in exchange for cutting out tree lines for local farmers. We keep some split wood inside for easy access but this brings in pests. Overall I'm glad to have the supplemental heat, but it is messy and you do have to stay on top of keeping it filled. It saves us a ton on heating and electricity though so it was an easy decision for us.
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Bruce
Wood heat eats oxygen in the building so fresh air for combustion is necessary. Wood stoves radiant a lot of heat so plants may not enjoy the high heat (80+) the other issue dry heat you will need to keep a humidifier in there whether is a pot of water on the stove or an electric humidifier. Green houses need to be between 50-75% relative humidity. % of moisture as to temp not the actual moisture in the air. Last thing is the fuel keep it outside. Wood has insects insects freeze bring into warm humid greenhouse they thaw hence creepy crawling bugs in greenhouse.
I tried heating my 12x12 with a tent like wood stove, you have to load it every two hours it goes out the high humidity rusted it out in one season, I got a propane furnace out of a slide in camper at the dump. Perfect is heated 60° even in 4a(-30°f) 9months of the year.
I tried heating my 12x12 with a tent like wood stove, you have to load it every two hours it goes out the high humidity rusted it out in one season, I got a propane furnace out of a slide in camper at the dump. Perfect is heated 60° even in 4a(-30°f) 9months of the year.
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Omar
A lot of wood heat advocates in this group. I am a firm no. No direct wood burner in the growing space. All kinds of reasons. I employed a wood firedboiler that fed a hot water system that heated entire property. Greenhouses had their own zones. Total heat was carried by gas when wood not in use. Expensive. Yes. Efficient Yes.