# Anyone Using Infrared Heaters?



## Rick (Dec 18, 2009)

I keep hearing about how efficient the infrared heaters are (cutting energy bills by 50%). And I see they do have greenhouse application.

Is anyone on this forum using them?

Since they are supposed to heat the objects instead of the air, how do you know if the plants are warm enough (or too warm)? Where do you set the thermometer?

How do you get the heat distributed evenly since they seem to be directional heaters?

How do you size them?

I saw an add for a quartz tube type patio IR heater (1200 W). It says its rated for 100 square foot coverage on "chilly nights". My GH is about 150 sf. Would 2 of these be adequate when its 10 F outside?


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## Jim Toomey (Dec 18, 2009)

Sounds like a great "food heater".
I use a Modine "Hot Dawg" propane heater works very well.


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## NYEric (Dec 19, 2009)

Jim, you live in Florida!


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## Rick (Dec 19, 2009)

NYEric said:


> Jim, you live in Florida!



It occasionally gets to freezing down there.

But I have seen a few extreme night temps just below 10 F since I've been here in Nashville. Typically we don't get many nights below 20 F these days.


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## Shiva (Dec 19, 2009)

*Control problem*

It seems to me it must be difficult to control. How do you make sure it's not too hot or too cold for the plants? How does it affect the humidity level? I thought of it and I wouldn't try it. Maybe you could point the heater toward a blank wall and let it heat the room that way. But would you still save money?


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## Rick (Dec 19, 2009)

Shiva said:


> It seems to me it must be difficult to control. How do you make sure it's not too hot or too cold for the plants? How does it affect the humidity level? I thought of it and I wouldn't try it. Maybe you could point the heater toward a blank wall and let it heat the room that way. But would you still save money?



My questions exactly. The adds all say that another of the advantages is that it doesn't dry the air out like regular electric heaters.

I know of someone using a counsel type IR heater in their house. They love it, and say it cut their winter power bill in half.


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## lindafrog (Dec 19, 2009)

when it says heat objects instead of air I wonder about drying about the plants. We live in cold Michigan and our greenhouse furance is not working. I use a vornado type heater and quartz heater to keep temperatures at low 50s. Important is to be sure heat doesn;t dry out plants by pulling dry air around them.


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## SlipperKing (Dec 19, 2009)

I've seen infra red heaters in a greenhouse once here in TX. They were very long and skinny units that hung from the perlins of the GH. Well above plants and people. You could feel the heat on the back of your neck when they were on! I'm not sure how temperature was controlled. I was young, interested in orchids, not heaters!:drool:


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## gonewild (Dec 19, 2009)

They work fine. Just don't point the heater at the plants. Instead aim it at something else that will absorb the heat, maybe under your benches. Whatever object absorbs the heat will intern release the heat to warm the air.


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## Rick (Dec 19, 2009)

gonewild said:


> They work fine. Just don't point the heater at the plants. Instead aim it at something else that will absorb the heat, maybe under your benches. Whatever object absorbs the heat will intern release the heat to warm the air.



That was the gist out of what I got from the Roberts gas fired IR system info (similar to a Modine Type unit described by Rick).

Its a "low intensity IR" system that provides more even heating. They are recommended for ceiling mounts, but generally >8ft above the plants. They showed an orchid operation using it, but they were all Catts (leaves like leather). They also showed a "tropical foliage" GH with hanging baskets of ferns.

Temp control is as you stated, the plants/pots/potting mix get heated and in tern release heat to the surrounding air.

Makes me nervous though.


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## SlipperFan (Dec 19, 2009)

I've wondered about these, also, Rick. I have a niece and a brother who uses them to heat rooms in their homes. But not in greenhouses.

If you decide to try one, let us know how it works for you, please.


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## Brenran (Dec 27, 2009)

*Avoid IR for Orchid houses*

Back in the 80's Stewarts Orchids in Carpinteria Ca. put infrared heaters in all of their greenhouses and found it did indeed heat just the objects there. Problem was the heat intensity was dependent upon the distance from the heater. So, when a Phal or paph spiked, the taller the spike got, the hotter it got. There were lots of blasted buds as a result. To avoid this they turned off the IR heater as plants went into spike and just ran the forced air heaters. After a couple years of this they abandoned the IR as not workable. IR heaters work ok in a large commercial installation where all the plants are about the same size and height, but not in the Orchid house where there is a huge variety of sizes, heights and placements of plants. The best possible heat for the Orchid house is a combination of gas fired air and hot water in bench top tubes (bottom heat). If you have a highly variable collection, with hanging pots, pots of different size and epiphytes then even bottom heat won’t help much.


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## SlipperKing (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks for the info Brenran and welcome to the forum!


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## NYEric (Dec 27, 2009)

Welcome from NYC! BTW the best heat for the "Orchid house" is steam and warm water splashed by pretty girls in the jacuzzi!


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## SlipperFan (Dec 27, 2009)

NYEric said:


> Welcome from NYC! BTW the best heat for the "Orchid house" is steam and warm water splashed by pretty girls in the jacuzzi!


:rollhappy:

Welcome to Slippertalk, Brenran.


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## Rick (Dec 27, 2009)

NYEric said:


> Welcome from NYC! BTW the best heat for the "Orchid house" is steam and warm water splashed by pretty girls in the jacuzzi!



I need you to design my GH for me Eric:clap::clap:

Welcome Brenran! I'm starting to think my best heating option is actually increasing insulation.

Since my GH is so small I'm thinking about getting a swimming pool blanket to put over it at night.


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## NYEric (Dec 28, 2009)

Rick said:


> I need you to design my GH for me Eric:clap::clap:



Ha! I have many similar man-licious idesas!


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