@@walkingdead171 I think one of the major points here is that he is using the heat from a device he'd normally use. So, he is getting heat that would otherwise be wasted from an inexpensive source.
What a brilliant idea, my heating bills have gone up from £75 per month to £280 a month, I'll use my distiller in kitchen at night to keep my dog's warm as I can no longer afford central heating at night, thank you, I will use it in greenhouse next Yr 😀
A seedling heat mat is only 20-60 watts and would really heat their beds up, and they are waterproof. Throw in a dehumidifier to reduce any moisture and it will feel lots more comfortable.
Thank you, PA. This turned out to be one of THE most helpful videos since I started permaculture and growing my own food. We can't justify the expense of heating as the cold season is short and not that cold, by your standards LOL. So this is a perfect answer HORAY
This will be the one I want because I gave the little space heater I was using in our small greenhouse to a friend who had no heat at all in his little home! Great experiment and great advice! 💕🌏
Great minds think alike...Been using my distiller (same brand...LOVE IT) to heat my bedroom at night...During winter months I distill water from 6-11 pm then again from midnight to 5 AM...Nice and toasty with not furnace!
Thanks for sharing your experiment with us. I have a friend who lives in Spokane Valley, WA who is experimenting with a way to heat his greenhouse this winter. He's supercharging his compost and venting it into his greenhouse. Pretty cool idea, too. I'll post back his feedback. Love that you share your ideas. Thanks again.
I use a brick compost bin inside my gh here in the high Sierra in NorCal to provide heat with pvc run from it under my racks. I also lined the north wall with black 55g drums of water, that mass heats up all day and releases all night.
You may try adding another layer of plastic inside the greenhouse separated from the outer layer. It will develop an air barrier and you could get a 10 deg. Difference from that. Add your distiller inside and you could add a small plastic cover for cold nights over individual plants. Good luck.
Its not just the heat. The machine makes the air dryer. That's a bonus to keep mould off. I used a tiny heater in 30ft by 16 tunnel. Only 1° to 3°C warmer, but my plants were so much bigger and stronger than the 1 I didn't have 1 in. Believe me, you will get benefit.
Not really because if you look the whole tunnel is covered in condensation water literally ready to drip so definitely won’t be dry I’d also like to know whether there’s any mould or rotting. 👌👍
@@DJSupaflyguy You made me think about that for a minute so I looked back through the video. The thermometer is reading humidity too on the smaller dial. At the beginning the humidity in the greenhouse was at 78% and the final shot showed it at 62%, meanwhile the outside hygrometer was reading at 94% consistently. It seems like the warming had an effect on the humidity. If you check out a dew point calculator, it looks like the humidity inside the greenhouse was at just the right range that as the air inside started to warm the moisture would condense against the cooler plastic. Of course as it condenses it is no longer distributed in the air, so the air gets dryer until the relationship between temperature and moisture balances again. There's no mold risk with the temperature at 56 degrees and the humidity at 62%; the risk of mold at 56 degrees doesn't start until humidity reaches 78% and it would take about a month to grow in that environment. The conditions in the greenhouse prior to heating with the temp at 49 and the humidity at 78% had no chance of mold either, but the conditions outside the greenhouse at 49 degrees and 94% humidity would grow mold in about 4 days. Of course the conditions are constantly changing.
Technically this doesn't "dry" the air. Warming the air increases its capacity for holding water, reducing the relative humidity. Absolute humidity remains the same and as such when the air cools again the relative humidity will return to the previous value. If you wish to really dry the air in there - remove moisture from the environment - this isn't going to do it for you.
When i had a tunnel. I used the double reflective insulation , and chicken brooder lights, and freeze cloths. I hung thick fabric up at door areas, ran freeze cloth all across between poles and plastic. Keep those vent panels covered. And the greenhouse in a green house great idea. It was loads fun and work. I would imagine even clear plastic totes over plants and freeze cloths will work. I grew pumpkin plants all winter under plastic totes and freeze cloths. Had ripe pumpkins by may in texas.lol take care
This March zone 5 🇨🇦 I used a Crock-Pot (lid on) in one of those Amazon back deck tents with the shelves on the sides. Being a newbie I had started growing all the things too early and that Crock-Pot saved me as I had run out of room inside the house 😁🤦♀️. It was quite the sight on my deck with moving blankets over the roof of my little greenhouse.
I love how gardening seems to require creative problem solving on a consistent basis. An unexpected aspect that keeps it interesting year after year. I just wanted to grow some peppers, and now there's a greenhouse and all these raised beds, it's taken over the whole back yard lol. It's a great hobby.
I use an old large crockpot to heat my portable 4x6 greenhouse. Works great at keeping the temp at least above freezing. The only drawback is I forget to refill the pot sometimes..
Just bought the same greenhouse as an upgrade from the 6x6x6 I was using. Great stumbling on your videos hugely appreciated.. Another possible for you. I picked up my heaters at a big box store in the Spring, thats when their on clearance.. $45 dollar heaters for $15 bucks. At that price I bought 4. Use one leave the others boxed as spares.. Happy Planting & Much success to you. Almost forgot.. I put a shield over the heater so condensation wont ruin it or trip it off...
I did similar during last year's great freeze in Texas. I made 2 videos on the prep and results. But I did a different approach of adding humidity/warmth with lots of water.
It would be interesting to know if the height of the distiller would change the heat gain. I know most heaters in greenhouses blow over the plants. Seems like closer to the floor would retain the heat longer. Thank you for another great video.
I agree with you, from what little I saw (mostly listened) The older Northeast greenhouses (last century) used multiple runs (six, eight or more) of hot-water filled, often large (2"-4") steel pipes along their whole length, at about the height of the plants, or say, under 30" above the ground for their top height, often lower. A nice, big mass of steel and warm water for cold winter nights and darker days. If he wanted to, he could put the steamer on a paver on the ground maybe. He could also put in an upper a heat saver plastic sheet to keep the heat closer to the plants, though in might not be worth it overall.
I loved the stacked function of this experiment. I wonder if you could create a heat sink around or above the unit, not to close, but some thing that captures the heat and slowly radiates it out since you had the initial jump within the first hour. Maybe some soapstone?
Spaced by a 3” x 3” piece of pvc or something similar preferably metal, you could stack clay flower pots (upside down) above the distiller so that it catches the heat like an umbrella, the more pots the more heat they retain, if you wanted to situated just right you could put a small fan facing towards the stack to help distribute the heat , the clay is very efficient in absorbing heat (obviously), I plan to do this almost exact thing this winter in my outside sheshed/smoking/ theater (LOL) not for plants and not for %100 water 😉
Btw the spacer between the pots is so the warm air will pass through the drain holes in the bottom of the pots, … the spacers are important not to block flow from pot to pot also it needs to not block flow of heat into the “bell” of the pot, in my above comment I meant to say similar to pvc pipe with big holes drilled into it, i don’t think it’ll get hot enough to melt the pvc, if you understand what I’m talking about then you understand what I mean by spacer between pots, it really could be anything as long as it doesn’t impede the flow (sorry for being so long it’s hard to describe by text something this odd experiment 😅)
I have the same distiller. BTW, it's been working great for almost two years now. It really does kick up the heat. I can place sourdough bread nearby and it's as good as using a proofing box (ie... For me - my dehydrator).
I just bought a small greenhouse heater from Amazon with thermostat control. It was not expensive and is working great. We are having overnight temps in the low twenties this week and I am so thankful I won't be up worrying or carrying seedling trays into the house. I got tired of trying to start seeds in the house. I have no room and buying the lights for seedlings was more expensive than the heater. I start a lot of seeds. I'm sure my cats are missing the fun of trying to get to the seedlings but I am happy.
Really been enjoying your videos. Wish they had been available 20 years ago when I was still able to really garden. Thanks for all the wonderful tips you provide.
Love your videos…just got my water distiller that you recommended…can’t wait to try it…I also have a Berkey which I like…investment in health…I am growing micro greens now…I live in Michigan…keep putting them out there…
Awesome experiment! I'm so glad I stumbled on this video. I've been tinkering with ideas to heat my greenhouses and I definitely plan to give this a try! I didn't want to sacrifice space in order to use compost heat and I was experimenting with funneling the heat from the pile into the greenhouse (with the pile being a few feet away), but I definitely plan to try this immediately. Thanks so much. If you have any affiliate links I will use them since I don't own a distiller and need to purchase one ASAP.
I have a greenhouse room thanks to my distiller too, very cool! I was going to move the thing to my bedroom for the overnight heat but of course, had to use it for plants :)
Hi, Loved your distiller-heater, I suppose your distiller pulls water from the humidity thus de-watering the inside air while heating it. Your distiller (or crock-pot which will be adding water to the inside air) can be set up on a temperature-adjustable switch, coming “on” at, say, 38-40 F and shutting off at, say, 55 deg F. Then you can set it and forget it. If your distiller takes the weather out of the air you have an infinite supply, the crock-pot will need to be filled w/ water to vaporize. Temp-adjustable switches are available on Amazon (as well as other sites),
Water distillers use a Lot of watts, & throw-off a Lot of heat! Good double use for one!! There are greenhouse heat mats. Friend years ago, with about 500 sq.ft hoop house with double-wall soft plastic covers, set up a seedling hot house in the middle. The floor was up on a couple pallets, covered with old carpeting & bricks. She put a couple of the warming mats on that, & kept them on a thermostat, to keep the small “room” at about 60*F. Just doing that, helped keep the rest of the large greenhouse warmed enough to prevent freeze damage when outside temps were around 32*F. (Pacific NW). She only had to use the big overhead heater when temps dropped into lower 20s*F. What if you stacked bricks or blocks in a circle about a foot away from the cooker, to also retain heat? Then when the cooker shuts off, there’s residual thermal mass to help hold-over some warmth?
Interesting experiment, thanks for your vids. Just wondering, wouldn’t it be better to have that thermometer hanging at a lower level, so it is at the level of the plants?
Thank you, I got your idea and using the slow cooker it work great, next year Iwill rearrange to use the food dehydrate to dries fruit. I see the machine run 4 to 8 hours setting between 140 to 165 why not use this to keep the greenhouse warm. Just the thought!
Wow what a great use for the distiller. I have a patio room where I winter plants from outside. The temps in there are 5-7 degrees from what's outside , less heat in Summer and less cold in Winter. The room still gets cold in Winter. The distiller would be a great dual purpose benefit. Water and heat. By the way I have one of those distillers and was wondering how long they lasted. I am gong on 4 yrs. with mine (H2O). I saw your other video about the rating you gave it and how you are still using it after 7 years its still going strong. What a great product. I also noticed in other videos how beautiful your plants are growing. I have horrible problem with critters, gophers, moles, skunks, possums, rabbits, rats and coons. Oh and grasshoppers. I've built cages and covered them with netting. A long tedius process that only lasts one season. Way too much work. This year I had a tomato in a large pot with pokey things around the bottom and netting to cover. After it got too big for the netting I took it off thinking it would be ok but within 2 days something not only ate the tomatoes but also ate the plant 1/2 gone. I give up. I haven't had home grown tomatoes in over 5 years. Any suggestions? I live in So. CA. I also have a waterway ditch behind me. Do you now what critter eats the grapefruit by chewng all the insides and leaving the skin in tack? and what critter eats all the skin off my lemons but leaves the insides hanging on the tree? I am also subscribed but am not getting notifications of your newest videos.
My mom had raccoons that ate her cantaloupe and left the outside. You couldn't tell it unless you picked the cantaloupe up, the hole was on the bottom. Raccoons eat tomatoes too.
I like the idea of using an appliance that one would run anyway to heat the greenhouse space. Just wondering if anyone has tried this in zone 4? we are in Minnesota where March temps are considerably colder than 50 degrees overnight!
I bet if you add a lot of stone or cast iron or water barrels that it can hold the heat better when you open the doors. But you are definitely on to something
I was thinking of putting my instant pot on steam; leave it on venting, with 8quarts of water in it and seeing how long it took for the water to boil away. It would release hot steam for as long as it took for the water to boil away. Dunno if it would be worth it but I def know it would heat up a small space in much the same way
I like that your thinking of other ways this could work based on your lifestyle and the tools you have at your disposal. There's only one way to find out. You may want to take a nice long nap first : ) Cheers!
I don't know how much it cost to run what I've been thinking. Have not had time to figure. But I was wondering about a very small water trough with a water heater in it. Be on the same principle as what you just did wouldn't it? Thank you for the experiments. I'm wanting to heat a greenhouse without much money. Blessings to you guys
Thinking outside the box! Love it! A proper aquarium heater could bring a rather large body of water up in temp significantly. Although, without a fan helping to force the heat out of the source it would be more likely to create a nice microclimate (warm zone) in the greenhouse rather than heat up the entire space. Could work for you depending on your situation and size of greenhouse. All the best!
Maybe in a zone 3 - use 4 water heaters in troughs that goes around perimeter. Set all with 1 end at slight elevation so will drain into next trough all around greenhouse. Last trough goes into a bucket with 1 additional water heater & water pump pushes water up to highest trough to recirculate. Possibly use food grade pvc with holes for Hydroponic use - the pvc would retain some heat & let out enough to keep greenhouse from freezing. Can always use the pvc for Hydroponic Growing as well when not needed for heating purposes. Thoughts?
On a tiny house video a family in Europe built a greenhouse around their whole house. When mentioning the greenhouse within a greenhouse, i remember they grew plants and their home required significantly less heat. Edit they were in Stockholm. - I searched “house within a greenhouse”.
Last year I heated my greenhouse with a crockpot. It did an ok job but I think the fan making circulation would have been better Thanks for the thought.
@@brandiisbell7746 the one I had last year was small 8 x 10. We put up the structure for a larger one this year but my husband got sick and we haven't gotten the plastic up yet so it may not be much use this year. Such is life you do what you can
Hello this is so inventive, you have also introduced me into getting a home water distiller. Great experiment, I should think you needed a lot of coffee. Thanks for staying up to make this video. I have a question I hope you don't mind. Is it possible to run a water distiller from a battery charged by solar panels? I have a small walk-in 6 shelves greenhouse without an electrical outlet outside. I am in the UK and our mains power is different so not sure how these things work. Maybe you have an idea of how I could do this. Many thanks indeed
Shouldn’t the greenhouse already be holding more heat than the outside ambient temperature? I thought that was what GH’s are for. I’m still a noob so please let me know if I’ve missed something.
Newbie here, you keep saying a water distiller...what is the name of the machine to look it up the checkout for purchase? Thank you! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and video.
Good luck! There are a dozen tricks you can use if you have a Green house. Last year I had to use an old crock pot to heat a 6 x 8 Green house to protect my plants( new Rosemary plants taken from cuttings) I hung a sheet of plastic up as a divider and filled buckets of water(with lids) to use as thermal mass. (Salt prevents it from freezing)Multiple layers of plastic over the plants works wonders.I used foil emergency blankets after the sun went down over top of the plastic to trap more heat.Freezing and thawing does more damage to some plants than letting them go dormant so this winter I'm growing my Rosemary plants without heat but they have established a good root system. I don't have a source of fresh manure during the winter months or I'd build a compost pile on one side of the Green house to help warm it.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing! Having a tried & tested plan it place for those cold nights ahead can save a gardener many a headache. Sounds like you have developed a system that works for you. Great job!
Thank you very much! @@plantabundance I'm not planning on using any heat this year until the temperature drops down in the teens.Then I'll plug my crock pot in.LOL
Place the thermometer at the same level as the plants since warm air rises. Report the distiller electrical watts. Measure the square feet area of ALL of the greenhouse walls, roof, floor. Calculate the heat loss... doubt that your water distiller produces a net positive energy to make up for the surface area losses. Good luck... enjoy those greens!
Next up a big one !! Mile Hi Distilling .. i have looked around this is made right ! .. " worm of the still ," or the condenser." You make into a heater !! this would be kick ass ..Mmm DC WATER HEATING ELEMENTS looking nice Too ..on a Micro Wind Turbines ..windandsolar is a great place
Hey anyone, math isn’t my strong suit. I’m building a hoop greenhouse with pvc hose. The dimensions are 8x8. How do I calculate how long to cut the hose if I want the centre / middle of the house to be 6’ tall? And do I want that height? All free materials so working with what I have. Thanks Great video and community!!!
I just built an 8x8 cattle panel raised bed in my yard. The center is about 7 feet, I estimate that it is about 19 feet from ground to ground. I am looking for ways to heat it…I am in zone 7a
Depends on how handy you are and what kind of tools you have. One good source of free material is pallets. Most are around 36x42 But some are 8ft long by 3 or 4 ft wide. I use a 6ft 2x4 to pop the 1x4 boards off the 2x4 runners. Leverage. Quicker and easier to do than using a hammer and pry bar. As expensive as lumber is these days it doesn't make sense not to take advantage of free pallet wood. There are lots of videos on breaking down pallets for reusing the wood. Anyway I would try to find enough 2x4x8 to make a frame to lay on the ground. I might try a spade bit and a drill to drill holes every few feet to fit the ends of the pc into. I think standard length for pc is 16 feet long. Set on a 2x4 frame should give you about 6ft inside height. If not use two 2x4s for your frame. Adjust the end piece length to get more height if needed. There are lots of ways to build hoop houses cheap. Good luck
Loved this video. My little 3’ square by 6’ high is all I have. What kind of light should I use in mine for nights that will get below freezing???? In coastal plains Z8aNC. Plant Abundance or someone please respond. 🙂🙂
Thank you! I would not recommend using a heat lamp for plants. You might try using a heat mat instead. It's safer and allows the plants adequate darkness each night for optimum health. Cheers!
Is their a fan in that distiller? If not Im curious to know how much a small fan would help to circulate the air and keep the heat from just rising to the top.
Does humidity give you any issues with plant growth or overwintering plants. I have the same greenhouse in zone 7b. I cant solve the 99-100% humidity problem when the doors and windows are closed. What have you experienced?
Lol, that's what I usually think. I'm at 60yrs, a good smart man would be quite welcome. My kids grown and moved on... just a senior lady who wouldn't mind one either.
"That's what we call stacking functions."
I dig it
Cheers!
Definitely works, l have my distiller in my shed 5x2 metres and always warmer.. great idea in the greenhouse ☀️
Nice! A shed, cabin, tiny home or greenhouse could benefit from a nightly brew cycle throughout the winter. Cheers!
I don't have a distiller but I run my dehydrator often, and it seems like that would work too!
I like that idea! Cheers!
This is a great idea. Hydro is cheaper from 7pm -7am where I live when it’s coldest.
Maybe just use a space heater with temp control?
@@walkingdead171 I think one of the major points here is that he is using the heat from a device he'd normally use. So, he is getting heat that would otherwise be wasted from an inexpensive source.
Don't have either one, but maybe there will be one still in the stores.
What a brilliant idea, my heating bills have gone up from £75 per month to £280 a month, I'll use my distiller in kitchen at night to keep my dog's warm as I can no longer afford central heating at night, thank you, I will use it in greenhouse next Yr 😀
A seedling heat mat is only 20-60 watts and would really heat their beds up, and they are waterproof. Throw in a dehumidifier to reduce any moisture and it will feel lots more comfortable.
Use heat reflective dog beds.
I'm buying my own electric meter and becoming my own supplier, canceled all payments it's all a big con.
@@christhomas8332 Where can others go to do that?
How about letting the dogs sleep in your bedroom, or even on the bed with you? They're your furbabies after all... 🙏
Thank you, PA. This turned out to be one of THE most helpful videos since I started permaculture and growing my own food. We can't justify the expense of heating as the cold season is short and not that cold, by your standards LOL. So this is a perfect answer HORAY
This will be the one I want
because I gave the little space heater I was using in our small greenhouse to a friend who had no heat at all in his little home! Great experiment and great advice! 💕🌏
Great minds think alike...Been using my distiller (same brand...LOVE IT) to heat my bedroom at night...During winter months I distill water from 6-11 pm then again from midnight to 5 AM...Nice and toasty with not furnace!
Great idea! We got the same distiller and combined with our heat sink, our plants will be nice and cozy. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your experiment with us. I have a friend who lives in Spokane Valley, WA who is experimenting with a way to heat his greenhouse this winter. He's supercharging his compost and venting it into his greenhouse. Pretty cool idea, too. I'll post back his feedback. Love that you share your ideas. Thanks again.
Thank you. I love the compost heating strategy. If I were to go that route, I would prefer to have a back-up heating source just in case. Cheers!
I use a brick compost bin inside my gh here in the high Sierra in NorCal to provide heat with pvc run from it under my racks. I also lined the north wall with black 55g drums of water, that mass heats up all day and releases all night.
Supercharging compost? Can ya explain please
love your experiments! i watched you spraying your trees all night and hoping it would be worth the no sleeping. great real trials that help others.
Thank you! I appreciate your long term viewership and feedback. Much appreciated!
You may try adding another layer of plastic inside the greenhouse separated from the outer layer. It will develop an air barrier and you could get a 10 deg. Difference from that. Add your distiller inside and you could add a small plastic cover for cold nights over individual plants. Good luck.
Bubble wrap.
Its not just the heat. The machine makes the air dryer. That's a bonus to keep mould off. I used a tiny heater in 30ft by 16 tunnel. Only 1° to 3°C warmer, but my plants were so much bigger and stronger than the 1 I didn't have 1 in. Believe me, you will get benefit.
Thanks for the info!
Not really because if you look the whole tunnel is covered in condensation water literally ready to drip so definitely won’t be dry I’d also like to know whether there’s any mould or rotting. 👌👍
@@DJSupaflyguy You made me think about that for a minute so I looked back through the video. The thermometer is reading humidity too on the smaller dial. At the beginning the humidity in the greenhouse was at 78% and the final shot showed it at 62%, meanwhile the outside hygrometer was reading at 94% consistently.
It seems like the warming had an effect on the humidity.
If you check out a dew point calculator, it looks like the humidity inside the greenhouse was at just the right range that as the air inside started to warm the moisture would condense against the cooler plastic. Of course as it condenses it is no longer distributed in the air, so the air gets dryer until the relationship between temperature and moisture balances again.
There's no mold risk with the temperature at 56 degrees and the humidity at 62%; the risk of mold at 56 degrees doesn't start until humidity reaches 78% and it would take about a month to grow in that environment. The conditions in the greenhouse prior to heating with the temp at 49 and the humidity at 78% had no chance of mold either, but the conditions outside the greenhouse at 49 degrees and 94% humidity would grow mold in about 4 days. Of course the conditions are constantly changing.
Technically this doesn't "dry" the air. Warming the air increases its capacity for holding water, reducing the relative humidity. Absolute humidity remains the same and as such when the air cools again the relative humidity will return to the previous value. If you wish to really dry the air in there - remove moisture from the environment - this isn't going to do it for you.
When i had a tunnel. I used the double reflective insulation , and chicken brooder lights, and freeze cloths. I hung thick fabric up at door areas, ran freeze cloth all across between poles and plastic. Keep those vent panels covered. And the greenhouse in a green house great idea. It was loads fun and work. I would imagine even clear plastic totes over plants and freeze cloths will work. I grew pumpkin plants all winter under plastic totes and freeze cloths. Had ripe pumpkins by may in texas.lol take care
This March zone 5 🇨🇦 I used a Crock-Pot (lid on) in one of those Amazon back deck tents with the shelves on the sides. Being a newbie I had started growing all the things too early and that Crock-Pot saved me as I had run out of room inside the house 😁🤦♀️. It was quite the sight on my deck with moving blankets over the roof of my little greenhouse.
That was ingenious! We learn and grow!
How did you that? Just turned it on? Low? High? How long left on?
I love how gardening seems to require creative problem solving on a consistent basis. An unexpected aspect that keeps it interesting year after year. I just wanted to grow some peppers, and now there's a greenhouse and all these raised beds, it's taken over the whole back yard lol. It's a great hobby.
I wish you had taken a photo! I woukd like to see how you placed the blankets. It didn't get too heavy?
better of with a composting bales of straw.
I use an old large crockpot to heat my portable 4x6 greenhouse. Works great at keeping the temp at least above freezing. The only drawback is I forget to refill the pot sometimes..
Thanks for watching! Have a great day!
Just bought the same greenhouse as an upgrade from the 6x6x6 I was using. Great stumbling on your videos hugely appreciated.. Another possible for you. I picked up my heaters at a big box store in the Spring, thats when their on clearance.. $45 dollar heaters for $15 bucks. At that price I bought 4. Use one leave the others boxed as spares.. Happy Planting & Much success to you. Almost forgot.. I put a shield over the heater so condensation wont ruin it or trip it off...
I did similar during last year's great freeze in Texas. I made 2 videos on the prep and results. But I did a different approach of adding humidity/warmth with lots of water.
I made temperature loggers that record the min and max temp every hour for 48 hours. Saves your sleep!
It would be interesting to know if the height of the distiller would change the heat gain. I know most heaters in greenhouses blow over the plants. Seems like closer to the floor would retain the heat longer. Thank you for another great video.
I agree with you, from what little I saw (mostly listened)
The older Northeast greenhouses (last century) used multiple runs (six, eight or more) of hot-water filled, often large (2"-4") steel pipes along their whole length, at about the height of the plants, or say, under 30" above the ground for their top height, often lower. A nice, big mass of steel and warm water for cold winter nights and darker days.
If he wanted to, he could put the steamer on a paver on the ground maybe. He could also put in an upper a heat saver plastic sheet to keep the heat closer to the plants, though in might not be worth it overall.
Maybe insulate the heater to decrease the energy use (ambient cooling) surround with bricks to generate later radiant heat.
I loved the stacked function of this experiment. I wonder if you could create a heat sink around or above the unit, not to close, but some thing that captures the heat and slowly radiates it out since you had the initial jump within the first hour. Maybe some soapstone?
Mine has a heatsink and fan on top to cool the water so it will recondensate.
Put metal shelf above distiller with jugs of water to store the heat
Spaced by a 3” x 3” piece of pvc or something similar preferably metal, you could stack clay flower pots (upside down) above the distiller so that it catches the heat like an umbrella, the more pots the more heat they retain, if you wanted to situated just right you could put a small fan facing towards the stack to help distribute the heat , the clay is very efficient in absorbing heat (obviously), I plan to do this almost exact thing this winter in my outside sheshed/smoking/ theater (LOL) not for plants and not for %100 water 😉
Btw the spacer between the pots is so the warm air will pass through the drain holes in the bottom of the pots, … the spacers are important not to block flow from pot to pot also it needs to not block flow of heat into the “bell” of the pot, in my above comment I meant to say similar to pvc pipe with big holes drilled into it, i don’t think it’ll get hot enough to melt the pvc, if you understand what I’m talking about then you understand what I mean by spacer between pots, it really could be anything as long as it doesn’t impede the flow (sorry for being so long it’s hard to describe by text something this odd experiment 😅)
I have the same distiller. BTW, it's been working great for almost two years now. It really does kick up the heat. I can place sourdough bread nearby and it's as good as using a proofing box (ie... For me - my dehydrator).
Genius….I like a thinking man. Well done
I just bought a small greenhouse heater from Amazon with thermostat control. It was not expensive and is working great. We are having overnight temps in the low twenties this week and I am so thankful I won't be up worrying or carrying seedling trays into the house. I got tired of trying to start seeds in the house. I have no room and buying the lights for seedlings was more expensive than the heater. I start a lot of seeds. I'm sure my cats are missing the fun of trying to get to the seedlings but I am happy.
How's it worked for you & what exactly was it?
Really been enjoying your videos. Wish they had been available 20 years ago when I was still able to really garden. Thanks for all the wonderful tips you provide.
Great idea! Might try my dehydrators
Love your videos…just got my water distiller that you recommended…can’t wait to try it…I also have a Berkey which I like…investment in health…I am growing micro greens now…I live in Michigan…keep putting them out there…
Thank you! Congrats on your water distiller investment! It's a solid buy! Cheers!
Howdy! I also use a dehydrator to warm rooms.
This is so cool! I hate hearing my distiller in the house. This is a win win.
Awesome experiment! I'm so glad I stumbled on this video. I've been tinkering with ideas to heat my greenhouses and I definitely plan to give this a try!
I didn't want to sacrifice space in order to use compost heat and I was experimenting with funneling the heat from the pile into the greenhouse (with the pile being a few feet away), but I definitely plan to try this immediately.
Thanks so much. If you have any affiliate links I will use them since I don't own a distiller and need to purchase one ASAP.
Great idea it also puts vapor in the air thanks for sharing
I admire your dedication!
I have a greenhouse room thanks to my distiller too, very cool! I was going to move the thing to my bedroom for the overnight heat but of course, had to use it for plants :)
Thank you for your videos and the helpful information that you provided. God bless your family
Great idea and presentation
Hi, Loved your distiller-heater, I suppose your distiller pulls water from the humidity thus de-watering the inside air while heating it. Your distiller (or crock-pot which will be adding water to the inside air) can be set up on a temperature-adjustable switch, coming “on” at, say, 38-40 F and shutting off at, say, 55 deg F. Then you can set it and forget it. If your distiller takes the weather out of the air you have an infinite supply, the crock-pot will need to be filled w/ water to vaporize. Temp-adjustable switches are available on Amazon (as well as other sites),
Good experiment
Water distillers use a Lot of watts, & throw-off a Lot of heat! Good double use for one!!
There are greenhouse heat mats. Friend years ago, with about 500 sq.ft hoop house with double-wall soft plastic covers, set up a seedling hot house in the middle. The floor was up on a couple pallets, covered with old carpeting & bricks. She put a couple of the warming mats on that, & kept them on a thermostat, to keep the small “room” at about 60*F. Just doing that, helped keep the rest of the large greenhouse warmed enough to prevent freeze damage when outside temps were around 32*F. (Pacific NW). She only had to use the big overhead heater when temps dropped into lower 20s*F.
What if you stacked bricks or blocks in a circle about a foot away from the cooker, to also retain heat? Then when the cooker shuts off, there’s residual thermal mass to help hold-over some warmth?
Interesting experiment, thanks for your vids. Just wondering, wouldn’t it be better to have that thermometer hanging at a lower level, so it is at the level of the plants?
You just presented the facts good job
Thank you, I got your idea and using the slow cooker it work great, next year Iwill rearrange to use the food dehydrate to dries fruit. I see the machine run 4 to 8 hours setting between 140 to 165 why not use this to keep the greenhouse warm. Just the thought!
Great video! I always love to see experiments from the beginning to end! Keep up the good work! Blessings on you and your family!
Excellent video👍👍you are appreciated🤗
That is so very interesting and ingenious. Sorry you lost the nights sleep but that was very interesting and helpful for my future green house. 🤗🥰😊
Very clever! I’m going to try it too. 👍
Thank you! Wishing you success!
That's 👍 great good idea something you use any ways may as well get a dual purpose from the distiller 😁 thank you for this video!!!
Thank you! You hit the nail on the head! Cheers!
@@plantabundance 😁👍
Wow what a great use for the distiller. I have a patio room where I winter plants from outside. The temps in there are 5-7 degrees from what's outside , less heat in Summer and less cold in Winter. The room still gets cold in Winter. The distiller would be a great dual purpose benefit. Water and heat. By the way I have one of those distillers and was wondering how long they lasted. I am gong on 4 yrs. with mine (H2O). I saw your other video about the rating you gave it and how you are still using it after 7 years its still going strong. What a great product. I also noticed in other videos how beautiful your plants are growing. I have horrible problem with critters, gophers, moles, skunks, possums, rabbits, rats and coons. Oh and grasshoppers. I've built cages and covered them with netting. A long tedius process that only lasts one season. Way too much work. This year I had a tomato in a large pot with pokey things around the bottom and netting to cover. After it got too big for the netting I took it off thinking it would be ok but within 2 days something not only ate the tomatoes but also ate the plant 1/2 gone. I give up. I haven't had home grown tomatoes in over 5 years. Any suggestions? I live in So. CA. I also have a waterway ditch behind me. Do you now what critter eats the grapefruit by chewng all the insides and leaving the skin in tack? and what critter eats all the skin off my lemons but leaves the insides hanging on the tree? I am also subscribed but am not getting notifications of your newest videos.
My mom had raccoons that ate her cantaloupe and left the outside. You couldn't tell it unless you picked the cantaloupe up, the hole was on the bottom. Raccoons eat tomatoes too.
Brilliant idea, thanks for sharing. ♥
This is so cool!
I like the idea of using an appliance that one would run anyway to heat the greenhouse space. Just wondering if anyone has tried this in zone 4? we are in Minnesota where March temps are considerably colder than 50 degrees overnight!
I've been using my water distiller to help heat my house during the winter.
Fantastic, thinking outside the box. Subscribed
This video is so interesting and the comments below are gold too. Thank you All.
I bet if you add a lot of stone or cast iron or water barrels that it can hold the heat better when you open the doors. But you are definitely on to something
Stacking function includes less watering because of the humidity increase.
Cool video
Thanks for the info. Looks good
the greenhouse reminds me of a tent at least in appearance... I was in the scouts. :P
Great idea!
I was thinking of putting my instant pot on steam; leave it on venting, with 8quarts of water in it and seeing how long it took for the water to boil away. It would release hot steam for as long as it took for the water to boil away. Dunno if it would be worth it but I def know it would heat up a small space in much the same way
It heats up my kitchen when I do steam Canning and I have an open concept kitchen and living room
I like that your thinking of other ways this could work based on your lifestyle and the tools you have at your disposal. There's only one way to find out. You may want to take a nice long nap first : ) Cheers!
@@plantabundance haha right! That would be a lot of babysitting 😂😂😂
nice experiment
how about small clay wood burning stove, but with candle instead.
Interesting!
Nice.. another thing that might help is using big Thermocoal sheets or insulation cloth that can retain the heat inside..
I don't know how much it cost to run what I've been thinking. Have not had time to figure.
But I was wondering about a very small water trough with a water heater in it. Be on the same principle as what you just did wouldn't it?
Thank you for the experiments. I'm wanting to heat a greenhouse without much money.
Blessings to you guys
Thinking outside the box! Love it! A proper aquarium heater could bring a rather large body of water up in temp significantly. Although, without a fan helping to force the heat out of the source it would be more likely to create a nice microclimate (warm zone) in the greenhouse rather than heat up the entire space. Could work for you depending on your situation and size of greenhouse. All the best!
Maybe in a zone 3 - use 4 water heaters in troughs that goes around perimeter. Set all with 1 end at slight elevation so will drain into next trough all around greenhouse. Last trough goes into a bucket with 1 additional water heater & water pump pushes water up to highest trough to recirculate. Possibly use food grade pvc with holes for Hydroponic use - the pvc would retain some heat & let out enough to keep greenhouse from freezing. Can always use the pvc for Hydroponic Growing as well when not needed for heating purposes. Thoughts?
@@bobbiduval7961 by
Thanks for sharing 👌
On a tiny house video a family in Europe built a greenhouse around their whole house. When mentioning the greenhouse within a greenhouse, i remember they grew plants and their home required significantly less heat. Edit they were in Stockholm. - I searched “house within a greenhouse”.
Thanks!
Last year I heated my greenhouse with a crockpot. It did an ok job but I think the fan making circulation would have been better
Thanks for the thought.
Thanks for sharing! I bet you had the best smelling greenhouse in town!
What did you put in your Crock-Pot? I have read about some people that use sand
@@brandiisbell7746 usually just water
I never thought of sand I will have to look for that.
@@TXJan0057 my Greenhouse is 8 by 16 Quonset hut shape. What size is yours
@@brandiisbell7746 the one I had last year was small 8 x 10. We put up the structure for a larger one this year but my husband got sick and we haven't gotten the plastic up yet so it may not be much use this year. Such is life you do what you can
Great idea. Thanks for sharing this.
Crisco candles (vegetable shortening) are a great source of cheap heat if it comes down to it.
Great 👍
Thank you 👍
Low budget innovation! Multitasking at it's finest! Throw some insulation on the outside of that greenhouse 🖒
Hello this is so inventive, you have also introduced me into getting a home water distiller. Great experiment, I should think you needed a lot of coffee. Thanks for staying up to make this video. I have a question I hope you don't mind. Is it possible to run a water distiller from a battery charged by solar panels? I have a small walk-in 6 shelves greenhouse without an electrical outlet outside. I am in the UK and our mains power is different so not sure how these things work. Maybe you have an idea of how I could do this. Many thanks indeed
Put a layer of bubble wrap over your green house cool video 👍
Cool beans.
Shouldn’t the greenhouse already be holding more heat than the outside ambient temperature? I thought that was what GH’s are for. I’m still a noob so please let me know if I’ve missed something.
Have you ever gone camping? It just keeps the wind and moisture off of you.
Yes interesting!
Cheers!
That’s cool.
Newbie here, you keep saying a water distiller...what is the name of the machine to look it up the checkout for purchase? Thank you! Thanks so much for sharing your experience and video.
Very cool idea! Did you get a chance to run the second distiller? If so, how'd that go?
I' was told on U Tube u can put leaves round the green house leave a bit open and that's ment to keep it warm dint kn if it work
Good luck! There are a dozen tricks you can use if you have a Green house. Last year I had to use an old crock pot to heat a 6 x 8 Green house to protect my plants( new Rosemary plants taken from cuttings) I hung a sheet of plastic up as a divider and filled buckets of water(with lids) to use as thermal mass. (Salt prevents it from freezing)Multiple layers of plastic over the plants works wonders.I used foil emergency blankets after the sun went down over top of the plastic to trap more heat.Freezing and thawing does more damage to some plants than letting them go dormant so this winter I'm growing my Rosemary plants without heat but they have established a good root system. I don't have a source of fresh manure during the winter months or I'd build a compost pile on one side of the Green house to help warm it.
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing! Having a tried & tested plan it place for those cold nights ahead can save a gardener many a headache. Sounds like you have developed a system that works for you. Great job!
Thank you very much! @@plantabundance
I'm not planning on using any heat this year until the temperature drops down in the teens.Then I'll plug my crock pot in.LOL
Nice !
Would it help to add a 2d layer and blower, plus insulate the north side? Then add mass as a heat storage.
Place the thermometer at the same level as the plants since warm air rises. Report the distiller electrical watts. Measure the square feet area of ALL of the greenhouse walls, roof, floor. Calculate the heat loss... doubt that your water distiller produces a net positive energy to make up for the surface area losses. Good luck... enjoy those greens!
Next up a big one !! Mile Hi Distilling .. i have looked around this is made right ! .. " worm of the still ," or the condenser." You make into a heater !! this would be kick ass ..Mmm DC WATER HEATING ELEMENTS looking nice Too ..on a Micro Wind Turbines ..windandsolar is a great place
Hey anyone, math isn’t my strong suit. I’m building a hoop greenhouse with pvc hose. The dimensions are 8x8.
How do I calculate how long to cut the hose if I want the centre / middle of the house to be 6’ tall? And do I want that height?
All free materials so working with what I have.
Thanks
Great video and community!!!
Each piece of pvc pipe would need to be 17.03509 ft. Search for a "circular arch calculator" online to find more info. All the best with your project!
@@plantabundance
Thank you. That’s awesome info.
I just built an 8x8 cattle panel raised bed in my yard. The center is about 7 feet, I estimate that it is about 19 feet from ground to ground. I am looking for ways to heat it…I am in zone 7a
Depends on how handy you are and what kind of tools you have.
One good source of free material is pallets. Most are around 36x42
But some are 8ft long by 3 or 4 ft wide.
I use a 6ft 2x4 to pop the 1x4 boards off the 2x4 runners. Leverage.
Quicker and easier to do than using a hammer and pry bar.
As expensive as lumber is these days it doesn't make sense not to take advantage of free pallet wood.
There are lots of videos on breaking down pallets for reusing the wood.
Anyway I would try to find enough 2x4x8 to make a frame to lay on the ground.
I might try a spade bit and a drill to drill holes every few feet to fit the ends of the pc into.
I think standard length for pc is 16 feet long. Set on a 2x4 frame should give you about 6ft inside height.
If not use two 2x4s for your frame.
Adjust the end piece length to get more height if needed.
There are lots of ways to build hoop houses cheap.
Good luck
God bless. Kansas
How many KWH were used over what length of usage, thanks?
Loved this video. My little 3’ square by 6’ high is all I have. What kind of light should I use in mine for nights that will get below freezing???? In coastal plains Z8aNC. Plant Abundance or someone please respond. 🙂🙂
Thank you! I would not recommend using a heat lamp for plants. You might try using a heat mat instead. It's safer and allows the plants adequate darkness each night for optimum health. Cheers!
😊 hi from zone 8b
Maybe you can set a dehydrator in the green house.
I like that idea! Cheers!
Is their a fan in that distiller? If not Im curious to know how much a small fan would help to circulate the air and keep the heat from just rising to the top.
Where did you purchase your counter top distiller
You can make moonshine at the same time. Win Win
Thanks for watching! Have a great day!
Does humidity give you any issues with plant growth or overwintering plants. I have the same greenhouse in zone 7b. I cant solve the 99-100% humidity problem when the doors and windows are closed. What have you experienced?
Where did you get perineal spinach?
Why can't I have a man like this?
Lol, that's what I usually think. I'm at 60yrs, a good smart man would be quite welcome. My kids grown and moved on... just a senior lady who wouldn't mind one either.
Interesting I got 1000 sf. I need to upsize! But I’m on solar so wood stove it is!!
Nice! Sounds like a commercial operation. More attention to safety required, but I like it! Cheers!
@@plantabundance commercial. 😂🤣 nope just my farm I like fresh citrus and the Texas freeze killed all mine so big greenhouse now for Trees. 😂👍
Everything's bigger in Texas!
@@plantabundance 😂🤣😎👍
Is that machine akin to a dehumidifier?
What's up Dan?
Thanks for being here! Much appreciated!
is there a mold problem in the long run?