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Greenhouses & Garden Structures

Attaching Ventless propane heater

16 years ago

I know many of you have installed a ventless heater to the 10x2 HFGH. Would any of you care to post pictures of attaching it? I need to install one and don't want to build a whole wall to attach it. Since the walls are pretty flimsy, I'm not confident attaching it to the braces or upright aluminum ummm... studs? :-)

Thanks

Tom

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Comments (4)

laserfan
16 years ago
Here ya go. Look at the last row of pics--also a couple in the Details section.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our 10X12 HFGH
oregon_veg
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Laserfan,
Does that wall heave at all?
what kind of movement does it get?
Tom
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Thanks for the advise. My biggest problem is in how much stuff I have already put into my greenhouse. I have a swamp cooler arriving this Monday because I cannot get the temp below 105 degrees right now (I do have a 60% black out tarp over it). I have a sink, potting bench and potting supplies along the north wall, 8'x 2' cedar planter - that takes up one whole side (against the south wall). The door is on the West end and benches along the East end. 4 Vents in the ceiling (2 automatic). 18" wide x 48" bench going down the middle with a 4'fluorescent grow lights on a pulley system over it. I can walk into the greenhouse and I have a 2 ft walking going down 1 side - across the back - then back up to the door. It is tight - now I have to decide what to get rid of to be able to fit the cooler and heater in. How close can benches really be to the heater? The manual says 36" - if that is true i will lose 1/2 my space. I know that the mfg is over stating due to legal issues - but in reality - what have you all experienced? My heater is 20,000 btu.
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With a very similar set-up to yours in my greenhouse, I decided to research the issue. First, to be completely safe and legal, this is probably a question to ask the fire department. But, here is the code on this: http://www.grainger.com/content/qt-nfpa-58-gas-cylinders According to this article, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/heating-greenhouse-propane-58413.html , this use is acceptable. Since my greenhouse is well away from my home (should this turn out to not be a good idea), my 20 lb propane tank, with a small camp tent type heating element attached, is inside my greenhouse with no problems, after a few years of use. If your code requires, or you want to be extra safe, perhaps you could just add a few extra feet of hose between your tank and your Mr. Heater to keep the tank outside. I built a small wire cage to support my heating element, so adding a few extra feet of hose to the tank would should be a problem.
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Most likely your model has an oxygen sensing pilot. That is one that flames out when the O2 level gets too low. Most ventless heaters in the last 5-10 years do. There are a few things which can cause this: not enough ventilation (as mentioned), too high an altitude (>4500' can be problematic), and dirt in the pilot assembly. I have a similar model, and I had a lot of problems with the pilot going out until I cleaned the pilot tube (Qtip and some alcohol). Even though it was brand new, it had some dirt/grease in there. After cleaning it it has worked much better. Since yours is going off fairly quickly, you might want to watch the pilot flame for a while. Does the flame base travel away from the end of the tube and then go out? If so, that is the symptom of O2 depletion going on. It may be lack of vent air, or possibly dirt in the pilot tube. Both cause the same symptoms. You can read up on oxygen sensing pilot lights online. There is lots of info out there. They are intentionally very hard to modify/adjust. But quite simple in operation. Usually just a cleaning will fix them. But it is possible that you got a defective unit (but unlikely).
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laserfan
16 years ago
Hi Tom if anything the TechShield (1/2" or 5/8", I forget) stiffens the wall a bit, and the heater is only 15lbs so there's really no impact from this addition. I haven't installed my Exhaust Fan yet but with its motor it is MUCH heavier and will be mounted high-up and still I expect zero problems. But about the heater note also from my Details pics:

1. Their are horiz braces immediately above & below the mounting board
2. One of the two uprights left & right has a 3/4" EMT crossbrace at the top
3. The foundation is absolutely rock-steady-unmoveable

I guess I disagree that "the walls are pretty flimsy"; you should do just fine unless your HFGH is not reinforced and "breathes" too much. But this would mean bigger problems for the GH than just your heater wall!!!

I think if you don't have at least two add-on cross-braces at the top of your stud walls you are asking for trouble big-time.
oregon_veg
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks,
I actually do have 4 crossbraces. It has stiffened things up quite a bit. I was just concerned about the weight because those studs are very thin and flimsy. I was thinking they could buckle, not movement in and out from wind but from weight.
Please take pictures of the fan as it goes in. Can you take close-ups? I've only installed a ceiling fan and an exhaust is the next step.
Thanks again,
Tom

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