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nugardnrinnc

Propane heat is way to humid.

nugardnrinnc
12 years ago

Hey guys. Haven't been here in awhile been busy learning about gardening thru experience. I decided this winter to try and keep my poly tunnel gh alive and growing. Last winter my elec heat barely kept me above freezing and added an extra $100 on my power bill.

This year I decided to pull out an old vent free propane heater and install it. So far we've had night temps in the 20s and the heater has no problem keeping it at a cozy 60f while on low.The biggest drawback to this heater is its not thermostaticly controlled. I've even been leaving the door cracked about 4 inches when its above freezing and watching money fly away hoping for enuf ventialtion. I had problems at first b/c i had worked so hard to seal my gh and the "vent-free" heater would only run a few hours. I now have proper venting for the heater and it will run forever if I let it.

Now my new problem is humidity. I read online earlier that basically 1 gallon of propane burned equals about one gallon of water put into the air. Wow that was a surprising find, and helps explain why I cant get it to dry out in there. I've read a few posts on here and I know the best cure for humidity is ventilation, but with cold temps out and my heater adding more and more water I just cant seem to get a good balance.

I've gone back to running elec heat when I can just to help dry things some, but I'm not made of money and as much as I love having the gh I'm about to give up on the winter growing season, it just doesn't seem feasable or sensible and all my plants are suffering from the abundance of moisture. Oh and my gh is only 10' x 30' with a 7' ceiling. I keep a box fan hanging from the ceiling on low for circulation. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions that may help me out? Thx

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