14-04-2010, 10:57 AM
131
Re: The Toms are in
The cucumber seeds I planted 2 weeks ago aint appeared yet, . . thanks for the info OG, I'll have a go at the melons, . . if I had the choice of eating a cucumber or a melon I'd choose the latter.The temp dropped to +4 during the night so I got a paraffin heater this morning, . . Steph aint looking too pleased but she'll get over it, . . as long as temps fluctuate gradually and not suddenly like in a cold draft plants do recover.
The heater will burn for a week during night time on one gallon of paraffin so that's not bad, . . the electric ones are very expensive to keep going, although they are thermostatically controlled, . . the temp at this moment is +12 which is borderline for tropicals.
14-04-2010, 03:05 PM
132
Re: The Toms are in
The sun's just popped out, . . . it's been freezing all day, never been above +8 externally, . . I felt like a lighthouse keeper earlier, . . trimming the wicks etc,
The paraffin heater gives out .7KW so that'll be enough for now but if I get more tropicals I shall have to look at running two pipes from the CH boiler to the hothouse, . . these will have to be underground, the distance is 20 foot and I'll have to get completely watertight insulated pipes 'else I'll loose all the heat from the flow pipe, . . this is the best option I think, cost wise, . . a radiator in there will only be set to a low setting even during winter, . . . anyone know of the insulation type pipes I'm looking for ?
I could use a 30mm plastic drain pipe filled with insulating material with the copper heat supply and return pipes running down the middle of it, . . this could be sealed either end before being put underground, . . the pipe would run from the basement of the house and come up under the hothouse floor via a 90 degree elbow, . . . any ideas on this my friends ?
14-04-2010, 05:17 PM
134
Re: The Toms are in
Originally Posted by dandysmom
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Nero, do you have an electrical outlet in the greenhouse? I was thinking of one of those portable plug-in radiators. We had one in the doctors examining room for Winter as it was always chilly there.
15-04-2010, 10:30 AM
136
Re: The Toms are in
Originally Posted by galty
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Would not use copper but plastic 15mm heating pipework, less heatloss and no joints under ground
All the joints in the CH are brass compression types and it would be easy to fit 2 "T" pieces into the circuit, the distance to the hothouse is 8 metres from the circuit, about the same as the furthest rad in the bedroom.
15-04-2010, 12:21 PM
137
Re: The Toms are in
If your heating is micro bore(8mm pipe work) then you would have to tee in at the manifold.The fittings for 15mm plastic(push fit) can be used on copper pipe.
If using push fit on copper do not cut pipe work with a hacksaw use a pipe cutter as ends must not be burred.
15-04-2010, 12:27 PM
138
Re: The Toms are in
Originally Posted by galty
->
If your heating is micro bore(8mm pipe work) then you would have to tee in at the manifold.The fittings for 15mm plastic(push fit) can be used on copper pipe.
If using push fit on copper do not cut pipe work with a hacksaw use a pipe cutter as ends must not be burred.
, there's no manifold downstairs below the floors, it's a 15mm circuit, . . upstairs there is a manifold and it's an 8mm circuit, I have a cutter BTW.
17-04-2010, 09:13 AM
139
Re: The Toms are in
Browsing in Homebase yesterday I came across a gardenia, . . . what a fantastic scent they have . . . I brought her home . . . gardenias aint the easiest to cultivate but if you see one give it a go, they need shaded light and moisture but you'll never need an air freshener in the house when they're in flower, this one has a few unopened buds on it, the leaves on them are sooo glossy. 
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