With winter coming I was hoping to get some advice about heating

My dream is to trench out a huge area, bigger than a septic drain field, and bury 1000's of feet of poly tubing all coiled up in rows. Down like 6-7 feet, where it's a constant temp. Pump glycol through it, radiating back into the grow area, also keeping it about the same constant temp at all times.

In the winter time, it would hardly take any energy to heat an insulated room that is already 50 something degrees, even while it is freezing outside.

Drop That Sound said:

Pretty sure you can't beat a flip flop style grow for winter months. One or the other set of lights\partitioned area is always lit up 24/7, keeping both rooms warmed up.

Using more lights instead of heaters in the dark.

You can partition almost any size room to do it. Also, you can basically run 2 grows from the same electrical circuits, without needing more amperage. Make sure to leave a small gap in the cycles so that everything isn't running at once and tripping the breaker. Run 11:55 on 12 off for example.


Heat recovery ventilators are your friend, if not running a sealed environment.

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I see the sense in it. I'll eventually be moving in that direction when the state I live in catches up with the rest of the world. But right now I'm only growing 2 plants. When I set up the 5x8 I'll prob still only grow 4. I've got nothing automated except an ac infinity controller and I couldn't be there to make the daily adjustments and waterings for 2 grow areas. I can barely handle 1. I've got a lot of room though and I think I could support us someday growing for dispensaries out whoever. And I will def make use of this to save energy in winter.
I just looked up heat recovery ventilators and they look interesting. I didn't get to far into it yet. Made me think of a heat pump.

ClaytonNewbilFontaine said:

How does the Inkbird actually control it? Is it just cutting it on and off to control the temps in the tent?

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Yep. It has a temp sensor and you set some simple parameters. I think the point of the inkbird is that the temperature sensor is more accurate than the one that comes on most heaters and/or you can calibrate the thermometer as well as there's some offsets involved in the unit.

I have my panel's thermostat set to full up and I'm considering bringing it back down a little to see if there's less of a sawtooth, but then again, it's only a 3 or so degree variance from low to high.

Drop That Sound said:

My dream is to trench out a huge area, bigger than a septic drain field, and bury 1000's of feet of poly tubing all coiled up in rows. Down like 6-7 feet, where it's a constant temp. Pump glycol through it, radiating back into the grow area, also keeping it about the same constant temp at all times.

In the winter time, it would hardly take any energy to heat an insulated room that is already 50 something degrees, even while it is freezing outside.

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This seems like...work...

I'm sorry, but just telling anyone to buy a heater is bad advice from now on. According to many people on the internet, and here on this very site, global warming is destroying the planet. Using heaters to grow cannabis contributes to the overall carbon footprint, yadda yadda.

As Greta would say.. "how dare you!".


Heat recovery ventilation HRV/ERV made from soda pop cans or sheets of coroplast, DIY black spray painted beer can solar concentraters, homemade sterling hot air engine generators (using gas instead of air with sealed pressure vessel) placed in the focal point of a mylar coated parabolic dish w/ sun tracking device that only uses 2% of the power it makes to track the sun every day, right on the roof of your house & feeding the charge controller going to the bank of hemp ion composite batteries, which are are hooked up to the dedicated sub panel to your grow, all made from garbage or unwanted appliances. Hydro turbines made from free smart drive washing machines off the marketplace. Things like geo thermal radiant floor systems that are plumbed to large insulated tanks that hold onto heat, mass underground heat storage batteries, state of the art greenhouses, flip flopping with advanced environmental controls + motorized damper ducting systems to conserve energy, sending heat from green house to grow room and back each night, building most of your gear out of trash instead of forking out for new commercial stuff that produces even more carbon and co2 in the process, etc, etc.. that is the only kinds of things I will be advising from here on out.

JK.. Greta can eat my shorts.

Those cute little radiator heaters 4-600 watts do work pretty good.

LeastExpectedGrower said:

This seems like...work...

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Work confirmed.

Grow with HID in the winter instead of LED.