Greenhouse heater help - Biogreen Palma 2.0

I think just anything that produces heat or refrigeration has instructions to not use with an extension cord but I believe it has to do with the variety of these extensions. All the way from high quality down to poundland finds which obviously would have some effect on their safe uses.

I make sure I just use a really heavy duty extension and keep the darned thing elevated far above floor level.

I'll probably be accused of using hillbilly hydro but I keep the wire well disguised between the house and the greenhouse.

My outlets are at the sides and back of the house are the same as those found in washrooms but meant for outdoors as well as the wet areas.

Why don't you just sling a good extension cord out there to see how it would work/look if you decided to go ahead and do something permanent?

 

Yeah last year became hassle having to buy parafin every week and i always left the garden stinking of parafin haha.
Trying to avoid that this year if i can
Hoping a fan heater would be cheaper to run as i have a really cheap night tarif for electric and solar/battery ln the daytime.

I guess if the only real issue is the cable length being altered being a problem i could buy a kit to supply the power to the greenhouse just for winter then remove it next year. As a cable will always be a trip hazard due to the route to the greenhouse.

 

These days there are very strict rules that electricians have to follow, they can't really advise you to do any thing that could be potentially dangerous.
So people tend to be reluctant to advise things that would not fit the regulations.
Having said that, my set up could well give an electrician nightmares but it works, you do have to be careful though.
Just make sure you use a good RCD on the connection to the house.

 

You often see those plastic covers put over temporary extension cables where they cross pathways.

 

1 and 2 - do find those comments a bit surprising as it overrides the manufacturers details, ask your electrician friend for the reasons he states that .

3 - you can use one of these IP rated outdoor connectors to extend such a cable and use any wire you wish and hang the cable out the window or wherever you want, however thats entirely your choice, responsibility and risk and might invalidate your house insurance etc.

Thats why none here will give you specific instructions as what to do with such mains electricals as if you followed them and things went wrong, you would blame and seek redress from them.

Surely the best thing is to ask your electrician friend or another qualified electrician to properly install it for you, so you know its all safe for you and your family.

 

I ended up just getting a weatherproof double socket to extend my supply into the greenhouse and then plugging in the thermostat and fan into it.

 

Just one thing, as you have not mentioned it, if your house consumer unit does not have RCDs fitted , or are not fitted on the line you used for the greenhouse, then your greenhouse sockets really need to be the RCD type as shown earlier on page 1, they really are lifesavers !

British General 900 Series 13A 2-Gang SP Switched Passive RCD Socket White - Screwfix

 

Yeah as the line into the greenhouse is plugged in i just have it connected to an RCD brfore it leaves the house.

 

All sorted then !

What are you using the heater for, just for a frost free greenhouse around 3-4 c or a bit higher to keep some more tender plants growing ?

Using a power meter on if you have one lets you see how much it uses as a 2kw heater will gobble it up if set too high.

Worth sectioning off part of the greenhouse with bubble film if it uses too much, as will fitting bubble film to the glass.

 

Yeah gonna cover the whole greenhouse in bubble wrap. It's only small.

At the moment I'd set it to 6 degrees and the manual thermostat in there says it's 5 degrees. Was worried I'd set it too low just incase it wasn't too accurate.

Between 11.30pm and 5.30am it'll be costing 7.5p/kw and using solar/battery during the day so hopefully it's not going to cost loads.