Heaters for small grow tents??

[T_Dub]

That split system AC sounds cool, but it’s more than I can spend on growing. Great solution though.
While we’re not in the true coldest temps yet, I tested OldFogey’s idea last night when temps dropped to 68. I set the oil-filled radiant heater to turn on when temperatures fell below 72. I placed the heater in front of the intake port, and I run my fan at a speed of 1-2 at night so it’s always drawing in fresh air. It works…..but it’s probably inefficient kicking that space heater on and off. I didn’t test it for long, and I just didn’t feel safe leaving the space heater unattended.



After more research though I’ve decided to experiment with using a large heat mat as my heat source. It’s a constant 80-87 degree temperature, so nothing too hot. It will turn on if temperatures drop below 72 degrees. I am in a 2x4 tent and I found a mat that is 20”x 48”. My plants sit in saucers and I use plant elevators that raise them about 2 inches, so I don’t expect to cook the roots with the heat mat since there is airflow under the rootball. I also have a small fan on the floor moving air around 24/7, so the heat should be dispersed quickly. If this works, I’ll update for anyone else looking for safe heating solutions.

I could also lift the saucers off the ground with lifts if there’s concern about the roots becoming too hot.


Thanks again for the great ideas….

 

[roadking]

hiya
that tube looking heater thing in your opening post
looks like a gun safe heater you can buy at cabelas or bass pro shops...
kind blessings

 

[KGB]

Being someone who has not done this but has been researching I find this interesting since I will definitely be using a grow tent in my basement. The way I see it, based on what you are saying, I should grow autos when it’s cold so I can put some kind of heating lamp in the tent. The heating arrangement wouldn’t bother an auto from what I can tell. Just a thought

Or

You could buy an inexpensive 4 inch duct heater and feed it through the bottom of your tent. I find this interesting and think I will build a 4 inch duct heater into my tent layout controlled by a thermostat in the tent. I believe they are like $30-$40

 

[T_Dub]

Being someone who has not done this but has been researching I find this interesting since I will definitely be using a grow tent in my basement. The way I see it, based on what you are saying, I should grow autos when it’s cold so I can put some kind of heating lamp in the tent. The heating arrangement wouldn’t bother an auto from what I can tell. Just a thought

Or

You could buy an inexpensive 4 inch duct heater and feed it through the bottom of your tent. I find this interesting and think I will build a 4 inch duct heater into my tent layout controlled by a thermostat in the tent. I believe they are like $30-$40

I tried a 2x4 heat mat in the bottom of my 2x4 tent and it didn’t make a dent in the temperature. I have a small ceramic heater on order for the 2x2 tent…..might try it in the 2x4 tent too. It’s 250 watts (very low wattage for a heater) and doesn’t get too hot to the touch. I’ll let you know if it’s enough to raise the tent temperature.

 

[KGB]

Awesome because I looked at what were called duct heaters and they are all just inline fans. Looking forward to seeing how the small heater works.

 

[Dan789]

It's been a minute, sorry for the long lapse, but hey I'm jumping in on this: I use thermo controlled matts under neath the plants, and outside of the tent use a timer and thermo controlled oil filled radiant heater for when the lights are out. Granted I'm not in a very cold area but that's my $02.

 

[ActivatedAlmonds52]

I was just about to post a VERY similar thread, but noticed this one. So I'm just going to paste what I wrote below:


Am I right to be concerned by temperatures fluctuating between ~54 and 77°F?

I have no growing experience. I'm almost done building my first growbox, which is a 21 x 34 x 77" wardrobe I meticulously converted (99% lightproof!). Big carbon filter, ventilated hood reflector etc.

The problem is that it's in a BIG room which I don't want to heat (don't want to bore you with the details). During winter the tempeature in that room is about 54-60°F (12-15°C).

My lamps and ballast are 250W and while I'm aware that they will generate some heat, I will probably need something extra for however many hours the plants will be in the dark (still need to read a bit about light schedules).

I think I'm going to do a "dry" run anyway: turn everything on and record temparature changes.

 

[SubmarineGirl]

I think your plants will adapt well with temps fluctuating between 54 and 77F. You may even see some nice colors that you wouldn’t in a room like mine (my utility room which stays very warm especially in the winter when the gas furnace is running more).
you can control some heat in your tent by adjusting the vent fan up and down but need to watch the humidity levels when you do this.
good luck with your dry run. Please post your outcome and what you plan to grow in your new grow space

 

[ActivatedAlmonds52]

I think your plants will adapt well with temps fluctuating between 54 and 77F. You may even see some nice colors that you wouldn’t in a room like mine (my utility room which stays very warm especially in the winter when the gas furnace is running more).

That's good to hear. I was afraid I'd have to bother with yet another aspect of the whole process.

As for the dry runs, I'll do two: one with MH and one with HPS. I'll put a spare phone in front of the thermometer to record it for 24h (12 light/12 dark). I'll share the results here.

 

[oldfogey8]

That's good to hear. I was afraid I'd have to bother with yet another aspect of the whole process.

As for the dry runs, I'll do two: one with MH and one with HPS. I'll put a spare phone in front of the thermometer to record it for 24h (12 light/12 dark). I'll share the results here.

They sell relatively cheap thermometer/barometer units(under $10) that have a max/min button on them that will display the maximum and minimum temps they experience. That should give you a better idea of the range over time since ambient temperature outside the tent will affect temperature inside the tent.

 

[joeb631a]

They sell relatively cheap thermometer/barometer units(under $10) that have a max/min button on them that will display the maximum and minimum temps they experience. That should give you a better idea of the range over time since ambient temperature outside the tent will affect temperature inside the tent.

I love my sensor push they are $50 and connects to your phone and gives ht ,rh and averages.
If you buy a hub you can get that info any where .
new ones have VPD too i believe

 

[oldfogey8]

I love my sensor push they are $50 and connects to your phone and gives ht ,rh and averages.
If you buy a hub you can get that info any where .
new ones have VPD too i believe

@T_Dub has something like that I think. Pretty cool tech(pun intended)…

 

[T_Dub]

@T_Dub has something like that I think. Pretty cool tech(pun intended)…

That SensorPush looks like cool technology. It’s “read only”, so you can see tent conditions from anywhere but you can’t make adjustments on the fly.

I use the AC Infinity Controller 69 on three tents. They have a “Pro” model, which is both wifi and Bluetooth. It provides you with a summary of your current environment. It also allows you to make adjustments to four components from anywhere. I have my veg tent set up where I can control the LED, the inline fan, the humidifier and the oscillating fan from my phone via wifi. It is a smart controller that is very useful for maintaining an environment, as long as you use compatible equipment. It also allows you to set VPD targets too.

Here is the main screen

Here are the individual screen where you manage each component.

 

[KGB]

Plan on doing some experiments with this today just without plants. I want to see if I can maintain a constant temp using the AC Infinity controller and a small ceramic heater with tip over protection. The heater will go up to 1500 but it’s low setting is only 500 watts. I calibrated the temp and humidity sensor on the controller yesterday. Working on my grow design and fully automatic watering system now so I am ready to roll on July 1st.

Also note that I figured out a way to put the 6 inch fan and carbon filter inside the 3x3 tent but still use the light to the top of the tent…without making a single 90 degree turn so I get maximum airflow. I love this stuff!

 

[oldfogey8]

Also note that I figured out a way to put the 6 inch fan and carbon filter inside the 3x3 tent but still use the light to the top of the tent…

I have my fan outside the tent. Only the filter needs to be inside the tent. I try to minimize the heat sources inside the tent. I would be more concerned with having a heater inside the tent as the output will be very hot and dry which could burn plants too close to the heater. I am not trying to discourage innovation. I am just giving input.

 

[KGB]

I have my fan outside the tent. Only the filter needs to be inside the tent. I try to minimize the heat sources inside the tent. I would be more concerned with having a heater inside the tent as the output will be very hot and dry which could burn plants too close to the heater. I am not trying to discourage innovation. I am just giving input.

I tried putting the exhaust fan outside the tent and it makes too much noise for me. Since it’s out of my way now it doesn’t matter that much for my purposes.

And I can clearly see your point about burning the plants if you had a heater blowing on them but in my design the small ceramic heater will be below my plants and will put out small amounts of heat. As for the humidity I also see your point. I will add water in a pan directly in front of my 500 watt heater and monitor both.

 

[WeedHopper]

That SensorPush looks like cool technology. It’s “read only”, so you can see tent conditions from anywhere but you can’t make adjustments on the fly.

I use the AC Infinity Controller 69 on three tents. They have a “Pro” model, which is both wifi and Bluetooth. It provides you with a summary of your current environment. It also allows you to make adjustments to four components from anywhere. I have my veg tent set up where I can control the LED, the inline fan, the humidifier and the oscillating fan from my phone via wifi. It is a smart controller that is very useful for maintaining an environment, as long as you use compatible equipment. It also allows you to set VPD targets too.

Here is the main screen
View attachment 317173

Here are the individual screen where you manage each component.
View attachment 317176View attachment 317177View attachment 317178View attachment 317179

Thats pretty cool bro.

 

[KGB]

As soon as the heater turned on humidity dropped drastically. Putting a bowl of water in front of the heater did almost nothing. I am realizing that at the start of growing if you use a heater a humidifier will be necessary if you want total control of the tent climate. It also shows that I will also need a dehumidifier later on

 

[RJBrown41]

That's what I did put a heater on the outside close to the intake fan hole well not to close like 2 ft away ran tubing that was by the heater pulling it into the tent brought temps up for me but I have a half Michigan basement half regular basement so temps down there were 45 ish that was my bedroom 2 so had to have a heater no matter what lol

Like Fogey said. Probably could draw the heat into the tent and or run lights during the coldest time of the night.

 

[wil2279]

Good Day,
With winter coming, I will be dealing with cold temperatures in my basement where my tent it located. I’d like to find a way to bring the temps up 5 degrees with lights on and 10 degrees with lights off. Space heaters scare me, so I’m looking for the safest way to heat a small grow tent without burning my house down.

I have a small 2x4 tent with a SCROG, so there’s no room on the floor for an oil filled radiant heater. Does anyone have any creative solutions for mounting heaters in small tents? I already have a sensor that will turn the heater on or off based on temperatures in the tent. (Inkbird brand)

Im looking at tube heaters, which are popular in the UK and use European plugs. No American plugs that I can find, so I’d need an adapter.
View attachment 311073



I’m looking at reptile heaters that I could clamp to the tent….they claim to have no “visible” light (that claim concerns me)

View attachment 311075View attachment 311074

I see heaters for greenhouses, but this seems like overkill for a 4x2x6’ tent
View attachment 311076


Am I missing any other options? If you’ve solved this dilemma, I’m actively seeking solutions. Thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

I built an 8x12 room in my basement and no heat that room... And my tent is in that room. If this isn't an option, you could get a 5x5 tent and put your 2x4 tent inside the 5x5 and put a small heater in the 5x5. I don't like the idea of a heater in the actual grow tent.