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Post by lloyd on Jun 6, 2015 22:48:12 GMT -5
I'm looking for ideas to keep my attached garage from going below ~-4°C. Last winter prolonged temperatures around -6°C really did a number on my plants.
It shouldn't take much power because I just want to take the edge off the cold. I saw 400W oil-circulating electric heaters. The trouble is I need one with a really low temperature thermostat. I don't want to keep the garage above 0°C.
I was thinking of having it on a timer at night if I can't find a low temperature thermostat.
Any thoughts?
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Post by hal on Jun 7, 2015 0:25:37 GMT -5
My plan last winter was a heat pad inside an insulated box. Great intentions, but crap on the follow-through.
When I worked up north we had a well and a pump for water. We kept the pump going through the winter by keeping it in a plywood box lined with Styrofoam with a 60W light bulb inside. Even at -40, the pump never froze as long as the bulb was going. Every so often, the temperature would drop below -40 and suddenly everything would go quiet. The diesel in the generator would gel up and we'd have to start a small fire on top of the water pump or let it freeze and wait 3 days for a new one to be delivered.
For the first 2 years we had a simple outhouse and pit toilet. We'd draw straws to see who would tip over the frozen dung cone in February. By then it was almost up to the seat of the outhouse.
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Post by lloyd on Jun 7, 2015 5:06:31 GMT -5
TMI
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Post by grackle on Jun 7, 2015 14:50:39 GMT -5
There are de-icing cables for your roof that should do the job. They are intended to keep a valley open for snow runoff to exit rather than back up under your shingles. grack ETA Isn't repeated cycles of freeze/thaw the death of many wet plants rather than an insulated freeze? I'd investigate more but maybe keep it at 2C.
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Post by lloyd on Jun 7, 2015 16:34:19 GMT -5
My aim is to keep the temperature between -3°C to +2°C.
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Post by ontariotraps on Jul 29, 2015 7:29:57 GMT -5
If you have room build a pink box out of insulation, just think the thicker it is the warmer inside the box is gonna stay.
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Post by grackle on Jul 29, 2015 8:23:01 GMT -5
The expensive option is a fridge or freezer. Downsides are mold in summer if left off (and closed) v expense of running older models. Unlocked and latching is risky when random kids take access.
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