Heating advice please

[-pat m]

Well I filled up my paraffin heater with 4.5 l of paraffin the other night - went out yesterday morning and the paraffin had all gone and the heater was off!! I checked the min max thermometer and min is reading +0.2 so the old gal must have stayed on despite the leak for a good few hours and saved my seedlings.
Rather than a straight replacement I bought 150 metres of cable and put a small domestic heater (oil radiator) in the greenhouse which is itself in the poly tunnel. It was only when I had it all wired up and working - while I was congratulating myself that I thought I wonder if this will be ok? (With the moisture in that environment?)
Has anyone done anything similar?
I am really pleased to have power down there as I have a radio on all day as a little protection and company for the chickens I have to rechargs the batteries every three days but now can run it off the power!!

Regards

Pat

[Sanjo]

Hi Pat M. That's the sort of thing I do and then worry about it. Just a thought, have you used straight forward domestic cable or was it specifically for outdoor use ie a more robust version like armour plate. Also, do you have a safety cutout or inline fuse breaker type thingy? What is the heater wired up to - the actual 150 mt of cable or did you attach a socket to the cable and plug the heater in. I reckon that way could cause a prob with moisure. I am sure a more technical minded grape will be along shortly with advice. I hope it works out ok because I am sure that it has to be more economical than paraffin which is about £5 a gallon round here.

[NOG]

I am told that you can use Heating Oil if you can get hold of it. It retails at 30p Lit.

You need to put an RCD on your cable.

[-pat m]

I didn't know about using heating oil (i still have12l of paraffin!)
I have used a RCD and the mains I am using is in a building we don’t use that has its own power. I am hopeful I have the whole health and safety issue sorted
Well I believe Sanjo may understand this - I have now added a small PIR 150 watt spot - light so I have the luxury of automatic light when shutting up the chicks!
I have promised my wife nothing else will be hooked up down there!! …But a small baby belling to cook a bacon sandwich and I could almost be self sufficient down the tunnel!!)
Also the small heater is working great and of course has a thermostat so on checking today has hardly been on due to the sun (when my paraffin would have been chucking out the heat)

Regards and thanks

Pat

[Sanjo]

There you go - sorted as you say. Yep, a great one for being able to see what you're doing, that's me! Now, you're being a tad extravagant with the baby belling idea, but a Remoska uses only 500watts of power and you could cook lunch for you and the missus down there!! Course, there's the expense of the Remoska to start with but think of what you're saving by growing your own.

[wykesmallholder]

power to tunnel

morning what is the core size of the cable because over the distance you are covering if it isn't big enough if you try to draw too much current it will create a voltage drop because of the resistance something like 3 by 2.5mm or even 4mm because of the heater unless it is a low wattage one bacause standard ones draw round about 2000 watt on full and the max safe loading on 2.5mm cable is approx 3120 watt but couldn't tell you what it would be for 150 m without working it out as long you don't run much more from it you'll be ok just i work for a hire company and i see it all too often extention leads that have been overloaded the worst being the plug and socket had melted and set on fire but you have rcd protection so the will cut off at the sightest problem

[-pat m]

Thanks for the reply,
The heater is really small - I will have a look at the wattage when I go down next but it is only 20cm x 30 cm but is perfect for the job down the green house!
Thanks again
Pat