Modifying a caterpillar Tunnel: Part 5

It’s cold and getting colder and a few of you have asked about our greenhouse heating and where to even begin when you’r trying to figure out what to do. It seems like a good time to continue this series and fill in some more of the gaps.

Our heater is a Modine model that we mounted on a concrete footers. For stability, the heater is also attached to the end wall of the tunnel. It would be difficult for us to hang such a large heater, and that’s why we gave it a footprint in the tunnel. Our heater is fueled by LP gas (liquid propane).

I would love to switch to a more sustainable option with a renewable energy source in the future. We chose this option because we did not have the time, resources, or finances to pour into other options. We installed our heater in December of 2020 with the pandemic very much still underway. Moussa and I were working alone on the farm, trying so hard to make enough to support our families.

I used the greenhouse calculator on the ACF greenhouses website and a follow up call to a specialist at Greenhouse Megastore to determine the size and model heater that would be best for our situation. When there was a figure that required rounding up or down, I rounded up to make sure we didn’t accidentally bring in a heater that would not be up to the task. The heater itself was purchased from Greenhouse Megastore.

The thermostat was hung about half way down the tunnel and at about plant height for the plants we grow in the center. It hangs down. This helps ensure that the heater is not trying to reach a set temperature from a thermostat mounted at the farthest end of the space.

Our thermostat was hard wired by an electrician. The heater was installed by a professional contractors. It is serviced by an HVAC technician.