Heaters for small grow tents??

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T_Dub

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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.
EE3E4E09-9B7B-4087-B972-5F598D632479.jpeg



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

2E0755A4-5D75-475E-8A60-52DE5FDBEDEE.jpeg5669D148-A71E-463F-B116-427980A26EBD.jpeg

I see heaters for greenhouses, but this seems like overkill for a 4x2x6’ tent
947F3C1D-73CD-42FF-911E-C9FA515DFF36.jpeg


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've used both heat lamps and space heaters. Problem with heat lamps is you can't have them on after lights out when flowering. So I used the heat lamps during lights on and a metal space heater when it was lights out. Most good space heaters nowadays have safety mechanisms built in. I set mine on a solid surface away from everything and never had a problem.

This is the one I used.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ki...aYTOd987ya-HiIkipv_tqwIE4YWnYVmBoCaeQQAvD_BwE
1665830232902.png
 

King Electric PHM-1 Details​

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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.
What are the temperatures you are shooting for? I live in the northeast and it gets pretty cold in the winter here. I grow in my basement and have not had a problem with temperatures being too low. My grow area in my basement is not heated though I do get some residual heat from the oil burner which is not near my grow room. The upside of cooler temps is they promote purple colors on cannabis in flower. I do set my timer so lights are on during the night to add heat during the coldest times. If I were going to use a space heater, I would put it outside the tent aimed at the air intake duct so the exhaust fan would draw the heat into the tent. In the winter, I also exhaust the tent back into my grow area instead of exhausting it outside. That way I figure I get to recycle some of the tent heat back into the grow area as well as some humidity(we get into single digits or below zero here). I think the basement rarely gets below 55 deg F.
 
Okay,,guess I didn't read the part about a tent. No I wouldn't put a space heater in a tent. I've never grown in tents and never will. Don't like them. To each his own though.
When I used a space heater it was in a storage room not a tent.
 
Okay,,guess I didn't read the part about a tent. No I wouldn't put a space heater in a tent. I've never grown in tents and never will. Don't like them. To each his own though.
When I used a space heater it was in a storage room not a tent.
Thanks WeedHopper….that’s my general concern too. I figured there might be a safe solution that I hadn’t considered.

Thanks for the reply!
 
What are the temperatures you are shooting for? I live in the northeast and it gets pretty cold in the winter here. I grow in my basement and have not had a problem with temperatures being too low. My grow area in my basement is not heated though I do get some residual heat from the oil burner which is not near my grow room. The upside of cooler temps is they promote purple colors on cannabis in flower. I do set my timer so lights are on during the night to add heat during the coldest times. If I were going to use a space heater, I would put it outside the tent aimed at the air intake duct so the exhaust fan would draw the heat into the tent. In the winter, I also exhaust the tent back into my grow area instead of exhausting it outside. That way I figure I get to recycle some of the tent heat back into the grow area as well as some humidity(we get into single digits or below zero here). I think the basement rarely gets below 55 deg F.
Hi OldFogey,
Thank you. I expect low temperatures at night around 65…highs around 75 at lights on without a heater. I was concerned with those being a little low, but it sounds like your basement is working out fine at lower temps. I assumed it would stunt their growth. I hadn’t considered changing my light schedule to run at night….another great idea.

I will likely proceed with no heater in the tent unless I find a totally safe option, and I will test your tent “intake” idea too. It’s programmed to turn on now if the tent drops below 70. I’ll test it tonight. My intake is now in front of my radiant heater.

Thank you again!
 

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My outdoor plants are ‘suffering’ 45 degrees this morning but are doing fine. Lower temps may stunt their growth a little(I have no data to support or deny that) but I have always pulled pretty nice harvests from my tent(I have a 3x3 tent)regardless of the temperatures. I think too high a temp is more detrimental than too low(within reason). Too much heat can effect terpene profile. Weedhopper is right. Those temps are good. I like to have a 15 degree swing from lights on to lights off. I like how purple weed looks. You are right about trying to maintain a consistent temp/humidity(I saw you mention VPD somewhere). VPD is a good guideline to shoot for but very few people are set up to maintain optimal VPD ranges in their grows. Your controller sounds like it can help with that but controlling it tightly would be expensive and not cost effective in a small grow in my opinion.
 
Your temps sound great to me. My tent is located in my furnace room which stays hot in the winter especially with the gas heat running more in the winter. I average around 85F plus our minus 5F. My weed grows nice in this environment but I can never get the cool temps required to turn my weed those beautiful purple colors. You should be able to get those nice colors with those temps and if it does get to cold, placing your heater outside your tent near the intake will do the trick for you.
 
Hi OldFogey,
Thank you. I expect low temperatures at night around 65…highs around 75 at lights on without a heater. I was concerned with those being a little low, but it sounds like your basement is working out fine at lower temps. I assumed it would stunt their growth. I hadn’t considered changing my light schedule to run at night….another great idea.

I will likely proceed with no heater in the tent unless I find a totally safe option, and I will test your tent “intake” idea too. It’s programmed to turn on now if the tent drops below 70. I’ll test it tonight. My intake is now in front of my radiant heater.

Thank you again!
I put my tent on 3” foam insulation sheets to minimize the possibility of the root zone getting too cold from the basement floor(a huge heat drain). A simpler way for you to do it would be to put foam insulation inside the tent under your pots. I like to have it outside the tent though because I worry there could be outgassing from the insulation. I don’t know if that is a valid concern though.
 
Thank you for all of the great advice. I’m going to let my temperatures ride in January and February. I hope for a low of no less than 65, expected high of 75, and I’ll make it a point to try some purple strains next and use my environment to my advantage. I don’t recall growing any strains that expressed any purple colors yet, so this will be new.

My plants are off the floor with plant elevators, plus my tent is in a carpeted basement bedroom so I do have some buffer from the cold floor.

I still think OldFogeys idea with the heater external to the tent (in front of the air Intake port) will work though if I struggle with daytime temps. I’ll play with that concept too. I know my basement gets cold….but not in the 50s.

Again, much thanks to all!
 
I've used both heat lamps and space heaters. Problem with heat lamps is you can't have them on after lights out when flowering. So I used the heat lamps during lights on and a metal space heater when it was lights out. Most good space heaters nowadays have safety mechanisms built in. I set mine on a solid surface away from everything and never had a problem.

This is the one I used.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ki...aYTOd987ya-HiIkipv_tqwIE4YWnYVmBoCaeQQAvD_BwE
View attachment 311077r
I have 2 just like this , yard sale finds 2 bucks each
 
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.
What I did was I used 100 watt reptile bulbs. I put a 6 foot of wire with a male 110 plug into a electrical box (single gang) I install a 110volt thermostat in said box i hang at a height 1/2 way. I then take a weatherproof round box and I install it thru the mounting holes into the tent frame with self-tapping screws.I then use a par holder which is only a weatherproof adjustable bulb holder. I screw that par holder into a round "C1" cover.Its just a cover with a 1/2 inch hole your par holder screws into. Be aware that the reptile bulb shows no lite but can get hot to the touch.Thats why I screw that sucker with self tapping screws so it does not fall and burn down said tent,
 
There are those split system A/C units that come with heat mode and dry mode and they are very common where i am. The compressor is placed outside and a copper tubing attached to the indoor fan. It is very silent. A 9000 BTU can warm a bedroom in minutes. Newer ones come with an inverter that makes their electric output much more efficient.
 
I tried to flower at these temps, and while i did not have problems, i noticed that the bud growth was much less than at warmer temps.
That could very well be. I do know my plants outside are not bulking up as quickly as I would hope(as hopper said, they seem to be taking longer to ripen). My take on it is I don’t really grow for quantity so if I am short an ounce or so, I probably wouldn’t notice. My best yield in a 2x4 footprint(I think tdub is in a tent that size) was about 10 ounces but I don’t recall if that was a winter grow or not. There are optimal temperatures to grow in for sure. I think it really depends on how much you want to spend to upgrade a grow space. I grow so I can smoke and share and I am partial to aesthetics of the plants. The cooler temps seem to bring out purple colors which makes me happy.
 

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