Completed 55 Gallon Drum Thermal Mass J-Tube Greenhouse Heater

Completed 55 Gallon Drum Thermal Mass J-Tube Greenhouse HeaterShow more

Last year I built an experimental J tube burner to heat the greenhouse using wood you find lying around etc. This year I’m finalizing the build by creating a bit more of a heat battery. It will be set on top of a concrete pad so heat will be stored in it and in the floor. The barrel was originally just filled with sand. This year it will be sand and clay. This will create a thermal flywheel that can be fired during the day while doing other things and then left overnight without any fire to worry about. Keep in mind that the thermal battery can also be heated with a solar panel instead of fire. I think it’s best to have both heating modes if possible.

The fire box could have been made using plaster of Paris. While I was working on making 55 gallon drum forge I discovered that plaster of paris and sand make great fire bricks. That’s another option. The reason I created a thermal short into the ground is that it will radiate a lot of heat during the night. One thing that will need to be watched after is watering the plants in there more often. The heat will dry the soil out a lot faster than usual.

This link is to the test run I did last year. https://rumble.com/vrka47-55-gallon-drum-j-tube-heater-for-greenhouse.html