Radiant Tables in Greenhouses

Wayco Wayne_2

I looked at a large commercial greenhouse a few weeks ago that had radiant floors everywhere that most of the plants would sit on to keep their roots warm. But they also ran hot water through pipes where hanging planters hung and used them for secondary heat when the radiant floor wasnt enough. I know most of the park greenhouses where I work, have tables where the plants sit. Less bending over I'm guessing. I've been thinking. What if we made these tables radiant benches. I could use warmboard or climate panel. I could also run tubing on the table top and encase it in mortar or some otherproduct of thermal mass. Maybe I could make a tabletop out of copper tubes although that seems a little pricey. Have any of you seen such things or am I on my own in the creative proccess? Let me know what you think.

Charlie from wmass

Wysteria Hurst home

In Holyoke, MA uses 4" bell and spigot for radiant heat in the greenhouses. Simple staple up on the bottom of the tables would work fine. If it is easier to add it to the top then the thin set concrete would work great. You can also use it with a floor sensor to run a propogating bed for seed starting.

hot_rod

I has a similar thought

I cut up some old solar collector frames to build the beds. I installed pex in ThermoFin and put potting soil over it.



Then I took an evac tube array, on it's side for a drainback solar to heat a large galvanized well tank for thermal storage. Adjust the tank insulation to store some and let some radiate into the space.



The passive design heats fine when the sun is out, the 80 gallon storage, partially insulated keeps it 50 degrees even on the coldest evenings.



Next addition will be a pv powered DB pump to get it off grid. Also a greenhouse window actuator to dump excessive heat.



Rutgers has done a lot of design and studies on root bed heating, maybe check with them for some design info.