How do you create a thermal mass for a greenhouse?

The most common way to use thermal mass is water barrels, because it has such a high heat capacity. By stacking several 55 gallon drums of water in a greenhouse, the grower can incorporate a lot of thermal mass. Barrels should be stacked where they are in direct sunlight, often on a North wall.

How do you find thermal mass?

Thermal mass, or the ability to store heat, is also known as volumetric heat capacity (VHC). VHC is calculated by multiplying the specific heat capacity by the density of a material: Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a material by 1°C.

How much thermal mass do I need?

As a rule of thumb, the exposed area of thermal mass should be about six times the area of glass that receives direct sunlight. For example, a north-facing room with a 1m2 window should have about 6m2 of exposed thermal mass, located where it will be exposed to direct winter sun.

How many water barrels does it take to heat a greenhouse?

Divide the number of gallons by 55. That’s the size of most large barrels. The resulting number is how many barrels you’ll need to heat your greenhouse. In this case it’s a little over four, so you’ll need five 55-gallon barrels.

What is meant by thermal mass?

In building design, thermal mass is a property of the mass of a building which enables it to store heat, providing “inertia” against temperature fluctuations. It is sometimes known as the thermal flywheel effect.

What is thermal mass and how does it work to heat a building?

‘Thermal mass’ describes a material’s capacity to absorb, store and release heat. For example water and concrete have a high capacity to store heat and are referred to as ‘high thermal mass’ materials. Insulation foam, by contrast, has very little heat storage capacity and is referred to as having ‘low thermal mass’.

Can you have too much thermal mass?

Too much thermal mass Once you get beyond a depth of about four inches, the efficiency of thermal mass drops off quite sharply. Heat transfer becomes much less effective, so a six-inch thick wall is nowhere near half as efficient again as a four-inch thick wall.

What materials provide the best thermal mass?

Materials commonly used for thermal mass

  • Water: water has the highest volumetric heat capacity of all commonly used material.
  • Concrete, clay bricks and other forms of masonry: the thermal conductivity of concrete depends on its composition and curing technique.

How long does a Litre of paraffin last in a greenhouse heater?

Anti-Frost Single Burner Greenhouse Paraffin Heater – 1.7 litre / 3 Pint Tank Capacity – Approximate Burning Time of 10 days – Suitable for Small Greenhouses and Garden Cold.