My 'IncuTainers' Are Now 'Cooking' at 78 Degrees (pics)

15 years ago

After reading some of the stories posted about people's early plants freezing, I decided to try to keep mine from taking a "dirt nap" if we hit a cold spell.

Enter an aquarium water heater that maintains the water at a constant 78 degrees:

The heater is fully submersible with a built-in thermostat and fits nicely into the 3" deep 'Tainer water reservoir laying down:

As I had already put my seedlings into the IncuTainers (is that a word?) a week ago, I did not want to dig them up to remove the aeration bench and then install the heater. Fortunately, I was able to just pull up the filler tube, insert the heater with a bit of manual wiggling, down under the aeration bench and into the water. I then just fed the power cord up the filler tube and set it back down into the aeration bench:

So now, the 'Tainers should stay fed with heated water at a constant 78 degrees all day, and I am expecting a faster growth rate from this addition:

At night (or when we have bad weather) I will put the cold-frame covers on and the warmth from the heated water should keep the plants cozy:

I am thinking about doing the same for a couple of "production" EarthTainers for my early varieties so they get a jump on the season. At about $14.00 per unit, not a bad investment for "happy" tomatoes!

Raybo

p.s. Thanks to Big Alan for thinking of this idea!!

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Comments (10)

jonnys
15 years ago
Very neat idea. I will keep tuned to see how well this works with the plants.
kiee
15 years ago
Big Alan & Raybo,

I thought I had seen it all, but, you have come up with a winner again! Thanks for the info and the great photos.

Gardening with love, Kiee
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tomncath
15 years ago
Dang boy, you amaze me with the things you come up with. I think you're the best engineer on all the GW forums at thinking outside the box, strong work!
rnewste
Original Author
15 years ago
tomncath,

Thanks. Big Alan has a lot of creative ideas - - like his detachable tomato cage system.

I just installed my third heater in one of the CornTainers I planted last week with early Northern Hybrid corn seed. So I will be able to track how the "heater-ized" 'Tainer on the right produces vs. the unheated one on the left.

{{gwi:7378}}

Raybo

p.s. Big Alan is working on some sort of Ozone generator to bubble into the reservoir water - - so stay tuned!!
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
I gotta stay away from this topic...must...stay...awaaaay...too...much...puttering...solar heeeeating...

Dan
jmsimpson9
15 years ago
We raise tropical fish and use alot of heaters. Never thought of doing what your doing but its an Excellent idea!

Just be sure of one thing, the heaters have an automatic shut off built into them so if they overheat they wont crack and be an electrical shock hazard. (without the shutoff feature it will happen if they are not in water).

Some heaters have that feature. some dont. I cant tell you how many heaters I have "cooked" when doing water changes and forgetting to unplug them. If they cook they crack, then its a shock hazard.
rnewste
Original Author
15 years ago
I've just purchased a few of the Model HT10 heaters which are rated at up to 50 Watts. In looking at the thermal requirements of the 5 or 6 gallons of water in the 'Tainer, this size is adequate to maintain the water at 78 degrees. It is also cheaper at $11.50 per unit.

{{gwi:11599}}

Raybo
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Question for you Ray:

How come you don't have your lids cut at an angle for some sun exposure, inside painted in white for more light? If I could get permission from the rest of the fam and do your setup, I'd do like a coldframe and get some sun in there...

Just a thought.

Dan
rnewste
Original Author
15 years ago
Dan,

I actually take the cold-frames off every day to give the plants direct exposure to the sun. One could slant the top if you were leaving them on full time, but remember, those plants on that side of the 'Tainer will lose headroom.

Regarding painting the sides, the Rubbermaids are somewhat translucent, and "light" does enter through the LDPE material, albeit at a reduced intensity. I think painting the insides would be counterproductive, as the paint would actually block out the light that comes through the LDPE currently.

Raybo
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
Ah, got it. Thanks Ray.

Dan