Greenhouse Water Heater

I stumbled upon a tip that having a black water tank can help your greenhouse stay toasty overnight by radiating heat. Painting mine black sounds like a Herculean task, so I’m avoiding it as much as possible. Instead, I shoved a black trash bag between the black tank and the metal frame, crossing my fingers that it would soak up some sun during the day. Unfortunately, our well water comes in at a brisk 60 degrees, and the sun hasn’t been much of a help increasing the temperature very fast.

In a burst of genius (or perhaps desperation), I decided to buy a aquarium heater to throw into the mix to warm up the water more efficiently.  I was amazed at how fast it warmed up the 175-gallon tank to a cozy 86 degrees! If those chilly nights keep sneaking in, I might just crank it up to a sizzling 88 degrees. I don’t keep it plugged in; only when the temperature takes a nosedive at night and I need the heater to pull its weight!  Our winter has been so mild that I’ve only needed the heater for a handful of nights.  I’ll keep you posted as we get deeper into the winter with temps lower than 20 degrees and how it helps.

FYI, I’m using a hygger Aquarium Heater 300W/500W/800W/1000W, Submersible Fish Tank Heater with Digital LED Controller and Intelligent Leaving Water Automatically Stop Heating System, for Freshwater and Saltwater.  I got it through Amazon for $50.  Well worth it so far.