grow tent heat

[Sandy]

First off I would like to say thank you to Nebula and Sirius for all the info that has helped me succesfully grow my own.I have always had a bunch of house plants but this weed can be a challenge.
Now, I would like to say hello to all the other old hippies (I am soon to be 69) who have soooooooo much fun growing weed in retirement.
My question is: What kind of heater can I use in my 5x5 grow tent?
current grow: OG Kush, Blueberry, Amnesia, Jack,

[Smallgrow]

I’m jealous of you guys that have that much tent , so spacious 😁

I’ve tried a couple heaters , and settled on the oil filled radiator type on an Inkbird controller. Set the heater to a mid level and let the controller cycle it as needed.
I find less spikes in temp , and once the oil is warm it will radiate heat with less power consumed. It also doesn’t blow air around (I have fans for that), nor does it dry the air out as much as ones with exposed heating elements

[Sandy]

Thanks for the response.
I am thinking that is the best choice also. I like the sounds of no blowing air.
I do have extra space but I like to be able to move around my girls.

[Ckbrew]

A heater in a small space can spike temps and cause wide swings. Better to manage the lung room.

[Smallgrow]

Yup I agree, lung room is best, just don’t have space

[AGH]

I agree with Ckbrew - it's always best to manage the temp/humidity outside the tent than to put something in the tent. By managing the environment outside the tent, you do a few things: you prevent spikes and dips in temps and humidity in the tent, you have fewer things cluttering up the inside of your tent, and heaters/humidifiers/dehumidifiers aren't really designed for a small space like a tent. Plus, I like to keep electric cords and items above the waist and water below the waist just for safety purposes and adding heaters, etc. makes that pretty close to impossible.

Of course, sometimes you can't manage the environment outside of the tent for one reason or another (however you should do everything you can before putting something inside the tent to do it) so you may have to put a heater in the tent. In that case, definitely go with one of the oil-filled ones for the reasons that other posters have mentioned.

[OldManGrower]

I use a small desk top heater plugged into a thermostatic switch. Both of them available on amazon. You would need at least two heaters for a tent your size. Hell, I've had bedrooms that size.
Welcome to our forum. I look forward to seeing your posts. A large portion of the active posters are juveniles such as yourself, and you are certainly not the most senior.

[Rootsruler]

I also have a 5 x 5 and use a ceramic element style heater to heat the tent when I need it. My tent is in a lung room so I can control temp fairly easy through home HVAC. I use my little heater the first couple weeks after flip to raise the lights off temps a little above daytime temps to reduce node spacing. It has a thermostat so I just set it for the temp I want to hit and it shuts off when it hits it. If it drops below my setpoint it turns on and tops off the tent temp. Haven't noticed much in regards to spikes on the controller app. I'm assuming the exhaust fan and controller are smoothing out whatever spikes the heater may introduce.

My setup is similar to OMG's except the Inkbird is built into the unit.

The heater is 500w and is compact. You don't need much to heat your space. Once the tent hits my setpoint temperature fluctuates maybe a couple of degrees.

I was a little concerned at first about fire hazards so I put a smoke alarm in the tent and am assembling a fire suppression system for the tent but so far, after 2 grows, it looks like I don't need to worry much.

[Sandy]

So much knowledge in one place... Thank you all for the input.
My grow tent is in my cellar, 1885 New England home. Stone foundation, cement floor. Last winter I heated the whole house with a wood stove in the cellar. It was an issue trying to keep the tent below 80 degrees. This winter the Oil burner will keep me warm, so I will not have that dry heat in the cellar. Already noticing its getting below 70 degrees at night in the tent. We have not even had a frost yet... I am thinking that I am going to have a hard time keeping the girls warm. Was 67 degrees this morning. My Lung room is very dusty and dirty (because of the wood stove), that is why I have my girls in a tent.

Think I will try a small oil filled heater.

[Rootsruler]

I've noticed a lot of people out your way with the same cold basement issue. They'e moved from LED to HID for the added heat the light gives.

[MagicMike66]

I grow In similar conditions to you so I use an HPS bulb as it heats the tent. I also need a heater during lights out, currently electric element heater but it spikes a lot and dries out the air so I’m also going to try an oil filled next year. I bought cheap foam insulation and put it on 3 sides of the tent as well as the floor and the roof, it has made a huge difference to the environment for very little cost and effort. If it’s really cold you can even drape a duvet over the front exposed part. Venting the air outside the basement is also key if you can. Good luck and welcome to the forum

[Sandy]

So if I put in a HPS light I will get heat, and some drying of the air, and a different kind of light for my girls.
If I put in a dehumidifier I would get some heat and drying. No extra light.
Which one would be better for the girls? Which one is more cost effective?

[Rootsruler]

I would get both if you can but if not then the dehumidifier.

[MagicMike66]

Put the HPS in the tent and the dehumidifier outside the tent in the basement. Dehumidifier is pretty pricey to run 24/7 tho

[Bluey]

I use a radiator, the oil filled type as it doesn't swing temps. Not really efficient. Ideally I'd have a reverse cycle split system on the automation.

[Sandy]

So this is my solution: VIVOSUN Electric Mini Dehumidifier, Ultra-Quiet Auto Defrost Dehumidifier with Timer, 2200ML Water Tank and Drain. Only cost me $50.
Puts a little bit of heat in the tent and lowers the humidity to 50% 68 degrees at night 74 during day with lights on. The Girls seem to be happy. All most harvest time...
Blueberry on the right
OG Kush front center
Amnesia in the back.

[Sandy]

Gobble Gobble

[Bluey]

Happy looking plants.
What light are you using now Sandy?

[Sandy]

I have 2 cheap 600W and a Spider Farmer 1000