Gas greenhouse heaters come with a large selection of venting options.  It is wise to know about the different types before making a choice of one over the others.  With so many choices available you can be assured that you will find one that is right for your greenhouse.

The two basic types of greenhouse heaters are vented and un-vented.  Un-vented heaters take the air in the greenhouse and heat it without any kind of venting to the outside.  This can cause problems because some plants can be very sensitive to the fumes emitted into their environment.  These greenhouse heaters are best used for short periods or as a back up heat source.

Gravity vented greenhouse heaters exhaust their fumes out of a pipe that is similar to a chimney.  It is best if the pipe used for these greenhouse heaters is kept as vertical as possible for maximizing venting capabilities.  Gravity vented greenhouse heaters use a simple, easy to understand venting system.

Sealed combustion greenhouse heaters use direct venting.  It has one vent pipe that it uses as an intake as well as an exhaust.  One will be situated inside the other and the intake is equal to the exhaust.  Direct venting is used by sealed combustion greenhouse heaters to bring in fresh air as well as exhaust fumes.

More efficiency can be achieved from using a greenhouse heater that utilizes power venting.  This type of venting has a fan that moves fumes outside.  The advantage to this is that the pipes can be located horizontally or vertically and also that the vent pipes do not need to be as large, thus less energy is needed.  Greenhouse heaters that use power venting can cut down on energy consumption.

One of these is likely to be the best venting solution for your greenhouse heaters.  Circumstances of your greenhouse will determine which venting system is best for you.  Understanding the different types available will insure that you will choose the best system for your greenhouse heaters.

Greenhouse Heaters and Combustion: When choosing greenhouse heaters you might want to consider what type of heater combustion will work best for you.  The combustion type of a greenhouse heater refers to where the air used for combustion comes from and also whether the burner is sealed or not. The burners can also be sealed or unsealed.  It will be beneficial to understand the types of heater combustion available.

Open greenhouse heaters use air from inside the greenhouse and are fine for areas that will not have excess foreign matter present in the air.  If the air is full of dust from mulch, wood shavings, or compost, the contaminants in the air can damage the heater.  In rare cases, it can sometimes cause the microscopic matter in the air to ignite causing a fire.  It can be a useful solution for a small greenhouse, depending on the circumstances.

Greenhouse heaters that use separated combustion take air from the outside and therefore do not carry the dangers of open combustion heaters.  The burner is also sealed completely so that only outside air is used to support combustion.  It will have an air intake as well as an exhaust pipe to the outside of the greenhouse.  Separated combustion type greenhouse heaters are safer for greenhouses that may contain contaminants in the air.

Sealed combustion type greenhouse heaters are similar to separated combustion types.  They are also completely sealed so present no danger of fire in the greenhouse regardless of dust and debris.  The main difference is that they use a direct vent for their intake and exhaust.  Sealed combustion greenhouse heaters can be a good choice if you don't want to worry about contaminants in the air.

Understanding combustion types can be useful information in choosing greenhouse heaters.  The different types work differently and are designed for different purposes.  Knowing what each one does and how it works will be beneficial information when shopping for your greenhouse heater.