Greenhouse Heater Problem rant

[BrassavolaStars]

Hello All,

Unfortunately, the heater in my greenhouse no longer functions properly as the thermostat does not seem to toggle the element appropriately. This is terrible for my electric bill and causes the greenhouse to overheat. My problem is that I cannot seem to find a replacement.

The heater I have is no longer manufactured so there are no new models or replacement parts I can get.

Additionally I am dealing with a 250v 30 amp outlet with a NEMA 6-30p receptacle so it can't be hardwire only.

Lastly, I need the heater to have an adjustable power level with thermostat and it has to have a fan-only summer mode.

Essentially, I need something around 5kw that has a setting to operate at ~3kw that can also be set to fan-only in the summer.

Did I mention it has to be able to sit on a table and not be ceiling mounted only?

This is proving next to impossible.

I am wondering if I got an outlet that was overkill and that is what is making it hard to find devices. The heater calculator on the greenhouse sites however told me with a surface area of ~370ft (8'w x12'l x 8'h 5.5' eave) that I needed a heater with 11k btus so I worked around that. Maybe that was a mistake.

[Leafmite]

Have you checked online farm supply stores? They have heaters for chicken coops and barns, both mounted and floor types. You could probably 'chat' if you have questions about the heaters.

I live in a small town surrounded by farms so....

Good luck! I hope you find what you need.

[Shadeflower]

a 5kw produces 17,000 btu if it helps.

a 3Kw produces roughly 10,000 btu

when I look for a 3kw fan greenhouse heater, lots comes up.

You might need a step down voltage converter to convert your 250 volts down to 120v so it can be used.

That will be as much as the heater but neither are too expensive. The running cost will be the real cost.

[WaterWitchin]

You can get a plug-in converter from places that sell camping trailers and parts. If that's helpful. We did that to plug a trailer into our garage outlet for some extra guests once.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Have you considered two smaller units? One for heat and one for heat or fan?

[SouthPark]

Maybe a particular technician could come around to check out the thermostat ----- and see if they can obtain and install a different (but applicable) thermostat.

Or - alternatively - planning for a new system having the needed features - and a model that is better serviceable ------ might be necessary.

Back-up planning could be beneficial too - such as whether a back-up heater of the same kind could be used for back-up if the main one fails. This is assuming electricity supply doesn't go down - during black-outs etc. This is where considerations might also be needed for other back-up if black-outs occur for a long time.