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Commack, NY

anybody have any experience with heating cables? i've been looking into them recently, and they have a certain length that's good for a certain square footage. But my question is, how deep to you put them?, and how do you arrange the cable? one cable in particular was 33 feet long, and says it's good for 10 square feet. Okay, so 10 square feet is 3.33ft X 3.33ft, approx. so after you run the cable in a perfect square, you have 13.32 feet covered, 2L + 2W that means you have 19.98ft of cable left, how do you arrange it? in concentric circles towards the center? above it? below it? how close would one "row" of cable be to the next?

scott

2/16/2002 12:19:46 PM

Myrtle Creek, Oregon

Scott,
I'm no artist but maybe this page will help yuh out;
http://www.geocities.com/hwoodmn/pumpkins/Cable.html
H-K-J <;-)

2/16/2002 4:12:40 PM

Commack, NY

artist or not....it worked for me! thanks
scott

2/16/2002 5:11:26 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Farmer Scott, used cables last year for the first time and i think it made a big difference in getting the plant established early and strong. i might have buried them 6-8" deep. black tarp worked well to warm the surface, and the cables worked well to warm the deeper levels so a good root system could get established while still in the hoop house.
good luck

2/16/2002 7:27:53 PM

Indiana

Scott,
The most efficient use of the 33 ft cable would be to get a circular area 3.2 ft in diameter, and lust twist it inside like a lollipop keeping it ....off teh top of my head between 3 and 4 inches from the outer cable.
Tom Beachy

2/16/2002 9:30:56 PM

Indiana

WOW, I just read my last post, it really made no sense. I will try again. Ok, 3.2 ft diameter circle, and since I dont have a calculator with me, it will twist inside the original circle keeping the rotations between 3 and 4 inches from the previous one.
Tom Beachy

2/16/2002 11:24:11 PM

Deer Park WA

Scott, I have been using pipe heating cables to get my compost pile cooking, it works great! Sorry I haven't tried them in the hoop houses...

2/17/2002 1:29:14 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo Scott,
I have no electricity near my patch. I did a hole 3' deep and 20' x 10' and fill with several ton of FRESH horse manure and then put the soil back over the top. after a few days the rotting manure has warmed the soil to 75-80 degrees and it stays like this for a month or so.by which time the roots on the plant are well established and the weather has warmed up. For later in the season there is 200' of copper pipe inside the manure which allows me to pump hot water round (from an old woodburner) to keep the soil warm..damned cheaper than using electricity.

Alun

2/17/2002 8:49:40 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo Scott,
Meant DIG a hole not DID.

Alun

2/17/2002 8:50:58 PM

Greencastle, PA

Can I have the first joke on this one?
Tom

2/17/2002 9:54:10 PM

Commack, NY

thanks everyone...i'll be giving it a shot this year

scott

2/18/2002 11:55:42 AM