Update- heated copper grid supplemental heating

Jay

It is time I give everyone an update on my supplemental heating system for my trees. Those not familiar with my system this is a quick idea of what it is:
I used ½ and ¾ inch copper pipe, the type used for heating systems. I cut and soldered it into the shape of the outside perimeter of my winter bonsai shelves in the unheated garage. The ‘grid’ has several ‘T’ crossovers and a valve on both ends. I filled the completed system with auto antifreeze and placed an electric heat tape, the one with the thermostat, on the grid for approx 75% of the tubing.

My hope was that as the temps dropped the thermostat on the heat tape would come on; heat the pipe in the areas of the heat tape and the antifreeze inside would transfer the heat to the rest of the pipe. Some areas of the pipe had the heat tape attached to just the bottom of the pipe, some areas I wrapped the tape around the pipe and some areas of the pipe had no tape at all.

Note: I used a smaller system of this type when I lived in zone 5b/6a in southern Orange County NY. In that situation the system did fine. I have no control group of trees so I did not nor will I in the future know if the system helped or was unnecessary.

Northern Vermont is far from Southern New York so this is a year of experiment. Yes, I did bring a few trees to the Bonsai Nursery near me to prevent the best of what I have from being a guinea pig. Of course it far far too early to tell if all will be well but here is what I’ve found out to this point.

1- When the garage door was left open for the day (in error) the heat tape could not deal with the temps of the day the high that day was -5F and the Temp probes I use said the trees were at about 8F degrees.
2- When the garage doors are kept closed the system seems to work fairly well. As I write this the outside temp is -10F. Two feet from the tree shelf the temp is 18F. The temp on the shelf varies as follows; directly on the tubing with no heat tape under it is 24F, where there was tape single run under the pipe it was 28F, and where the tape was wrapped around the pipe it was 41F. Also to be noted the trees are situated in ways to allow them to touch the pipe in one or more places. The temp on top of the soil on the plants seems to be in the range of 23 to 30F.
3- This system will require much tweaking. I believe I will need to increase the heat tape on the pipe to give more coverage so as to give a better equalization of temperature.

I will of course let all know how this experiment goes, for better or….. Any questions gladly answered to the best of my ability.

Jay

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

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