sooty greenhouse

[shazzy]

hello,I am a new and very keen gardener.I grew a few tomatoes and flowers last year but this year hubby got me a greenhouse which is full of potatoes,tomatoes,flowers for hanging baskets,sweetcorn,carrots,swede,garlic and runner beans,all doing very well! I have two parrafin heaters in there,which i have mastered on how long to have the wick so as not to have smoke etc but the other morning I got up to find my greenhouse in darkness.One of the heaters was burning inside the center wick part and the whole greenhouse was covered in a thick layer of soot.Ive had to take down all the bubblewrap and clean windows and trying to clean down plants.I love my greenhouse and what im managing to grow,this is such a dissapointing set back,what did i do wrong?

[rustylady]

Hello Shazzy, welcome to the Vine.

No idea what went wrong with your heater, but it must be something to do with the wick setting.

You're very early with your sweetcorn and runner beans. Are they going to grow to maturity in the greenhouse?

Also, could you let us know where you are (nearest town will do fine) and if you add this to your profile it will show up on your posts.

[roitelet]

Hi Sazzy, welcome to the Vine.

When I had paraffin heaters the wicks had to be cleaned of soot every day to stop them smoking. Just wipe round the wick with a clean cloth and it will remove all the carbon deposits, I used to light them and after about half an hour check them and they usually needed turning down a bit so that they burnt with a blue flame not yellow. It's the yellow flame that causes the smoke

[Potstubsdustbins]

Some paraffin heaters are designed to burn with a yellow flame. It is usually poor wick trimming or flame set to high that causes sooting. Once this starts to happen oxygen depletion will exacebate the problem.

One word of caution, should anything like this happen again open the GH door and let it ventilate for ten to fifteen minutes before you enter. The place will be full of carbon monoxide.

Colin

[Garvey]

I owned a paraffin heater two years ago and exactly the same thing happened to me. Three times in one season. It's so depressing when you wake and can't see into your greenhouse because of the soot. It is such a massive job cleaning up. I had enough and ran electric down to my greenhouse and now use an electric heater. Its actually a lot more economic and reliable. Paraffin is expensive.

[redcard]

this has happened to me - your wick needs to be trimed straight, cut off the black bits, and also turn it down to just a bare light - sorted

[Two_Sheds]

a greenhouse which is full of potatoes,tomatoes,flowers for hanging baskets,sweetcorn,carrots,swede,garlic and runner beans,all doing very well!

If you just wait a month you can plant your corn & beans without the expense of fuel. I assume you're in UK? You know they can't go outside until May?

Carrots, swede & garlic don't need to be in a gh at all, and spuds can go outside *any time now* if the snow would just bogger off