Tree heaters are usually utilized in orchards and groves to prevent fruit from freezing or being damaged by frost before crop. Even homeowners can utilize tree heaters to safeguard their fruit-bearing trees during early frosts and freezes, however. Different types of heaters are available, though some heaters might not be lawful to use if they generate a large amount of smoke and other emissions.
Forms
There are five commonly used types of tree heaters, reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lazy flame, cone heaters and return-stack heaters all include a gas reservoir and also exhaust pipe, with cone heaters and return-stack heaters introducing variations on the exhaust pipe design to decrease emissions. Pipeline heaters redirect fuel from a central tank to burn at select heater places. Solid-fuel heaters consist of formed fuel briquettes that are placed among trees and set on fire to generate heat.
Fuels
Different fuels are offered for tree heaters depending on the kind of heater utilized. Heaters with fuel reservoirs can typically utilize liquid or solid fuels, though some heater versions are made for use with gaseous fuel tanks instead. Diesel and kerosene can both be utilized in liquid-fuel heaters, while propane is commonly utilized in gas-fuel heaters. Solid-fuel heaters can use wood chips, charcoal briquettes or other ready seams intended for simple burning. Pipe-fed heaters may use either liquid or gas fuels depending on the particular kind of heater used with the heat system.
Drawbacks
Using tree heaters isn’t without its disadvantages. Heaters which use kerosene, diesel and similar liquid fuels without return or filters stacks create large amounts of smoke and other allergens and might not be lawful to use in all areas. The release of heat into the open air is also inefficient, with some heaters being more inefficient than others; because of this, heaters only protect a small region and numerous heaters may be required in case you’ve got more than several trees. Some heater fuels are expensive as well and might be used up fast if using a heater having a little reservoir.
Supplementary Use
Tree heaters are occasionally used as a supplement to other anti-frost and freeze protection methods to provide better tree protection while decreasing the cost or other negative impact of the heaters. Fans and wind machines are generally utilized to prevent frost from forming fruit and trees by circulating air over and around the trees, whilst sprinkler irrigation processes continually spray water to the trees, causing the water to freeze instead of the tree itself. Warm water is also applied close to the base of trees to avoid the ground from freezing and raising the amount of heat that’s drawn from deep in the ground.