One piece of equipment that anyone with a greenhouse should have is a heater even if you don't think you need one. The temperature throughout the day and year is constantly changing and with the right sorts of greenhouse heaters you can ensure that the temperature inside your greenhouse is maintained at the right levels. If you don't then the health of the plants growing inside can be seriously affected.

One of the first things you will learn when it comes to getting greenhouse heaters is there are several different types to choose from. However, below we provide some guidelines that you may find useful and which will help you to make a more informed decision as to which type of heater is right for your greenhouse.

1. Gas - These heaters use either natural or bottled gas and although they cost less to run than the other varieties of heaters we mention in this article, they do have problems associated with them. One of these being that they don't heat a greenhouse as efficiently as a electric greenhouse heater can. Also you need to ensure that the greenhouse is well ventilated to allow fumes emitted by the heater to escape, otherwise this will cause damage to the plants growing inside.

Plus you it is important that you locate them somewhere suitable. Preferably in a position where people aren't likely to come into too close contact with them. Also compared with electric heaters these need to be maintained to ensure that they work properly. Plus you may find in a couple of years or so you will need to replace them altogether.

2. Electric - These are much more expensive to run than the other kinds of heaters we mention in this article. However, they are far better at keeping the temperature within a greenhouse constant and of course because they don't give off any fumes the greenhouse does not need to be so well ventilated.

3. Paraffin - This is the cheapest of all the types of greenhouse heaters you can purchase because it is the most basic. Just as with the gas types you need to make sure that the greenhouse is well ventilated otherwise the fumes it emits can built up inside. Plus these need to be regularly maintained and you will have to regularly refill them and trim the wicks on them. But these are the type of heaters to have if you want to protect your plants from the frost.

Next after deciding on what kind of heater it is you want for your greenhouse you need to decide on where it is to be situated. When it comes to greenhouse heaters there are those which are freestanding on the floor or you can get ones that are mounted on the wall or hang from the roof. Certainly if space is limited inside your greenhouse then those that are mounted on the wall or hang from a roof are your best option.

As you will soon discover it is the size of your greenhouse that will ultimately determine what kind of greenhouse heaters you get for yours. Those with large greenhouses should be considering the paraffin or gas types. Whereas those with small greenhouses are better of getting an electric one.