Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Quote:
Yes, it was windy, which usually means a fire in the grove is pointless as the wind simply blows the heat away. .
Are wind-maker machines still used in your area to stir up the air on sub-freezing still nights to try to prevent cold air pooling in a protected grove like yours? I've seen those things in FL and the central CA coast all my life, and I've always been a little skeptical of just how much frost protection they really provide if the ambient actually drops below, say, 30F.
Years ago, they were all the rage. My Uncle had a large grove and he had these all over the grove. They only protect under certain conditions. If a frost is on the way and the night is still, a wind machine works very well to keep the air stirred up so the frost doesn't settle. If there is a layer of warm air riding over a layer of cold air, the wind machines do a pretty good job of bringing the warm air down and, as you said, stopping the cold air from settling in cold pockets.
Many of the groves in this area are gone and have been replaced by houses so the larger groves that had these machines are mostly gone. The smaller growers never had them as they are expensive.
I used to love it when my Uncle fired up his machines - 454 CID Chevy V-8's singing all night long.
