DIY polycarbonate greenhouse repair - professional advice
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How to repair a greenhouse after a snowfall
If the greenhouse "developed" after the winter
Heavy snowfall last winter led to a strong decline ... of greenhouses. Those just folded under the weight of snow. However, do not despair: You can repair any greenhouse, even if it is completely "formed".
It's all about the availability of spare parts and skillful hands.
The simplest but most common problem is cracked polycarbonate.
The reason for the phenomenon is the low quality of the material (usually made in China), it does not withstand frosts, becomes brittle, and loses transparency.
IT IS INTERESTING.
On sale you can find reinforced polycarbonate, which has additional diagonal stiffeners. Due to this, the sheet in 1,5 times keeps heat inside the greenhouse, so this material is often used for year-round greenhouses. The perfect solution for fighting night frosts! (Be prepared that the light transmittance of such polycarbonate will be lower, and the thickness of the sheet will be greater.)
A more difficult problem is collapse of the frame.
It makes no sense to straighten deformed arcs - they will not gain pristine strength. It’s easier to buy repair kits that are sold to many factory-made greenhouses. Straight parts, if there is no possibility to replace them, can be flattened. But the foundation racks, as practice shows, are deformed, and even more so, they break extremely rarely.
Reference by topic: Strengthening the greenhouse with their own hands (from snow and wind)
RESTORATION OF THE GREENHOUSE CAN BE SEPARATED BY SEVERAL STEPS.
1. REPAIR OF THE FRAMEWORK
Unplug the cover from the frame along the arcs, undock all deformed parts, replacing them with new ones, and restore the coating. If the polycarbonate sheet is not torn, it can be left.
The repaired (rebuilt) frame in strength is not inferior to the new one. However, I would advise to restore the restored greenhouse.
IMPORTANT. It is impossible to find a repair kit from dealers. But you can buy an inset for your greenhouse. It will be cheaper than ordering the parts separately. The insert is designed to lengthen your greenhouse by 2 m. In fact, it is an analog of a repair kit.
See also: Greenhouse in winter: prevent deformation
2. CREPAR POLYCARBONATE
Cellular polycarbonate is installed with a certain side outwards (towards the sun). It is she who has a protective UV layer. How can I find out? The polycarbonate sheet is coated on both sides with a shipping film, but on one side this coating is transparent, and on the other side information is printed on the polycarbonate and the manufacturer. It is she who should be outside.
Note: after removal of the shipping film, the sides of the sheet do not visually differ, so mark the outer side of the sheet with a marker.
3. FOUNDATION
Installing greenhouses on the foundation is risky. The forces of frost heaving can deform it, as a result, the frame of the greenhouse warps, cracks appear.
It is much more reliable to install the greenhouse on the standard foundation racks that are included in the kit - they have a thin-walled profile, they do not squeeze out when the soil freezes.
OTHER PROBLEMS OF POLYCARBONATE GREENHOUSES
Polycarbonate has become a very popular material for covering greenhouses. Here just a year, then complaints about its quality more and more. It will become cloudy, it will dry up and crack, then hail will break it. Only some of the problems are caused by improper operation. The rest depends on the quality of the material.
All problems can be divided into two groups. First, let's look at the ones that are promoted by truck farmers themselves.
What if there is condensation in polycarbonate cavities? How to kick him out and not let him back?
Condensation in the polycarbonate honeycomb accumulates when the honeycomb is tightly sealed with tape or sealants. You can’t do this! Accumulated water in the honeycomb should go out. Inside, in the honeycomb, it penetrates through the microcracks of the polycarbonate itself, and not through the open ends. And to release moisture, you need to give oxygen access - peel off the tape or get rid of the sealant.
Polycarbonate cavities will not get dust and dirt particles, condensate will not accumulate if you take a few simple steps.
- Polycarbonate honeycombs should be closed with special plugs, called "polycarbonate end profile". It will allow the condensate to escape outside, and dirt and dust will not pass through.
- Close all bolts and self-tapping screws with which cellular polycarbonate is attached to the frame of the greenhouse with special polycarbonate washers. It will also protect the sheet from water and dirt, and self-tapping screws from corrosion (so there will be no rusty ugly spots around the screw).
What if everything is already running and mud and algae have accumulated in the cavities? Are there cleaning methods?
Polycarbonate is cleaned every fall, washing the coating with soapy water from the hose (without strong pressure). This will preserve the light transmission of polycarbonate (ideally this parameter should be from 70% to 90%). If the cover of the greenhouse is clouded, this will be a bad thing for your crop.
Alas, it is impossible to remove dirt and algae from the inside of the cavities either under pressure water or compressed air. The only chance is to prevent such a development of events during the installation of polycarbonate.
Is it possible to seal small defects and how to do it correctly?
In order to close chips, cracks and holes in a polycarbonate sheet, you only need to use a material similar to polycarbonate - polycarbonate washers and profiles. Sealants, putties and adhesive tapes violate the properties of the material.
But even proper operation will not help if polycarbonate is of poor quality.
How to choose polycarbonate, which does not turn yellow and does not lose its strength already at 2-3 year? Are there ways to determine the UV layer or do I have to believe the word to the seller?
Cellular polycarbonate is a two-layer or three-layer panel with stiffeners providing high strength of the material with its low specific gravity.
Cellular polycarbonate is able to withstand temperature fluctuations from minus 30 ° to 130 °. The coefficient of heat transfer, which characterizes the thermal insulation properties of the material, depends on the thickness and structure of the sheet. It varies within 4,1 W / (m2*K) (for 4 mm) to 1,4 W / (m2*K) (for 32 mm).
Choosing cellular polycarbonate, it is necessary to pay attention to specific weight 1 sq. M. m of material. 80% of manufacturers try to reduce the cost of the material, reducing its weight by 10-30% of the norm.
The second parameter is the presence of protection against ultraviolet radiation, or the UV layer. Since UV-absorbers are expensive raw materials requiring high-tech equipment, manufacturers often reduce costs by adding this substance with a thin layer or not at all. Savings can be 50% or more, but will inevitably affect longevity.
So, the seller can say that the UV absorber is added to the polycarbonate mixed with polycarbonate granules, they say, such protection is best. And this will be true - almost all manufacturers add this substance so that cellular polycarbonate does not lose its presentation quickly, does not turn yellow. That's just it does not give protection. Such sheets can only be used indoors. When exposed to external factors, such material will last you no longer than a conventional film for a greenhouse.
In simple words, cellular polycarbonate, made of recyclable materials with the addition of a poor-quality UV-absorbent, resembles a cheap sponge for utensils that will absorb all the dirt and fall apart after 3-4 use, while a high-quality polycarbonate looks like a microfibre cloth that can be use for many years, and it always remains clean.
Only 8% of producers use a protective UV layer, applied by coextrusion. Such cellular polycarbonate, of course, will be more expensive at 30-40%, but it will serve by faith and truth for several decades.
How to buy high-quality polycarbonate for a greenhouse?
To see the protective UV-layer is impossible, it is necessary to focus on marking the sheets themselves.
There should be indicated the properties of the sheet, as well as the contacts of the plant and a guarantee - from 15 to 25 years.
The thickness of the sheet is not the most important factor, if you focus on the weight of the sheet. Normally (if the manufacturer did not economize), a sheet thickness of 4 mm should weigh 0,7-0,8 kg / sq. m.
The manufacturing method is co-extrusion, ideally with the addition of granulated primary raw materials of German origin.
On which greenhouse does cellular polycarbonate last longer?
The greenhouse frame should be made of a 20 × 20 profile pipe and have a metal thickness of 1,2-1,5 mm. Solid double arcs will withstand a snow load of more than 1 ton, and the presence of high-quality powder coating will protect the metal from corrosion for up to 50 years.
You can understand what kind of "carbonate the seller is offering you by asking him these questions (if you are dealing with dealers, find out the contacts of the plant and call there - experts will be able to give an exhaustive answer about the technical characteristics, and possibly the selling price of the sheet, in order to understand how much the seller winds up ).
What raw material is polycarbonate made of?
The correct answer is: without the addition of secondary raw materials by the method of co-extrusion.
What is the guarantee for polycarbonate?
Correct answer: from 15 to 25 years.
What is the density and thickness of the sheet?
The correct answer: with a thickness of 4 mm - weight 0,7-0,8 kg / sq. m. With a thickness of 6 mm * weight 1,3 kg / sq. m
5 SIGNS OF QUALITY POLYCARBONATE
- Polycarbonate is produced on the lines of European production.
- Made from quality German raw materials without adding secondary raw materials. The weight of the sheet must comply with the standard. If it is smaller, it is the second grade.
- On the sheets there is a double-sided protective film, fixed and not slipping from the sheet, the details and contacts of the manufacturer, technical properties, certificates and service life are indicated.
- The declared density and weight of the 4-mm sheet is 0,7-0,8 kg / sq. m
- Protective UV-layer is distributed in the mass of the sheet and on the surface.
5 SIGNS OF UNKNOWN POLYCARBONATE
- Appearance: nonsmooth edges of the leaf, small inclusions, air bubbles, the surface of the leaf is not smooth, easily permeating. The edges are flawed, the leaves are wavy, longitudinal or transverse furrows visible on the leaf surface visible to the naked eye.
- Unknown and low-quality raw materials, use of secondary raw materials.
- Absence of marking with contacts and information about the manufacturer.
- Lack of certificates and technical specifications.
- Only volume UV protection.
© Author: V. BIRYUKOV, Expert on Greenhouse Equipment
Collapsed greenhouse repair - video
© Author: V. KARPOV, Greenhouse Repair Specialist
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Below other entries on the topic "How to make your own hands - a householder!"
- 5 most important things to do in the greenhouse in early spring
- Heating the greenhouse with your own hands: warm and air and soil
- DIY greenhouse made from window frames + drawings
- Improving the greenhouse - three beds and other “ideas” and do-it-yourself ideas
- Clamping washers for the greenhouse with their own hands
- How to make a greenhouse for grape seedlings and prepare them for open ground
- A hotbed of arcs and agrospan with his own hands
- Cultivation of cucumbers in the pyramids of rods
- Greenhouse in winter: prevent deformation
- How to prolong fruiting vegetables in the greenhouse?
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To repair a polycarbonate greenhouse, a plastic part was needed. I decided to cut it out with a thick plastic jigsaw. From friction, the file got very hot and melted the plastic. Before starting a new attempt, I dropped a few drops of engine oil onto the saw blade. Sawing became easier, the process went much faster, and the edges turned out to be smoother.
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I had to change the polycarbonate in the greenhouse - it “bloomed”. Now the husband wants to fill the sections at the ends with a sealant. In what weather should this be done? Indeed, in warm weather there is more moisture in the air than in frost, will condensation fall out?
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I swore to put polycarbonate without end protection. No matter how you close it from moisture, condensation still forms, algae actively multiply in it, and insects take in. And as a result, the light transmittance drops dramatically over several years. Having bought a good expensive polycarbonate for the new greenhouse, I decided to decorate the ends according to science. All the ends were sealed with a special self-adhesive perforated tape, and a U-shaped profile was installed on top. It protects the tape from mechanical damage. Result: 5 years - normal flight!
S. ASLANOV Tula region