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DIY construction of a greenhouse is a process with many requirements, and therefore it is worthwhile to responsibly approach the materials for the construction. Today we choose cellular polycarbonate for greenhouses and study its characteristics.
Greenhouses made of cellular polycarbonate are the most popular today, and this is only because of the huge list of advantages of the coating material. Why do we choose polycarbonate, and how exactly does it attract our attention? A little more about this material now.
What is polycarbonate?
Cellular polycarbonate greenhouses, reviews of which we have heard more than once, are successful due to their lightweight frame, polycarbonate and quick installation. Today, it is polycarbonate that interests us, because it is the main material of the structure.
Cellular polycarbonate for greenhouses is a sheet of several thin plates arranged in parallel and connected by special ribs - jumpers, which set the strength of the material. According to technical characteristics, polycarbonate is stronger when it has more jumpers and weight, and weaker in case of a lack of high-quality binders.
Cellular Polycarbonate Features
- Polycarbonate production is a rather interesting process, during which special plastic granules are melted and the finished mass is molded into sheets. Each individual plate of material is very thin, but already with a thickness of cellular polycarbonate for greenhouses of 0.3 mm, it reaches enviable strength.
- The material is very strong, impact resistant, transparent, does not support combustion, but if it gets into the fire, it does not emit harmful substances upon destruction.
- Polycarbonate is light and ductile, which allows attaching roofs, visors, coverings of arbors and greenhouses of various shapes without damaging the material.
- Cellular polycarbonate is great for greenhouses and greenhouses, as it transmits up to 92% of the light.
- The weight of the material is 3 times less than acrylic and 10-15 times less than glass.
- Depending on the application of the material, polycarbonate can be of simple or complex structure. Depending on the appropriation of similar qualities to him, he may be rigid or more plastic. Naturally, often this also measures its impact resistance and durability.
You can always purchase ordinary polycarbonate, colored, with UV protection for your own needs.
How to choose cellular polycarbonate for a greenhouse
Of course, a lot of requirements should be presented to the material, but they depend only on the characteristics of the future building. We are used to talking about standard country greenhouses, and therefore today we will not go to the industrial level, but we will help you choose the material for covering just such an ordinary greenhouse.
- First of all, determine the size of the sheets, because they can be quite diverse - 2.1x2 m, 2.1x6 m, 2.1x12 m. It is advisable to immediately choose the thickness, on which plasticity and strength will depend. Polycarbonate thickness from 3.2 mm to 3.2 cm.
- Now choose the color that you need. It will be very simple to combine the greenhouse with the landscape of the garden, because today the market offers white, yellow, transparent, red, green, blue, bronze and opal colors. Agree, it is very convenient to work with such a palette.
- Be sure to pay attention to the polycarbonate structure for greenhouses, because in addition to excellent light transmission, thermal insulation and sound insulation, the material must withstand strong winds and snow loads. First, we say that a material with a complex structure will be much better suited to these requirements.
- Now let's choose the thickness of the polycarbonate sheets under the greenhouse. Experts recommend a material 6 mm thick for standard greenhouses and a material 8 mm thick for large structures. Other indicators are more applicable in other areas, for example, 4 mm - advertising, shop windows and decorative structures, 16-32 mm - pool glazing, overlapping greenhouses, roofing with heavy loads, and so on.
Cellular Polycarbonate Features
There are a number of features of working with this material, which will allow you to provide high quality with processes in which cellular polycarbonate is needed.
The material has a high light transmittance, and therefore is great for greenhouses. Here you can not take into account the angles of refraction, but simply cover the greenhouse with material.
A high level of thermal insulation makes it possible to install not only polycarbonate roofs, but also to make greenhouses completely from material, having built only a reliable supporting frame.
Do-it-yourself greenhouse made of cellular polycarbonate
You must remember the thickness of the material, because if you choose a thick sheet, it will be more reliable and durable, but a thin sheet is easier to bend under complex geometric designs.
In addition to these qualities and features, polycarbonate is not considered a static material, and changes size when heated or cooled. Naturally, these are very small values, but they can play a cruel joke if they are not taken into account. To ensure that structures coated with polycarbonate last longer, professional craftsmen use the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material. Depending on the increase or decrease in temperature, the material can change the size by 0.065 mm per linear meter with a temperature change of only 1 degree.
Therefore, it is worth working very carefully with the installation of the material, providing the necessary clearance for expansion, but also not forgetting about special fasteners that will prevent the sheet from falling out of the grooves of the structure when the material is reduced in the cold. The most correct way to do this is to give the opportunity of “free run” to polycarbonate in the design at the rate of 2 mm per meter. In addition, the diameter of the holes in which the fasteners are located must also meet these requirements.
Cellular polycarbonate under the greenhouse: expert opinion
Cellular polycarbonate for the greenhouse is the right choice, and you can not even doubt the quality of the cover if you have chosen reliable material in advance and worked with it according to all requirements. The main thing is to comply with the technology, use the right material and special fittings, and any polycarbonate cover will last quite a long time.