Which polycarbonate is best for a greenhouse: what to look for when buying
Polycarbonate greenhouses have long supplanted film and glazed greenhouses, since they are financially profitable and of high quality. Of course, at first you will have to spend money and purchase good-quality material, which costs much more than film, albeit the best one. But in the future, it will not be necessary to change the coating annually. In addition, such a structure retains heat better and transmits light, it is easy to care for it. And the greenhouse will serve for more than one year faithfully, if you take a responsible approach to the choice of polycarbonate. It is not worth saving in this matter: cheap material a priori cannot stand for a long time. Among other things, consumers have a choice among many manufacturers. However, here you first need to decide which polycarbonate is best for the greenhouse. We will help you do this and choose the really best material. So, let's begin.
Polycarbonate - what is it like?
Manufacturers make plastic sheets of various structures from polymer raw materials, namely:
- Monolithic. They are a solid sheet with high strength, but quite heavy. Most often they are used for the construction of complex and durable structures, especially without frames. They take any shape by hot forming.
- Cellular. They are produced in the form of two or three rather thin plastic plates. There are connecting perpendicular jumpers between them. The space between the honeycombs is filled with air, so such sheets are much lighter than monolithic plastic.
For small private greenhouses, it is better to use cellular polycarbonate. As already mentioned, it is lighter, and it costs an order of magnitude cheaper. In addition, due to the cellular structure, the honeycomb sheet retains heat better, which is especially important. And it also takes any shape well by simple bending, is resistant to damage and weather conditions.
The average service life of domestic polycarbonate is about 10 years. Some firms give an even greater guarantee. Cheap Chinese sheets are unlikely to last longer than 4-5 years.
Which polycarbonate is better for a greenhouse: choosing a honeycomb plastic
It is not enough just to opt for cellular polycarbonate. You still need to figure out what it is and what is best for your greenhouses... Going shopping, you should pay attention to the following points:
- Sheet thickness. You shouldn't buy the thickest sheets - even honeycomb plastic can be heavy. They also do not transmit light well. But even the thinnest cheap sheets will not work either, because they can break under the snow cover. The optimal choice for a winter greenhouse is polycarbonate 10 mm thick. For seasonal greenhouses, thinner sheets (6 mm) can be used.
- Color. Clearly only transparent plastic. Painted panels block sunlight and absorb some spectra.
- Protection. To extend the service life, you should give preference to polycarbonate with UV protection. It is better to choose sheets that have a special coating on one side. It neutralizes the effects of the sun and prevents premature cracking.
In conclusion, I would like to add: no matter what polycarbonate you choose, it is better to build a domed or arched greenhouse. This design does not allow snow to linger, which means that the load on the material is reduced.