Contents
Greenhouses and greenhouses are being built in many suburban areas. Despite the abundance of structural solutions in the construction of such structures, greenhouse arcs are an indispensable element. They are made in different sizes and from different materials. They can be purchased ready-made or made independently, while observing certain criteria.
What are the
For such a structural element, the material used is very important. Arcs for a greenhouse should be light, strong and durable. A greenhouse is built on the site every year, so they need to serve for more than one decade. However, they must be affordable. The best material for them is metal, wood or plastic.
- Metal arcs for a greenhouse are used by every third owner of a suburban area. For their manufacture, various metal elements are used: pipes, fittings, thick wire, etc.
- Plastic designs are no less popular. They are lightweight, durable and resistant to the negative effects of various environmental factors.
- Structures made of PVC profiles do not differ in properties, quality and cost from plastic ones. From this material, arcs are convenient for greenhouses, which are planned to be sheathed with polycarbonate.
- Wood structures are used less often, although they are environmentally friendly, strong and durable.
Fiberglass structures are characterized by lightness, strength and reliability.
How to Make Your Own Hands
Arcs – this is the element in the composition of the greenhouse, which can be done independently. The main thing is to choose the right material for their manufacture. It should be easy to bend and work. Structures made from it, despite the length, should be light in weight, but strong and reliable. Do-it-yourself arcs for a greenhouse are easiest to make from plastic pipes designed for arranging water pipes. And even defective ones are suitable. They have a low cost, so you can experiment with this material to your heart’s content.
In the simplest version, pins protruding by 15-20 cm are driven into the ground along the greenhouse every half a meter on both sides. The ends of curved pipes are put on them, the length of which is determined by the height of the structure. Another pipe should be fixed on top along the greenhouse to connect the frame into a single whole.
A more durable and reliable design is obtained by using metal bars, the thickness of which allows them to freely enter the pipes. They are cut into 60 cm pieces and driven into the ground to a depth of 20 cm in those places along the greenhouse where the ends of the curved profiles should be located.
Then, using a wire template, their size is selected. After that, the wire is applied to the pipes and they are cut to the desired size. To make arcs from a PVC profile, you will need a building hair dryer and a number of special connecting corners and crosses for the convenience of connecting individual planks. Work should begin with the manufacture of a wire template. Also, the required bend can simply be drawn on any flat surface. Then the profile is heated with a hair dryer heated to 180 ˚С and gently bent according to the template.
The number of arcs is made based on their placement every half a meter along the greenhouse. At the same time, they should be mounted perpendicular to the entire length of the stiffener, placing one on top and two on the sides. If the greenhouse is made high, then the number of side ribs increases. Despite the fact that the PVC profile bends quite easily without heating, it is not recommended to make a frame in this way, especially if polycarbonate will be used for sheathing in the future. With such a deformation, a constant internal stress takes place in the material, and when using self-tapping screws, the profile can simply burst.
In the event that a hair dryer is not available for one reason or another, you can do without it, but in this case, the polycarbonate will have to be fixed with clamps according to the following scheme: from the inside, a metal or plastic clamp is applied to the circumference of the profile and the polycarbonate sheet is attracted to the profile with two self-tapping screws with a thermal washer. In this case, the profile is not damaged, however, another difficulty arises – it will be necessary to make many holes in the polycarbonate itself, which does not like this very much. Making a structure out of wood is somewhat more difficult. For them, good quality planks without knots should be used up to 12 mm thick. Moreover, it is better to take wood freshly sawn. Dry planks will need to be soaked in water for a day to increase their elasticity.
Before proceeding directly to the arcs, you will need to calculate and make a special template. To do this, an even shield made of edged boards is knocked down, on which the arc being made must fit completely. In the middle of such a shield, a beam is fixed, the thickness of which is not less than the width of future arcs, and the length is equal to the height of their bend with the addition of 10 cm. This addition is made taking into account some straightening after assembly. The timber should be located in the middle of the height of the curved arc of the wooden plank. In three places – at the ends and at the top of the bend, the bar is clamped between two parallel small bars. If the size of the arc exceeds three meters, two additional bars can be added for its smoothness.
After that, a bent bar is laid on the shield according to the template. Another one is placed under it and they are tightened with self-tapping screws in increments of 25 cm. Then the third plank lies under them and they are all again pressed with self-tapping screws, only of a larger size. Further, after tightening, the first arc is removed and tried on to the greenhouse structure in order to correct the template made on the shield. If necessary, adjustments are made to it and then the required number of arcs is made.
When making metal arcs, you should choose easily deformable elements. It is rather problematic to bend a metal corner or a profile pipe with your own hands without a special machine. But the reinforcement can be given the necessary shape without much difficulty. Moreover, the resulting structure will be characterized by strength and will withstand significant loads. If you slightly increase financial costs, time and effort, you can create an ultra-reliable and durable greenhouse by packing steel reinforcement in plastic pipes. Such a pipe will protect the film used as a coating from chafing at the points of contact with the curved profile and protect the reinforcement from premature wear and the negative influence of natural factors.
Video “How to make a greenhouse with your own hands”
Video instruction.
Advantages and disadvantages
Metal steel arches differ in reliability and durability. They allow you to mount large-sized greenhouses and are quite complex in design. They are easy to install and dismantle. Such frames are able to withstand significant loads, so even large greenhouses are resistant to strong gusts of wind and are suitable for any type of covering material. But at the same time they are quite heavy in weight and have a high cost.
Plastic arcs are an excellent budget option. They are lightweight, easy to install, suitable for year-round use and do not require painting. They are not afraid of high humidity, frost and temperature changes. PVC profile arcs are excellent for polycarbonate coating. The main thing when choosing such arcs is the high quality of the material, which guarantees excellent performance and durability. Greenhouse arcs made of wood are characterized by high reliability and environmental friendliness. But to ensure durability, the tree must first be properly treated with a special antiseptic, and the structure itself must be of high quality.
Video “How to make metal arcs for a greenhouse”
One of the options for creating arcs for greenhouses.