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Many gardeners use greenhouses to get an earlier harvest from their garden. These structures come in various designs, but they all come down to creating optimal conditions for the faster growth of vegetable crops. The most popular greenhouse material today is polycarbonate. You will learn more about the thickness of polycarbonate for a greenhouse in this article.
Useful qualities
Many gardeners do not think about what material they need to create a greenhouse and immediately choose cellular polycarbonate. This product has certain features that make it a leader in the construction of greenhouses.
Cellular polycarbonate is a material made from colorless solid polymer plastic granules. Such plastic is produced using the extrusion method. This method involves melting plastic granules and then extruding it through a special mold called a die. It is because of the use of this method of production that this product has a number of features. Due to these features, it is chosen by many gardeners.
Cellular polycarbonate has the form of a sheet with a cellular structure. This product may consist of two or more layers, which are interconnected by stiffeners oriented along the length of the sheet. A feature of this structure of the product is the presence of high thermal insulation properties, as well as increased strength. Therefore, honeycomb and other types of such products are often used for wall and ceiling cladding in greenhouses of various designs.
Gardeners and gardeners began to use cellular and other types of polycarbonate for finishing a greenhouse due to the following useful qualities of this material:
- low thermal conductivity, due to which such sheets retain heat best;
- high resistance of the product to ultraviolet radiation;
- high levels of light transmission. Transparency in this case is 90%;
- high impact resistance. Sheets do not form fragments when destroyed. Therefore, they are better than glass for building purposes;
- fire resistance. Polycarbonate is practically non-flammable. It is also prone to self-extinguishing;
- high resistance when exposed to the surface of many chemicals;
- durability. The period of service is more than 20 years;
- you can use such products in a fairly wide temperature range: from -40 to +1200 C. Due to this, such a product is perfect for a winter greenhouse;
- it is possible to bend sheets in a cold state. At the same time, they retain their plasticity. Therefore, no other analogue can cope better than polycarbonate with a winter greenhouse.
Another positive quality of this product is its light weight. Polycarbonate should be chosen in a situation where the construction is planned with an unreinforced frame and without a foundation (for example, for a pyramid greenhouse).
Thanks to such useful qualities, polycarbonate is used in various fields of human activity (industry, agriculture and construction). In agriculture, it is better to choose for construction:
- greenhouses;
- winter greenhouse;
- winter garden.
At the same time, what type of prefabricated structure a greenhouse or greenhouse will have will not affect the operational time. The material under any climatic conditions will be able to qualitatively and fully perform the functions assigned to it.
It is worth noting that depending on which type of polycarbonate you have chosen, the above parameters may vary within a certain range. For the construction of a greenhouse, it is best to use a cellular type of product.
Video “How the material behaves in winter”
At what thickness to stop
Polycarbonate sheets can be produced in different thicknesses (from 4mm to 16mm). Therefore, the question naturally arises of what thickness products are best used for the construction of greenhouses and other agricultural buildings.
To date, sheets with a thickness of 4 mm are in the greatest demand. You need to choose this parameter when assembling a light greenhouse structure. But many experts, when asked “what thickness should I buy polycarbonate products for greenhouses,” argue that it is better to use 6 mm material. This option will prevent damage to the skin during hail. Therefore, if hail is a common phenomenon in your area, it is better to choose a product with a thickness of 6 mm. It is these products that are most often used by gardeners in our country. But this material costs a little more.
An increase in this indicator has a positive effect on the life of the structure. An increase in this indicator from 4 to 6 mm increases the wear resistance of the greenhouse by about 10 years.
If the cultivation of plants in the garden or in the garden takes place all year round, then it is better to use sheets with a thickness of 8-10 mm. Such products will be able to withstand the weight of snow. In winter greenhouses, a prerequisite for the operation of such products is the heating of the structure from the inside.
In addition, the choice of finish thickness should be made based on the size of the structure itself. For overall greenhouses, a thickness of more than 10 mm should be used. A high level of strength in this situation will allow you to finish not only the roof, but also the load-bearing walls.
As you can see, the best solution would be to use a material of 6 mm thickness. You need to select another option for this parameter only if there are certain needs (for example, increased strength).
Decide on the type of polycarbonate
Today, such plastic sheets can have a different structure. As a result, this material can be:
- cellular;
- monolithic.
The difference between them is that the honeycomb has a cellular structure. For a greenhouse and a greenhouse, the best solution would be to use honeycomb material. This material has better characteristics compared to a monolithic structure. A monolithic material is characterized by greater strength, but also greater weight, as well as lower thermal conductivity. Namely, these qualities are very important when assembling a greenhouse.
As you can see, polycarbonate (especially honeycomb type) is an excellent solution for a greenhouse of any design and size. Properly selected thickness of its sheets will allow you to get not only a durable, but also a warm greenhouse. And this, in turn, will provide you with a quick and plentiful harvest.
Video “Greenhouses for cellular polycarbonate”
Before the gardener, who is going to put up a greenhouse, there is one task: to ensure its maximum reliability and durability. How to achieve this, you will learn from the video.
