Characteristic
A greenhouse under arcs with covering material can be purchased as a ready-made kit or assembled yourself. When deciding to create a design yourself, you should know a number of features. An arched greenhouse can have any height and width. The optimal width is a distance from 0.6 to 1.2 m. It is directly proportional to the height. Often the width and height are made the same - 1 m. Before installation, you should accurately determine the type of vegetables to be grown and their height, and the location of the structure. A greenhouse made of arcs looks like in the photo.
Important! The greenhouse can be dismountable or installed on a foundation, with a service life of several years.
Material used
The arcs under the greenhouse are not installed further than 1 m from each other. It is worth considering that the collapsible design has less strength. By reducing the distance between the arcs for a greenhouse in St. Petersburg, you can make it more stable and strong. The size of the arc for the planned greenhouse depends on the area of the room. When making arcs for a greenhouse with your own hands, you need to take into account the material used at home:
- tree branches;
- aluminum profile;
- heating pipes;
- hose and wire;
- plastic or metal pipes.
The choice of material from which the arcs for the greenhouse will be made with their own hands remains with the owner.
When choosing tree branches, you should understand that such a greenhouse made of arcs with covering material will reliably last no more than a season. The branches are connected to each other and firmly fixed; they can be combined with a used hose. The bark is not removed from them. When choosing strong long branches, the design can be rectangular without an arched vault.
Important! An aluminum profile will help create a durable and reliable structure that will last for many years.
The arches are secured with nuts or bolts. This frame is lightweight and easy to attach the covering material. The disadvantage may be the relatively high cost of the material.
It is easy to assemble a pipe frame using factory couplings and fastening systems designed for them. A problem can be bending a metal pipe to use it as an arc on a greenhouse, which is used to secure the covering material. For this you need to have special equipment. Using plastic blanks is much easier. They bend easily and give the frame the necessary strength. The main thing is to properly fasten them to the ground, using special stakes half a meter long, made of metal or wood. The pipe is placed on the resulting peg. If you try to drive plastic greenhouse arcs into the ground, they can be damaged or split. The larger the diameter of the pipe, the more reliable the structure will be. If there is a wooden box, the plastic pipe can be secured to the wood using a metal bracket.
The flexibility of plastic also has a negative effect on the strength of the structure. The plastic arc used for the greenhouse bends easily when pressed or handled carelessly. It is better to make the door using a wooden frame, since this part is most often used. To facilitate the operation of a prefabricated greenhouse on arcs with covering material, a completely wooden box is used, to which plastic arcs for the greenhouse are attached. The use of a metal arc for a greenhouse in a PVC shell occurs in a similar way.
Important! Making a metal frame will be difficult.
The availability of welding equipment will be one of the main conditions. Difficulties will also arise when bending metal. It’s easier to cut it and, securing it by welding, give it the desired shape, obtaining a metal arc for a greenhouse in a PVC shell.
The metal frame is often installed on a finished foundation, in which fasteners are left. You will need rods long enough to cover the entire length of the greenhouse, and short ones for making arcs. A greenhouse made of metal arcs with covering material will be the most durable and reliable.
Fastenings made of plastic pipe or hose
If desired, you can make fasteners for the film yourself. You will need a hose or plastic pipe. Just select the required diameter in advance so that you can then put the clamp on the greenhouse frame. It should not only hold on, but also fit tightly, pressing the film.
Using a sharp knife, cut the hose or pipe into pieces, then make longitudinal cuts. On plastic, round off the edges with a file so that there are no rough edges. Now your clamps are ready. They are especially convenient for arcs - the film can be lifted without removing and watering the seedlings in the greenhouse. Just move the clamp up in an arc, and then lower it back down as well.
Greenhouse material
Covering material for a tall greenhouse made of arcs must meet a number of requirements:
- have light transmission;
- protect from temperature changes;
- differ in strength.
The choice is made between materials:
- film coating (PVC or reinforced film);
- non-woven material;
- polycarbonate
Film covering for a greenhouse made from arcs with covering material varies in its characteristics and price. Regular PVC film is inexpensive. It transmits enough light and can withstand large temperature fluctuations. This material is harmless to the environment and does not emit toxins that settle in the soil. Its service life is no more than one year. The disadvantage of using a film coating will be the creation of condensation inside the greenhouse, preventing the penetration of moisture and fresh air. Reinforced film has greater strength, which ensures a longer service life. However, it transmits light 30% less than usual, and is also expensive. This makes it of little use for greenhouses.
Nonwovens are becoming increasingly popular. One of them is spunbond. It lets just the right amount of heat into the greenhouse. To make the plant comfortable, preventing it from overheating or burning in too bright sun. The ability to pass water and air makes the atmosphere inside the greenhouse with covering material most favorable for growing, and even allows for watering from above. Spunbond is useful in preventing crop loss due to invading birds or insects. It does not deform, does not crack and will last for several seasons. However, it is not able to protect the crop from excess rain. Often there is a need to additionally cover the greenhouse on top with another material - moisture-proof. The fastening of such material is similar to the fastening of film.
Polycarbonate is often used as a covering material. It has a long service life. Its thermal insulation ability depends on the density of the material. It transmits light perfectly. Light weight and design ensures ease of installation. However, the cost of such material is expensive.
Important! Over time, polycarbonate may crack when exposed to sun and water.
Device principle
The protective shelter, which is created using a frame and film, is used only for growing seeds and seedlings of garden crops. It absorbs the sun's rays and converts them into thermal energy. Inside the greenhouse it is always several degrees warmer than outside, even without additional heating. Its installation helps to create a microclimate favorable for the growth of garden crops. The shelter reliably protects crops from precipitation, strong winds, and prevents the penetration of insects that can harm seedlings or adult plants.
In order for the greenhouse to work efficiently, during its installation it is necessary to correctly calculate the amount of covering material. To do this, you need to make calculations and take correct measurements. It is easier to solve the problems when the length of the frame and the width of the covering material are known.
The calculation requires the length of the greenhouse and the width of the film Source greentalk.ru
See also: Catalog of country house projects
If the structure of the greenhouse is arched, the length of the canvas should be equal to the length of the arc. When the greenhouse has a frame with a “pitched roof”, the film is calculated taking into account the height of the walls and the length of the slopes. The resulting figure should be equal to the length of the film. To find out how many of these pieces are needed to completely cover the shelter, you need to divide the length of the greenhouse by the width of the film. Since individual pieces are then overlapped, it is important to add 25 cm to the width of each piece (for allowances).
In order for the greenhouse coating to ensure the performance of its functions, it is important to pay attention to the following nuances:
- It is better to cut the covering material on site. It will be much easier to do this if you lay the roll next to the frame in width, and then throw it across the structure, stretch it well on both sides, add 25 cm to the right and left for allowances, and only then cut off the first piece.
- The second strip is cut in the same way. It is laid over the first one with an overlap (25 cm) and secured with construction tape.
- As many pieces are cut as needed to cover the greenhouse from start to finish.
- The ends are cut in the same way and also with allowances of 25 cm.
- Doors and windows are cut out after installing and attaching the film.
Film strips are laid overlapping Source 9dach.ru
Note! It is better to cut the film in calm weather; if the covering material sways and bends under gusts of wind, it will not be possible to stretch it properly.
Knowing how to cover a greenhouse with film, it is not difficult to calculate the amount of covering material. But when buying it, it is important to look at the form in which it is sold. Polyethylene film has a standard width. It is equal to 150 cm. But some manufacturers sell rolls in the form of a sleeve. Before covering the greenhouse, it will have to be cut along one edge of the bend and unfolded.
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in the installation of metal structures
Film fastening methods
There are many ways to securely fasten the film. The easiest way is with a wooden greenhouse, to which it is nailed, having first been wrapped around a special plank in several layers. This will prevent damage to the material. The metal frame should be wrapped in white cloth or pieces of old hoses, as it is exposed to temperatures and gets very hot. You can make holes in the metal and secure the film with self-tapping screws. The stretched film is strengthened with a cord or fishing line, which is attached in small increments from the inside and outside of the greenhouse. Arcs made of plastic pipes are simply covered with film and secured on top in several places with a cut pipe of slightly larger diameter. The main thing is to make the edges smooth so that they do not tear the film. There are special film clips on sale that will make it easier to attach the covering material to the greenhouse arcs.
When installing from polycarbonate, it is worth protecting the ends of the sheet with special devices or self-adhesive tape. Do not forget about the condensate outlet holes that must be left.
Polycarbonate is attached to a metal frame using special screws or thermal washers. Their use will protect the shelter from air penetration through the attachment point. Considering that polycarbonate can expand when exposed to heat, it is not fastened very firmly, leaving room for movement. In places where the material comes into contact with the metal, the frame is wrapped with thermal film.
Only the user decides what type of covering material to choose. PVC film is the most budget option. Using glass and polycarbonate will be more expensive, but their service life is much longer. Non-woven fiber will ensure the maintenance of a favorable microclimate in the greenhouse. Its use will allow you to rarely visit the garden and is ideal for summer residents who visit the site occasionally. In addition, temporary shelters for seedlings are easier to make from film.
Special plastic clamps
Today, all gardening and construction stores sell such plastic clamps. They are short pieces with a longitudinal line cut out. The edges are carefully smoothed so as not to cut the film on the frame. This method of fastening has many advantages. The main thing is that they are durable and comfortable, and also cheap and accessible.
They are very simple to use: you first need to cover the arcs or any greenhouse frame with film, tighten it and secure it with a clamp. Usually these parts are universal and have the same size. They easily extend into arches of almost any diameter. This is very convenient - you don’t need to select sizes individually.
Ready-made greenhouse kits
There are a number of ready-made greenhouses with sewn-in arcs for mass production. The convenience of purchasing them lies in the ease of installation and the availability of detailed instructions. There is no need to search for components and connect them. The most popular models:
Dayas
It uses sewn-in covering material and arcs made of 0.20 cm thick polymer. The length of the arc for a greenhouse is from 4 to 6 m. Special legs serve as attachments to the ground of the structure. The appearance of a greenhouse made of arches covered with covering material is shown in the photo.
Snowdrop
PVC arcs make the greenhouse quite durable. The length of the arc for shelter can reach 8 m. The finished kit contains both legs and clamping clips.
