I hafta laugh now when I think about first building mine, and I wore cotton gloves to avoid fingerprints. The panels are VERY very tough indeed.

If I were to make a list of "spare parts" for potential GH damage polycarb panels would be fairly low on it. The biggest potential for damage in a finished GH, at least one that is properly re-inforced structurally, would be for a roof vent that "gets loose" and gets twisted. I don't think aluminum can be returned to its original shape if bent.

I think you can LOSE a panel if it gets loose and flies into the next county, but they're gonna be really hard to damage...

Sorry Solis - not trying to be mean! LOL

With all due respect to that guy Solis whose unit got nuked by wind, maybe he would like to sell his! I don't get the idea he wants his any longer

Good idea I never thought about that.

Good to hear from you greginshasta. I have not seen you posting lately.

We spent the past summer and fall building infrastructure (sheds, irrigation, power, enclosed veg. garden) and my business (web development) keeps me extremely busy.

I read gardenweb to keep track of what's going on occasionally, but don't have time to post on a regular basis.

I do have to say that I am heartened by the lighter tone - the joking and stuff - that seems to have descended upon the board. Nice change from the more serious and sometimes deeply frustrated tone of posts when I first found the board.

I'm eager to see the latest reinforcement you made to your GH. I noted some posts where you mentioned having used rigid conduit at the ridge?

I am interested in seeing photos you took while modifying your HFGH. I emailed orchiddude, but I understand that it's your gh not his. Any pics you have would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Heather

We've ordered extra spring clips and they should be here in about a week. We bought a whole box locally of 1/4" x 3/4" hex head bolts and nuts to fit and found uses for most all of them along with some 1 3/4" bolts as well, tucked in those little channels before the ends were secured.

Nell

Heather

We put the GH together in the tractor shed out of the weather except for the side panels and then hauled it out onto a flat trailer and moved it into place. I wasn't going to tell about the fiasco because orchiddude would enjoy this story too much, but here goes.

A wind sprang up, picked it up, threw it off, where it turned upside down on the roof and most of the roof panels flew off along with the doors! Two cross supports broke and had to be replaced but all the poly carb panels were intact and the windows stayed in place. We picked it up, gathered up clips and panels, tied it down with chains that we should have used in the first place and continued on around. Once it was in place on the foundation and secured, we loosened some bolts, squared it up again and there's no permanent damage.

Our opinion is that without the reinforcements, it would have been in many more pieces and more aluminum parts would have broken. What a learning experience!

Nell

Sounds like a fun experience. I'm sure I'll have my stories too. Yesterday my DH was reading about reinforcing the GH and started having buyers remorse. He's afraid that it's going to take way more money to make mods. I told him we could return it and go buy a Rion for 3 times as much. I think he's back on board with the HF one. hee As for the chandelier...I really thought that sounded like a neat idea. Also, I really liked your idea of putting in a bed in the center with the pavers around (my kids would dig making the pavers). What will you plant there? Can you see I'm living vicariously through you? :o) It's snowing more today...so brighten my day...would ya? Take care.

Heather

Gardenerwantabe,
I am interested in seeing photos you took while modifying your HFGH. I emailed orchiddude, but I understand that it's your gh not his. Any pics you have would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Heather
Here is the link.

~Heather

Do you use any type of thermal mass as well? I saw that you have a brick floor, but I was curious if you used anything else like water barrels etc. I believe we are the same zone so I'm trying to get ideas for keeping my gh warm next winter when the temps are down in single digits. Oh yes, without using power. Crazy...I know...but the gh will be quite a ways from any power source. Any thoughts would be great as I am a serious Newbie at this....if you didn't already figure that out. :o) Thanks again for the links to the pics.

~Heather

We had a three light fixture left over from some other project, so we used it. The water barrels are an ongoing experiment.

It's all fun. I set a pot of rose cuttings in there, so it would look as if I'm making actual progress.

Nell

"I think it's very DIFFICULT to damage them!"

Well, this spring I have noticed several small holes in the roof panels, smaller than dime-size. Have no idea what would cause this--we have no snow, have had no hail to speak of, they almost look like they've "melted" into the polycarb somehow, but this can't be right. Maybe since we've had no rain the panels are getting very dirty, and brittle. I don't know, but while so far it's only happened on roof panels maybe tree branches have come down on these panels or something (I doubt it).

In any case it looks like our HFGH is not going to last very long!!!!

As I researched this kit, I believed the main value was in the poly panels. Many greenhouse sites selling twinwall poly panels offer a 10 year warranty, and I thought that was the whole benefit of polycarbonate...the improved heat retention, and the long lifespan. Small holes appearing for no reason doesn't make sense. Now I'm worrying about the panels being manufactured in a defective manner. I wonder if we should start a new thread to gather thoughts from others on the topic?

This has me worried...
Sheri

Seriously I had not seen those other threads; my panels are identical to James' complaints. We have no chemicals here, nor do we have acid rain or any such.

My advice: if you have water to spare keep your rooftop clean. Maybe that will help slow the deterioration. If not, well, it will cost us a few hundred bucks to replace those panels some day.

Hmmm, my GH roof is almost always covered with an endless supply of desert dust. I can hose it off, but it will be covered again in no time (in spring, anyway.)

I have had a lurking concern that IF there is a panel deterioration problem, it may be heat related. I read a post on another forum last year from a Tucson GH owner who'd purchased two 6x8 kits to use the poly panels in his own homebuilt wood-framed GH. He posted that after a few years the roof panels were brittle and breaking. I know he doesn't use his GH in the summer at all, and I figured his roof panels must have been subjected to extreme temps (if it's 110° outside, imagine what it may be inside an uncooled GH in Tucson, especially the air right under the roof panels...140°? 150°?) I hoped my plan to use the GH year round might help me to escape the same fate (I'm hoping I can keep the temps in mine under 100°, although most of my plants will tolerate that.)

Still, I note that the three mentions of this problem so far (the Tucson person, yours, and Jamesy40's) have all happened in southern states. If heat is a problem, mine will likely fail sooner than some...so I'm keeping an eye on this trend!

I guess it could be an opportunity to upgrade the roof to 6mm at least, eh? :-)
Sheri

1. We should start a new thread!?
2. The holes are small and on one side only (so far) and limited to a single "channel" of the polycarb. Time to do something!
3. Given we are in the Sunny South and our GHs are overexposed to sun as it is, we should consider painting the roof.
4. There's a product out for GHs that apparently changes color; white-to-clear-and-back or some such magic. Prolly way expensive.

Gotta start researching what kind of paint(s) might adhere to the polycarb. Then my thought is to flip my damaged panels over and paint the good sides. Heck, even in the dead of winter the sun drives inside temps to >100 around here--we could use the extra shade that paint might provide (roof only I'm thinking, for now).

Whaddya think? You first! ;-)