Coverings on plastic greenhouses in winter

Polytunnels, cold frames, greenhouses, propagators & more. How to get the best out of yours...

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Primrose
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I haven't dismantled my mini plastic greenhouse this winter and still have some salad plants and geraniums in it. I'm not sure I rate the chances of the plastic cover surviving.the
winter frosts and sub zero temperatures though without cracking or splitting.
Can anybody else relate their winter experiences with these plastic covers please.
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peter
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If it's the type with green mesh in then no snow weight issues, both that and clear seem more susceptible to uv damage (sunlight) than cold.
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Ricard with an H
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Remember my purchase of this plastic greenhouse ? It is now an ex plastic greenhouse but not because the wind blew it away. The fabric and the plastic fittings holding the steel tubes together are not UV stable so the whole thing rotted from the top down though the modification I made has been testament to my few skills.
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oldherbaceous
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Afternoon Richard, now that is a shame, but i wouldn't go blaming yourself, though. As sometimes i'ts harder to try and improve something that isn't well made, then to start afresh.

Just try and put it down to, one of those lessons of life!
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Primrose
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Oh dear, that,s a sorry mess, isn,t it? Bad luck. Back to the drawing board sadly.
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Ricard with an H
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Thanks for the commiseration's, when I bought it I thought the wind would blow it away and that is why I sewed a skirt all the way around then waited the skirt down with bags of stone taken from the trench I dug for the sea buckthorne.

As you can see, it would never have blown a way but the whole construction wasn't up to UK weather.

The fabric fell to bits, the plastic joints split and where water got in the thin steel tubes quickly rotted, I now have the confidence to accuse whoever sells this trash to us to be ashamed.

On the other hand, that double walled plastic panel stuff I bought to make my cold frame is bomb-proof, its survived the most terrible beating, lots of sunshine and frost. Other than looking scruffy it looks to have many years of life left in it so if I build the planned greenhouse into that sheltered little spot you see in the photo it'll be out of twin-wall-polycarbonate. In my case it came from Wickes.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
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That looks similar to the one that was on the plot next to mine it was last seen flying eastwards in the gales about a month ago, how can any manufacturer make a pollytunnel thats not uv stable surley trading standards should be interested
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Ricard with an H
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robo wrote: how can any manufacturer make a pollytunnel thats not uv stable surley trading standards should be interested


Is it because us mostly don't bother to complain ? When I bought it I knew I wasn't going to expect it to survive so I sewed a skirt of material all the way around then placed bags of stones on the skirt which was some old ripstop material sails and kites are made of. What I didn't expect is for the plastic to disintegrate and no, I can't be bothered to complain.

If I complained about everything I'm dissatisfied with i'll have a full time job.

Right now I'm waiting for an emergency repair to my roof, my emergency was placed with my insurer yesterday morning and I warned them about tonights storm and it might rip the rest of the roof away. After 24 hours I've heard nothing. The emergency cover I pay for is to get help quickly so further damage is avoided.

I'm also unhappy about Fiat issues, local authority issues, slow internet, unreliable electricity supply, the government borrowing money, the opposition parties inability to make sense and a whole host of other stuff I won't bother sharing with you or in fact concerning myself because life is far to short at the age of seventy one.

Back to greenhouses, it appears that the under £500 greenhouses are not suited to all environments but they don't give any limitations so I'll either fork out for something that looks solid or build my own.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
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peter
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Rhino greenhouses trade on strength, not tried them tho. :D
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Geoff
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My current moan is with a chimney cowl supplier. It blew off in the first gale and when I recovered it I found it had rusted away - it had been installed for about a week short of a year. I complained and said it wasn't fit for purpose. The supplier referred it to the manufacturer who asked what fuel I used then said it wasn't suitable for smokeless fuel. I pointed out to the supplier there was no mention of this on their website but so far I haven't even been offered a discount on a replacement. Battle will resume in the New Year.

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robo
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Ricard with an H ,I am not a complainer myself but I think at times I should be, ive only ever contacted trading standards once in my life and that a waste of time
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Ricard with an H
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robo wrote: ive only ever contacted trading standards once in my life and that a waste of time


:D

Clearly, you need to complain about trading standards to your local MP though your local MP will probably send you an automated reply whilst he/she is holidaying in the Caribbean then to return home and ignore you.

That chimney cowl looks like the sump on our Fiat 500 just two years old though I should have expected it because the same happened to our Fiat powered motorhome.
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Arnie
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Hi

You know what Fiat stands for :evil: fix it again tomorrow :lol: :lol: :lol:

Regards

Arnie :wink:
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
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Ricard with an H
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It's a very sore point with me Arnie.

Stop-start has only occasionally worked, a safety bag cover has come away from its mountings, the drivers door handle fell off within two years, the gear-shift gaiter fell to bits and the exhaust back-box has 50% rotted through. The door handle and gear-shift were dealt with under warranty, everything else remains a problem.

For fifteen years we also had VW Beetles and didn't have to replace anything in the case of the oldest one at ten years old and 140.000 miles.

I dare not list the problems I've had with the Fiat powered motorhome because I can't compare to the other power units for motorhomes.

Right now its over 48 hours since I asked for help on our emergency help insurance-extension policy, I need to complain, right ? Right now sitting at a desk is a customer services representative schooled in fielding complaints and passing the buck, I have no-such skills.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
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