Kitchen Garden Forum

I have recently acquired a second hand quite old alluminium green house.

It was delivered assembled with all the glass removed so now needs installing in the chosen spot and reglazing.

Mainly, I could do with some advice re installation. It is about 7' x 9', is made of light alluminium with sliding door and has no base.

To stop it flying away in the first light breeze, the current plan is to first level the ground, then dig a hole at each corner, insert a light plastic bucket with bottom cut out. With G.H. supported off the ground, attach some dangling angle iron rails or similar by drilling/bolting to each corner of the GH, then lower GH onto the ground and the dangling rails straight into the waiting buckets. Then set the anchor rails with sand/cement poured in the buckets.

That sounds like it will do the trick of anchoring it on a windy day or two but am I making hard work of it. Is there a far easier way?

I am also not sure about a possible need to raise the GH off the ground e.g. screwed onto on railway sleepers or just go for laying it directly on the ground, where the glass may be at risk from the passing feet and cold. Be nice to save the extra cost of the raising materials if not really needed though. What is the view here?

On the reglazing side, I have bought new stainless wiring clips and Z clips ready to do it nicely. How best to clean the glass though. Quite a bit is green with mould etc. I was thinking of trying Soda crystals and water?

Lastly any tips of best way/order to refit glass - start at bottom and work up?

Sorry for all the questions but this is all new to me.

Hello Gadge!
when I put up my reclaimed aluminium greenhouse, I bolted it to one row of bricks (cemented onto hardstanding - but similar method to using sleepers on soil). As far as re-glazing, yep start at the bottom and work up, that's how those z clips work, hook over the top of the lower piece and sit the next into the clip, overlapping on the outside so that rainwater runs off. Then pop the little spring clip thingys along the edges where the glass sits in the framework.
Hope that helps? (and wasn't too patronising - don't know how much you know already.....)
Emma.

Caution on mixing metals, especially plain steel & aluminium.

You can get electolytic corrosion, basically galloping metal rot fuelled by the battery effect of two metals plus water.

Forget the buckets etc, sleepers will do the weight and raising, plus can make nice beds.

See my blog for some picture of what I did with my greenhouse. I had to use soemthing as I'm on a slope, but think now I would go the same road on the flat.

My plain steel base was covered in alumium primer then a layer of wax based car underseal.. some 22 years ago when installed. Hence no electrolytic corrosion between house alumium and base (requires inspection and touch up every 3-5 years,,

Aaah, not so mad then eh Fish?

Just a note to say that it is finally installed and glazed.

Building the base was indeed long winded using my method described above although the end result looks and feels quite stable. I was basically trying to avoid real building work with cement/bricks but now think this would have been easier.

I was missing a few panes of glass and found these impossible to buy at B+Q who only sell packs of glass for their own green houses and these do not contain a contents list. They don't sell individual panes so Lord knows what a buyer there does if he breaks one when installing it! I found some reclaimed ones on ebay located near me @ £5 for 6.

Hello Gadge
Glad to hear that you're up and running now with your greenhouse.
Any glass merchant or building yard that does glass will supply you with the glass you need by the single pane. Just ask for 'horticultural' or 'greenhouse' glass. It comes in standard sizes 24 x 24 and 24 x 18 in old money but they will cut it for you if you are working into a tight spot.

John

If you wanted also to slide a few breeze blocks along the length, I have done secured mine like this, brought a roll of bendy metal strapping from a builders merchant for approx £5, it goes all the way around the block underneath.

The greenhouse sits on a 2x2 frame which the strapping is screwed too.

Here is a pic

peter wrote:Forget the buckets etc, sleepers will do the weight and raising, plus can make nice beds.

B-Hell Peter, you got me out of a real dilemma. Sleepers, why didn't I think of sleepers.

This is all testament to sharing our problems no matter how trivial they appear to us, someone-somewhere has been there and already solved it.

In-fact, round here because it's farming community and we have a few farmers Co-ops they have some huge square gate posts in treated timber and whilst never being as good as sleepers they are cheaper though most of the cost is in the labour and transport for a delivery.

I'm back into greenhouse again.