About five years ago I was looking for a inexpensive way to build an additional greenhouse. I decided to use regular schedule 40 PCV plumbing pipe for the arches. The pipe is flexible so it was very easy to set up the greenhouse, and very cost effective also.
I covered the greenhouse with a polyethylene film covering made for greenhouses. It was a 6 ply 4 year plastic, meaning that it should last 4 years.
This worked fine for about the first 4 years. Then I had to replace the plastic. I replaced the plastic on 2 greenhouses that were 14 foot wide and 60 feet long at a cost of around $350.00. Having done this I thought I was set for another 4 years.
Well, I was In for a surprise. In July I began to notice the plastic was splitting above every PVC arch in both greenhouses. I assumed I had gotten a bad roll of plastic, possibly one that was old.
I called my supplier whom I had purchased it from and explained what had happened. My supplier asked what the greenhouse was made out of. I explained the details to him, and he told me it was the PVC pipe that caused this.
After a short time, the PVC pipe begins to leach the ultraviolet protection out of the greenhouse plastic causing it to disintegrate at an accelerated rate. My $350.00, 4 year plastic, lasted only 6 months.
So if you are thinking of using PVC in a greenhouse as a part of the structure, take precautions. After my mistake, I found that there is a plastic that you can get to cover the PVC pipe with, keeping it from touching the greenhouse plastic. This keeps the PVC from leaching the UV protection from the greenhouse plastic.
Please don't make the same costly mistake I made.
I covered the greenhouse with a polyethylene film covering made for greenhouses. It was a 6 ply 4 year plastic, meaning that it should last 4 years.
This worked fine for about the first 4 years. Then I had to replace the plastic. I replaced the plastic on 2 greenhouses that were 14 foot wide and 60 feet long at a cost of around $350.00. Having done this I thought I was set for another 4 years.
Well, I was In for a surprise. In July I began to notice the plastic was splitting above every PVC arch in both greenhouses. I assumed I had gotten a bad roll of plastic, possibly one that was old.
I called my supplier whom I had purchased it from and explained what had happened. My supplier asked what the greenhouse was made out of. I explained the details to him, and he told me it was the PVC pipe that caused this.
After a short time, the PVC pipe begins to leach the ultraviolet protection out of the greenhouse plastic causing it to disintegrate at an accelerated rate. My $350.00, 4 year plastic, lasted only 6 months.
So if you are thinking of using PVC in a greenhouse as a part of the structure, take precautions. After my mistake, I found that there is a plastic that you can get to cover the PVC pipe with, keeping it from touching the greenhouse plastic. This keeps the PVC from leaching the UV protection from the greenhouse plastic.
Please don't make the same costly mistake I made.
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