Glass v Polycarbonate

[pineandpear]

I have been given a nice, but old 6 x 8 greenhouse with adjustable shelving and plan to put it on my new allotment. Some of the panes of glass are broken and I was considering replacing them (all) with polycarbonate sheeting instead and wondered what the pro's and con's of each type of material were.

Unfortunately as I work for myself, I do not have the time to go the allotment everyday and I have heard that it is very easy to scorch plants in a glass greenhouse if left unattended in the summer?

Can anyone share their experiences with me before I go ahead and inadvertantly kill off all my little lovelys with (heated) kindness! OR waste a lot of money on polycarbonate when it is not recommended / worth it?

Many thanks as always in advance

[devon-surfer]

I have poly glass in mine, can tell you how good in the summer as it only went up yesterday. It is clear and upto 90% UV protected.

The only downside i can think of, it the noise of the glass when the wind blows strong, but if its on the lotty no probs. It is strong (10 times) than hort glass.

[carlseawolf]

i used both glass and poly and i prefer poly as it warms up earlier in the season without the need for added heat and if it has the cloudy type plastic on the roof then there is no need to paint the glass for shade , but the down side is the panels sometimes blow out of the frame.

Glass looks nicer than poly and very rarely get panels blown out , and due to the weight of glass they normally stay put which is a bad habit of plastic greenhouses of any sort.

The choice is yours but these are a few of the points i can think of.

[pineandpear]

Thanks for this advice (I love this site!). Mmm, what to do!

I am going to collect the greenhouse (freecycle) on Saturday and transfer it to my allotment to be rebuilt and there is glass supplied with it, plus I have tonnes inherited from the old allotment holder so have no shortage of it.

If I use the glass, what type of paint is it best to cover to roof panels with?

I am a bit scared to use glass as I cannot always be around and do not want it to overheat and the burn my plants. I am not too bothered if poly is not as pretty as glass, as long as it helps me in my absence.

Does anyone know where is the best place / price to buy the polycarbonate panels, in case I do decide to change them?

Please keep me posted of your progress with your new ploy greenhouses, as I am swaying towards it (dependant on price of panels) and would love to hear your news!

[vegman]

Just found this little debate on Glass v polycarb

Glass being clear allows the suns strength to enter the house which when passing thro the glass becomes weaker and so cant get out again - hence its higher temperature inside. More efficient than plastic.

Glass being clear allows better light to enter in the winter months when good light is at a premium.

Glass although more brittle than polycarb is stronger strucurally and once fitted combines with the ally frame to give flexible strength to the greenhouse.

Glass is cheaper much cheaper than polycarb [which would need to be th edouble wall type.

Glass doesnt scratch and its there for years and years. It doesnt expand like plastic and so doesnt 'pop out' on a hot day.

Both types of houses would need cooling down during high summer. Leaving open the door and vents. wetting with water. hanging shade netting is effective or newspaper works too.

Be it glass or plastic people tend to forget that it need sto be kept clean for maximum light and hygiene. Can be an unpleasant and time consuming job to wash and disinfect but I use a superspray sprayer from Superspray The Best Hose Accessory you'll ever own it connects to a hosepipe and dilutes as you spray. perfect for stiky ***** fluid and you can get detergent up onto the roof without getting up a ladder or getting a soaking. Its cheap too. well worth a try. make sthe job easy and therefore I do it rather than put it off.

vegman

[Frana]

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I had my polycarb greenhouse a few months ago and found it went up without any problems. (Had a lot of help from my ten year old son though!). Took about two days in all. I do wish that they called the panels 'plastic' though because this is what they really are afterall!

I have since found it very productive, though my heart is regularly pounding if the weather is particularly windy. (I don't open it for ventilation on these particular days as the panels are not as heavy as horticultural glass and very vulnerable to wind as they are like three square panels in one and can sometimes sound like Rolf Harris playing a wobble board!)

I reinforced some of the panels with gaffer tape and this has added some extra stability - clear waterproof sealant is also helpful along the edges.

Overall I am pleased with the results but do wish at times that I had gone for glass!

[Cloud]

I prefer Glass but because I live on a Council estate with gardens all around me and kids playing in them I thought polycarbonate would be better,
If I had a glass house I'd have had a few broken panes by now but the Norfolk house has stood up to the challege.